If Edith had not come upstairs to see what kept Una dressing so long, they would have forgotten all about the theater-party in their absorption of each other. As it was, they started apart in surprise when she came softly in.
"Oh, Eliot, I did not know you were here," she said, drawing back.
"Come in, Edith, and congratulate us," he said, drawing Una to his side again. "We have just found out that we are in love with each other."
"Every one else knew that ages ago," replied the saucy girl, laughing.
But she kissed both with a great amount of girlish fervor, and to hide her emotion, exclaimed:
"The carriages are waiting, and Sylvie is fuming with impatience, so you had better bring your bride down-stairs, Eliot."
They went down together, and when the spiteful Sylvie saw the two handsome, happy faces, she was more vexed than if Una had indeed been covered with diamonds, as she had spitefully said. She could not help seeing that a reconciliation had taken place between the two, and felt instinctively that her cruel revelation to Una had precipitated the understanding it was intended to avert.
But she could not avoid one poisoned shaft of malice at the happy girl, and so, with a sneer, she exclaimed:
"Dear me! Una still posing as a bride at this late day? Your wedding-day must have been a very happy one, since you love to recall it so well."