"Well, child, let me tell you what I think about it. I think you might have looked much higher, and fared very much worse. He struck me the other night as a very noble young man indeed, and I wondered then why he hadn't made some woman happy. I believe you will be very happy, Jean, unless those cannibals kill you and eat you."
"If they eat us both at the same time I don't care," said Jean boldly. "Yes, I shall be very happy, auntie, for he is the best man in the whole world."
"And when do you go?"
"Our marriage will make some changes in his plans, of course, and he is seeing the Society people to-day about an extension of leave. We discussed it all yesterday—at least, all that we had time for. He is full of plans—such glorious plans! It is a grand thing to be a man, and to be built on a great big scale, and to have glorious ideas——"
"And the means to carry them out! And when did you say you'd be going?"
"In about six weeks probably. You see, he wants to buy a steamer for his work among the Islands, and we shall go out in her."
"I shall be quite ready," said Aunt Jannet Harvey "I shall want two or three new dresses suitable to the climate——"
"You, auntie? You will go too?"
"Why, of course, child! You'll need me more than ever out there. Suppose you fell sick. Suppose—oh, I can look ahead farther than you can, perhaps! I can see a hundred ways in which I can be useful to you. And you don't need to fear that I'll be in your way—I'll see to that. But I'll be within reach when I'm wanted; and I've always had a hankering to see those outside parts of the world. It was my dear James's dream too. He was a great botanist, when he had any time to spare from his logic. He'll be glad to think the chance has come to me at last."
And so when Blair came back next day from an exciting time in the city, Jean solemnly announced—