And Tisha winked to herself in the pantry, indicating to the crockery on the shelves that she knew why Massa Tano liked her cooking, “and Miss Alice knows it, God bless her,” said Tisha, nodding her head to the rows of preserves and pickle jars, in sheer exultation, for there was nothing so interesting to Tisha on the face of the earth as a love affair.
“All the world love the lover,” says Emerson, and Tisha could certify to this aphoristic truth, for who more humble than Tisha? And yet her heart went headlong to the lover, whoever he might be. Therefore, a love affair in the Darrell family was to Tisha perfectly entrancing. She had been in a state of undefined bliss ever since her perceptive organs and other means of information had indicated to her that Clarence was in love! She had taken upon herself to watch and see that the affair progressed and ended happily.
In the evening Clarence proceeded to deliver the packages sent by Elvira to her mother and sisters.
With beating heart he timidly ascended the steps of the front veranda of the Alamar house, for he did not feel entirely certain that Doña Josefa's objections would be withdrawn. He was not kept in suspense about the matter, however, as now, preceded by woolly Milord, the handsome matron herself came forward to meet him, extending her hand in welcome most gracious. She never had seemed to him so handsome, so regally beautiful. He thought that he had been right in imagining Juno must have looked like her. And when she smiled, as she extended her hand to him, he thought that such was surely the smile, the manner and the beauty of a goddess.
“I am so glad to welcome you, Mr. Darrell,” said she, “and knowing that you wish to speak to me, and as I, too, wish to speak with you alone, I thought I would meet you here by myself.”
Milord barked, wagged his tail in token of friendship, and sat up to listen.
“You are very kind,” Clarence said, placing the packages on a table near him, not knowing, however, what else to say.
“Sit down,” Doña Josefa said, pushing one of the large arm-chairs for Clarence to sit near. “And let me begin our conversation by apologizing for the very wrong, very unjust opinion I have had of you. Believe me, it gives me great pleasure to know I was mistaken.”
Her voice, her manner, were more gracious than her words, and Clarence thought that it was not to be wondered that the daughters were so very charming.
“I am the one who should apologize,” he hastened to reply; “I ought to have asked Don Mariano to explain my position to you before.”