‘I was told to wait an answer, sir,’ was the respectful reminder of the attendant who had brought the note.
‘In a minute,’ replied the Major, as he made one of his funny stiff-kneed skips to meet the ball which came flying in his direction. He managed to catch it on the hop, and sent it far beyond bounds, the feat eliciting loud shouts of applauding laughter. The hero was complacent: he had evidently done something—he did not know what, but it allowed him another pause. So he looked at the note, and the racket dropped from his hand. The deep lines of his visage, which had almost disappeared in his boyish enjoyment of the game, became suddenly prominent in the expression of alarm which took the place of smiles.
‘Gracious powers! I have put the letters into the wrong envelopes!’
He looked with anxious inquiry into the bright flushed face of Miss Carroll. No, she had heard nothing yet. He begged that she would excuse him, as he was obliged to hasten up to the house—a message of importance had come for him, and he had no alternative but to curtail the happy privilege of being her partner during the rest of the game. Then, to the attendant: ‘Tell Mrs Elliott I shall be with her immediately. Hurry, like a good fellow.’
The man bowed and departed. The Major wiped his brow as he followed, at first with quick steps, but soon more slowly. He was trying to collect his thoughts, and to comprehend the possibilities of the dilemma into which he had fallen.
‘She must have got the letter intended for Mrs John; and in that case, what has become of the others? This is a mess. The thing seemed to be so easy to settle: only a little explanation required, and all would have gone smoothly as ever; and now—who knows what mischief may come of my idiotic bungling!’
He had never before found himself in such a desperate position; but he promptly resolved to take the straight way out of it. He would at once explain his mistake, ask forgiveness, and trust to Mrs Joseph Elliott’s good sense and good-nature to keep her silent about the matter which had been accidentally revealed to her.
Accordingly, he entered Mrs Joseph’s boudoir with a dejected air, but with the firm step of one resolved to do his duty at any cost. He found the lady standing by her writing-table, with cheeks flushed and eyes uncomfortably bright with excitement. She held an open letter in her hand. She was a plump, fair woman, with soft pretty features, and rather small gray eyes. She was easy-going and good-tempered to a degree, because she had a supreme dislike to be bothered about anything; but, like these easy-going people in general, once she was roused, she held obstinately to the idea which possessed her, and would not be convinced by any argument that a mistake had been made and that indignation was uncalled for.
‘I regret having been obliged to call you away from your amusement, Major Dawkins,’ she said, controlling her voice with an evident effort; ‘but here is a letter of a most extraordinary nature, which has apparently reached my hands without being intended for them. If I am not very much mistaken, I believe you can give me some explanation of its contents.’
‘My dear Mrs Elliott,’ the Major answered nervously, ‘I gathered from the note I received on the lawn that some blunder had been made. Allow me to assure you’——