One Saturday morning Hilda was helping Mrs. Merryman arrange the potted plants upon the porch when Mose, hat in hand, made his appearance with a note from Mrs. Courtney inviting them to take tea at “Friedenheim” that evening.
Hilda’s eager glance at Mrs. Merryman, hoping for acceptance of the invitation, was met by an assenting smile; a reply was written and Mose hurried away.
When it came time to dress for the visit Norah, who took great pride in Hilda’s beauty, arranged her hair in soft, full ringlets and helped her don a pretty pink gown, Hilda’s favorite, and singularly becoming.
The visit was one of unalloyed pleasure, for during the afternoon Mr. Valentine Courtney drove out from the city in a handsome carriage drawn by a pair of ponies, and finding Hilda and Erma there took them out for a drive, and after tea he took them the short walk to “My Lady’s Manor,” too short to Mr. Courtney, so interested and amused was he with the conversation of Hilda.
He enjoyed her quaint manner of telling the events which transpired within the range of her knowledge, among them the arrival of Norah’s aunt from Scotland, an event of great interest to Norah, and through her to Hilda.
“She is now at your Uncle Merryman’s, I suppose?” remarked Mr. Courtney, with a view to keeping up his share of the conversation.
“No, she is in Baltimore, but she wants to come to Dorton to be near Norah; and Aunt Merryman will try to get her a place as housekeeper. She is a very good housekeeper,” concluded Hilda sagely.
When they reached “My Lady’s Manor,” Mr. Courtney unlocked the front door, and they passed in; and after closing it he led the way through the wide hall to the rooms on either side, all seeming to Hilda like the almost forgotten remembrance of a dream. Then they ascended to the second floor, then to the third and from thence up the narrow stair-way to the walk on the roof, where Mr. Courtney pointed out the prominent places in the city and noted the changes in Hilda’s expressive countenance, as in her quaint manner she gave her views of them.
It was growing twilight and so they turned to descend, Hilda being the first to reach the stair-way.
“There is a lady waiting to come up!” she said in a half whisper, “I think she is very old.”