“Tell mamma, please,” she said, as soon as she could speak.
So I went across to the bedroom door and rapped, and told Mrs. Elmore that Mr. Leighton had arrived.
“Very good,” she said. “As soon as Dr. —— and the Rev. —— have arrived, you can show him up.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said; and I went downstairs. And then, oh, such a wicked idea came into my head! It came, and it wouldn’t go away, and I wouldn’t give myself time to think how wrong it was. I knew that Mrs. Elmore was dressing herself, and wouldn’t be ready for ten minutes, and so I went straight down to the young gentleman, and I said, “This way, if you please, sir.” And I took him upstairs to the sitting-room, where the young lady was all alone, and I opened the door wide, and said, “Mr. Leighton, miss.”
I heard a little cry from the dear young lady. I saw her rise up and stagger forwards. I saw the young fellow catch her in his arms, and I pulled the door to with a bang, and ran downstairs as if an earthquake was behind me; and when I got to the parlour I went flop into a chair and laughed and cried till Harry came running in and slapped my hands, and the barmaid brought vinegar. And right in the middle of it, in walked the doctor and the clergyman.
I couldn’t help it. My nerves were overstrung, I suppose, and the excitement had been too much for me.
But I soon pulled myself together, as Harry calls it, and went into the kitchen to see the dinner served up properly. And once I made an excuse, when the dinner was on, to go into the room just to help the waitress.
Everything seemed all right, though at first I thought everybody looked a little uncomfortable, including the young play-actor.
It must have been a little awkward for him at first, for the old lady was awfully stiff and stony when she came in, and discovered her daughter with the young man, and no doctor or clergyman present.
But she didn’t say anything to them, only I caught her eye when I went in, and it was evident she’d something pleasant to say to me about it when the company was gone. But I didn’t care what she had to say, so long as I’d made two young hearts happy. And I know I did the very best thing possible in letting them meet like that.