“But, my dear child, if you had told me that last night, I would have relieved their anxiety by a telegram.”
“Don’t you see? I do not want it relieved. It isn’t every day I have a chance to do things out of the common, and you wouldn’t have had the heart to disappoint me when I did, would you?”
“I certainly would!” replied the professor, laughing.
“Oh! Then it is well I didn’t tell. Paula will be just dying to know what I have done and where I have been; but you see she isn’t to know, yet; neither she nor anybody. This is a Mystery—a capital-letter MYSTERY! And it isn’t to be divulged until we are all ready for the denouement. See?”
“Not very clearly, my dear.”
“Oh, bother!—I don’t mean that saucily, but because there is so little time to explain. We don’t wish anybody to know anything about what Melville hopes or what he may have discovered until he is all ready to test it. When you are sure,—perfectly, perfectly sure,—and it has been tried in other ways ever so many times, then he is to try it on himself; when the great surgeon says the time has come. We want him to show his courage and get his fame all at once—in a blaze of glory! Poor laddie! he hasn’t had many blazes of glory, but he’s had lots of blazing tempers! He’s almost as spunky as I am. So, when we get to The Snuggery, you are to be—He, I am a Heroine, and this is part of my romance. I just have astonished Paula Pickel for once in my life, and I don’t want you to go and spoil the fun. You won’t, will you?”
“Not if I can help it,” answered the savant, enjoying the nonsense like a boy. “But I may do so unintentionally.”
“I sha’n’t let you. If you go to say anything you should not, I will frown; and when I frown, you are to stop short off, no matter what it is.”
“That is destined to make me appear very silly, I fear. I shall be sure to say the thing you do not wish.”
“I think not; and you won’t mind being rather silly for once, when you are so very wise most of the time, will you?”