“I cannot tell till I see it myself!” said Hattie.
The next moment the carriage had come to a halt. In less than five minutes it had passed over the space which Hattie could not walk inside of twenty minutes. And she ever went quickly on, heeding nothing on her route.
“I will go to the door myself, and explain to Miss Scrimp,” said Hattie. “It will not take me a half minute.”
The footman opened the carriage door. Mr. Legare himself handed Hattie out, and she ran to the door, and rung a startling peal on the old bell.
Miss Scrimp, unused to such a peal, came herself to the door instead of sending Little Jessie, and to her Hattie only said:
“I am going up town on a special errand with Mr. Legare and his daughter. I will need no supper when I come back, which will be before ten o’clock!”
Before the astonished Miss Scrimp could ask a single question her fair boarder darted away, entered the gorgeous carriage, where the old spinster saw a richly-dressed young lady and two gentlemen, the footman closed the door and sprang to his place, and the noble horses dashed forward, and in a second more were out of sight.
All the old maid said then was:
“Sakes alive!”
And this she said as she went in and slammed the door.