"It is about Geraldine, you know."
"You do not mean that she is ill?"
"Oh, no, no—not ill. You remember how well she was last night. Well, after we came home Geraldine eloped," and the last word was almost a sob, for Cissy was terribly agitated.
A terrible fear came to him, and he faltered:
"Not with Standish?"
Cissy flashed her adorer a reproachful glance, exclaiming:
"Certainly not. Didn't Geraldine tell you last night how she hated and despised that wretch? She ran away to marry Harry Hawthorne, her betrothed, you know."
"Oh, yes, I've heard of him—fine fellow, they say. Tell me all about it."
"There isn't much to tell. Geraldine's mother was opposed to the match, because Mr. Hawthorne was poor. So this morning Geraldine was missing, and there was a note on her pillow, saying that she had gone away with her darling Harry, and they would be married right away. She hoped her mother would forgive her, as she (Geraldine) could not live without her dear boy."
"Plucky girl!" was Mr. Clemens' comment, and Cissy continued: