"Especially to-day's," smirked weary Age.
"Ho-o-oh!" laughed the maiden, "you and to-day be--" The rest was whispered close, with a one-fingered tap on the painted cheek. In the gloom of the upper landing she paused to murmur, "hear this: Two things I have achieved this week worth all to-day's bad luck ten times over--you don't believe me?"
"No, you pretty creature; you would have told me sooner, if only for vanity."
"I swear to you it is true!" whispered the lithe boaster, with a gleeful quiver from head to foot. "Listen! First--purely, of course, for love of Anna--I have conspired with the General to marry her to Kincaid. And, second, also purely for love of her, I have conspired with Irby to keep her and Kincaid forever and a day apart!"
She tapped both the aged cheeks at once: "I hate to share anything so delicious with you, but I must, because--"
"Ah-h! because, as usual--"
"Yes! Yes, you sweet old pelican! Because you are to turn the crank! But it's all for love of Anna. Ah, there's no inspiration like exasperation!"
"Except destitution!" said the grandmother.
They came before Charlie with arms about each other and openly enjoyed his only comment--a scornful rounding of his eyes.
In the Callender house, as the stair clock sounded the smallest hour of the night, Miranda, seeing the chink under Anna's door to be still luminous, stole to the spot, gently rapped, and winning no response warily let herself in.