Mrs. Brougham smiled as she glanced over at Mr. Brougham.
"My dear!" she said, "that's a very old story!"
"Mother won't tell it!" said Willie in his slow, drawly way, "so I will; I know all about it. Father made up his mind that there was nobody like mother in all the world, but prospects were bad in England and he did not see how he could buy the furniture, so he did not say a word to anybody except to his own mother, and he went to China and saved up, and in four years he came back because the firm shut up shop, and the first thing he heard when he got back, was that mother was going into a big hospital to train as a nurse, and he said to himself, 'One of those doctors will take a fancy to her, as sure as sure,' so he put on his best clothes and rushed off—and—and—"
"Proposed," ended up Gertrude. "Of course I know all that as well as you do. What I want to know is before all that."
"Now it is my turn," said Mr. Brougham looking up from his book, "before that, mother used to give music lessons to my little step-sister and brother—and two more rampageous little mortals I never came across—and they were always in hot water with their masters and mistresses. But whatever they did, she was so patient and gentle—though she made them mind her too—but she never spoke sharply or raised her voice. I used to stand on the stairs outside the drawing-room door, to be sure that they were not very naughty to her, and I made up my mind then. When true love comes to bless us, it is generally through some little everyday thing, some strength or tenderness of character, some simple good quality, some sympathetic tone, or some unselfish act."
"Oh, what fun it would have been if mother had come out and caught you," cried Tony exultantly.
"I wonder what Charlie chose Denys for," murmured Gertrude.
"Really!" said Denys, flushing and rising, "this conversation is getting altogether too personal. Come, Maudie, it is your bedtime."
She carried the child off, and Conway said a little pointedly—
"I wonder what anybody could choose Gertrude for."