George and Lizzie's letters were very pleading. Clarence wrote also, imploring Mercedes to forgive the stupidity that took him away, and beseeched her to yield to his prayer, and be his wife, after so many years of suffering.
Mercedes kissed the letter, and cried over it, of course, as women must, but referred the subject to her mother. Doña Josefa must also cry a good deal before she said anything, for the memory of her husband made such subjects most painful to her.
But Victoriano stormed from his bed. He would have no delay. He sent for Everett, so that he would in person carry a dispatch to town, saying to Clarence, by telegraph, to come in the very first steamer. Victoriano would have no contradiction.
“If Mercedes don't marry Clarence, as George advises, I want to be taken by the legs—my mean, cripple legs, my ridiculous kangaroo legs—and dragged out of this bed, and out of this house. I don't want to live under the same roof with people that will refuse so just and reasonable a request.”
“But who has refused it, Tano? Wait, won't you?” said Rosario, seeing that Tano had hidden his head under the covers.
Victoriano's head came out again, and said: “Nobody says yes.”
But the yes was said.
Everett took a dispatch from Doña Josefa to George, saying that whenever Clarence came, Mercedes would go with him, as George suggested.
There would be five days only before another steamer would arrive, but by telegraphing to Clarence on that day, he would have time to take the steamer next morning, or go on the cars to Los Angeles, and take the steamer at Wilmington. And this was what Clarence telegraphed he would do, suggesting that if Mercita would be ready, they could take the same boat, and by again taking the cars at Los Angeles, be with Gabriel in two days.
Was it a dream? To see Clarence within five days, and be his wife, when she thought she might never see him on this earth again! Thus ran Mercedes' reflections, when she had gone to her room to open a wardrobe which had been locked for three years. That wardrobe held the trousseau sent by Mrs. Lawrence Mechlin in '74, and the jewelry which Clarence had given her in New York.