“Julia, my eldest daughter; Mrs. Schuyler, your new mother, and I hope you will love each other,” the colonel said.
And then Julia felt her hand taken in one as soft, and small, and perfectly formed as her own, and a sweet voice said, as if to relieve her from any embarrassment respecting the mother:
“We will be sisters, I am sure. Kiss me, Julia.”
This was not what the young lady had expected. No thought of kissing had entered her mind. Indeed, she meant to freeze the adventuress by her formality and dignity, and lo, the woman was dictating terms to her, saying they would be sisters and asking for a kiss! But it was not hard to kiss the smooth, round cheek offered to her, and, when the sweet voice said again, “You will love me, Julia, I am sure, and let me love you,” the haughty girl answered involuntarily, “Yes, I will,” and then, with a tear actually wetting her eyelashes, stood back to give place to Emma, who, more impulsive than herself, went headlong into the arms which Edith held toward her, and cried like a little child.
Miss Creighton came next, bowing almost to the ground and offering the tips of her fingers to the lady, who received her just as coldly, though with far more ease and graceful breeding perceptible in her manner.
They were in the hall by this time, and Mrs. Tiffe stood waiting to greet her new mistress, her black silk rustling at every step and her yellow lace showing age and cost, as with her gold-bowed glasses in her hand and her bunch of keys jingling suggestively on the chain at her side, she paid her respects to madame, and thought as she did so how she would like to thrash the scapegrace, Godfrey, who had so misled them. He was choking with laughter just outside the door, where his sisters were going through with a pantomime of threatening gestures for the trick played upon them.
“Godfrey Schuyler, how could you?” Julia began in a whisper, while Godfrey suddenly remembering that he had not seen his Aunt Christine, stepped back into the hall and asked where she was.
On being told she had a headache, he said:
“I must go up and see her,” and with a sign for Julia and Alice to follow, he ran up the stairs in the direction of Miss Rossiter’s room.
But Emma was there before them. As soon as the first moment of amazement was over she had gone swiftly to her aunt’s chamber, and rushing in unannounced, had exclaimed: