“She'd stopped smilin', but she was as chipper as ever, to all appearances.
“'I—I guess the horse has gone lame or somethin',' says she. 'He'll be here any time now.'
“There was a cackle from the kitchen windows. I never said nothin'. She'd made her nest; now let her roost on it.
“But at twelve Butler hadn't hove in sight. Every hand, male and female, on the place, that wa'n't busy, was hangin' around the back of the hotel, waitin' and watchin' and ridiculin' and havin' a high time. Them that had errands made it a p'int to cruise past that way. Lots of the boarders had got wind of the doin's, and they was there, too.
“Effie was settin' on her trunk, tryin' hard to look brave. I went up and spoke to her.
“'Come, my girl,' says I. 'Don't set here no longer. Come into the house and wait. Hadn't you better?'
“'No!' says she, loud and defiant like. 'No, sir! It's all right. He's a little late, that's all. What do you s'pose I care for a lot of jealous folks like those up there?' wavin' her flipper scornful toward the kitchen.
“And then, all to once, she kind of broke down, and says to me, with a pitiful sort of choke in her voice:
“'Oh, Mr. Wingate! I can't stand this. Why DON'T he come?'
“I tried hard to think of somethin' comfortin' to say, but afore I could h'ist a satisfyin' word out of my hatches I heard the noise of a carriage comin'. Effie heard it, too, and so did everybody else. We all looked toward the gate. 'Twas Sim Butler, sure enough, in his buggy and drivin' the same old horse; but settin' alongside of him on the seat was Susannah Debs, the housekeeper. And maybe she didn't look contented with things in gen'ral!