General Lyon went up to his study.
Drusilla lingered a little while below to give orders to the servants.
“Close up all the rooms on this floor now. Disturb nothing until morning. I wish everything to be kept very still so that the General may rest and recover from the fatigue of this exciting day. Marcy, have the tea served in my sitting room. Leo, do you be up early in the morning and see that the breakfast parlor—the little one—is made very tidy before we come down. The other rooms had best be left closed until the General goes for his daily ride. Then they can be restored to order.”
Having thus given her directions to ensure the comfort of the old gentleman, Drusilla went up into the nursery where her little Leonard was laughing, crowing and screaming in his nurse’s arms.
“I do think as he’s beside himself, ma’am,” said Pina. “He’ll never get over this wedding as long as he lives. When I had him out on the lawn there, and the band was playing and the ladies and gentlemen were dancing, he jumped so as I could hardly keep him from leaping out of my arms.”
“He did enjoy it as much as any of us, didn’t he, Pina?” said the young mother, standing and smiling over the nurse and child.
“Oh, didn’t he though, ma’am? Look at him now; it’s in him yet! And such a time I had bringing him in the house. He did not want to come in at all, even after the music went away. He didn’t cry, ma’am, but he made such signs, and then he fought. Yes, indeed he did, ma’am, he fought me in the face because I brought him in.”
“Why, Pina, I can hardly believe it!”
“But, you may, ma’am! Oh, he’s got a will of his own, I do tell you! I couldn’t make my peace with him until I had lighted all the wax candles in the place! See what an illumination there is, ma’am! Enough to blind any body but a boy baby. And such work to get him undressed. He wouldn’t have his finery off forever so long. He wanted to dance in it. And then, after I had loosened it and got it off little by little with sheer conjuration, would you believe it, ma’am? he wanted to dance in his sacred skin, like a North-American Indian! I have got his night-gown on at last; though how I ever got it on with his prancing and dancing, goodness knows. But, as for his little red shoes, I’ll defy mortial man or woman to get them off his feet except by main force! When I try to do it he kicks so fast you would think there were nineteen pair of feet in nineteen pair of boots instead of one!”
“Lenny will let his mammy take off his boots,” said Drusilla, kneeling by the baby’s feet and making an essay.