"I cried aloud in the exuberance of my joy. I had read of the lives of other young girls at the sea-shore, and this opportunity seemed like the opening out of fairy-land to me. You will not blame me, Royal; I was young and romantic. I had never seen anything of life or its pleasures. A season at Newport! The very thought of it fairly took away my breath.
"'Oh, I will go to Newport!' I cried. 'Then the great dream of my life will be realized!'
"'My husband thought you would prefer the money, but I knew that you would prefer the pleasure.'
"Half wild with joy, I went home and told my mother the wonderful news. She shook her head sadly.
"'We are so poor, you should have chosen the money, Ida,' she sobbed. 'Such a great gift is offered you but once in a life-time!'
"'But what does Mrs. May want you to do for her, Ida? Are you to be her maid?'
"'Oh, no, mother!' I cried, with a hysterical laugh. 'I am to be a real lady, wear fine clothes, and sit on the porch reading novels, or promenade on the sea-shore, from the time I get up in the morning till I retire at night. I shall have pin-money, too, they say, and that I will send home to you. So everything will go on with you while I am away as it did while I was here.'
"We had never been parted from each other, mother and I, and oh! it wrung her heart to say 'Yes.'
"But after much pleading on my part she consented to let me go. She made one proviso, however, and that was—I was not to fall in love with any one whom I might meet.
"Oh, I can not tell you of my delight when I saw the wonderful dresses that Mrs. May purchased for me, saying that they were all my own forever after. She took me to Newport with her. As my name was the same as theirs, every one took it for granted that I was a niece of theirs, instead of their protégée for a few short weeks, a report which the Mays did not trouble themselves to contradict."