“Very well, sir, I’ll keep her for a few days and have her fitted out in a lot of folderols for you, but only for a short period, mind you. A very short period!” answered my Uncle, the General Robert, with a smile that showed much delight in me. I flew to him and gave to him an embrace with my arms and also laid my cheek against his.
“I am for always your most humble and obedient girl, my Uncle Robert,” I whispered to him.
“Humble and obedient—no woman would know those words if she met them in her own drawing-room,” he answered to me with a great scorn but he also gave to me a shake that was of a seeming great fierceness, but that I knew to be a caress.
And into that caress came also another interruption of great hurry. My Buzz entered the door with a rapidity and this exclamation:
“What’s the trouble, General? I just got your phone and—” Then he too stood in a great and sudden stillness, regarding me as I stood from the shelter of the arms of my Uncle, the General Robert, and looked into his eyes of great fright.
“My Buzz,” I said to him softly.
“Great heavens!” he exclaimed, with terror in his eyes as he backed away from me. “I haven’t had but one glass of draft beer, General.”
“It’s all right, Buzz,” answered my very wise Gouverneur Faulkner, in a voice of great soothing. “This is just—just Robert in a—a—”
“Not much Bobby, that,” answered my Buzz as he backed farther towards the door. “I think I’ll step outside in the cool air. I haven’t felt well all day. I—” and with which remark my good Buzz turned himself into the arms of the lovely Mademoiselle Sue entering the door.
“I’m tired of waiting out there in that car, Buzz, and—” And again came an awful pause of terror. But is it not that women have a wit that is very much more rapid than is that of men? I think it is so.