“It will be a great day, Uncle Matthew,” replied Miss Burford, with elated decorum of manner. “The De Willoughby mansion restored to its former elegance. Mr. Thomas De Willoughby the possessor of wealth, and the two young people—” She bridled a little, gently, and touched her eyes with her handkerchief with a slight cough.
“When Marse De Courcy an’ Miss Delia Vanuxem was married, dar was people from fo’ counties at de infar,” said Matt. “De fust woman what I was married to, she done de cookin’.”
Senator Milner was shaking hands with big Tom upstairs. He regarded him with interest, remembering the morning he had evaded an interview with him. The little room was interesting; the two beautiful young people suggested the atmosphere of a fairy story.
“You are on the verge of huge good fortune, I think, Mr. De Willoughby,” he said. “I felt that I should like to come with Rutherford to tell you that all is going very well with your claim. Members favour it whose expression of opinion is an enormous weight in the balance. Judge Rutherford is going to speak for you—and so am I.”
Judge Rutherford shook Tom’s hand rather more vigorously than he had shaken Matt’s. “I wish to the Lord I was an orator, Tom,” he said. “If I can’t make them listen to me this time I believe I shall blow my brains out. But, what with Williams, Atkinson, and Baird, we’ve got things that are pretty convincing, and somehow I swear the claim has begun to be popular.”
When the two men had gone the little room was for a few moments very still. Each person in it was under the influence of curiously strong emotion. Anxious waiting cannot find itself upon the brink of great fortune and remain unmoved. Some papers with calculations worked out in them lay upon the table, and big Tom sat looking at them silently. Sheba stood a few feet away from him, her cheeks flushed, light breaths coming quickly through her parted lips. Rupert looked at her as youth and love must look at love and youth.
“Uncle Tom,” he said, at last, “are you thinking of what we shall do if we find ourselves millionaires?”
“No,” answered Tom.
His eyes rested on the boy in thoughtful questioning.
“No; I’ll own I’m not thinking of that.”