“All wight!” said she; and she toddled off.
CHAPTER VI.
The morning following these occurrences, and for several days thereafter, I had occasion to be absent from town. Calling at the Carters’ on the evening of my return, I found that the daily visits of the mysterious stranger had not been interrupted. There was, however, nothing of special interest to report. The interviews with Laura had been short, and marked only by the invariable production of the package of candy. When I expressed fears for that young lady’s digestion, I learned that, owing to a like solicitude, the girls had shared the danger with Laura so magnanimously that her health was in no immediate peril.
“Here are still some of the remains of to-day’s spoil,” said Alice, handing me a collapsed package.
“Well,” said I, “now that you have seen him so often, what do you think of him? What are your theories?”
“There are as many opinions as there are girls,” said Mrs. Carter. “What is mine? Well, I should suppose that I was too old to express an opinion upon such romantic affairs. But one thing I will say, he is undoubtedly a gentleman.”
“Oh, thank you, mamma!” cried Alice, running up to her mother and kissing her on the check with what the French call effusion,—“thank you!”
“And what are you up to now, Rattle-brain?” asked her mother, looking at her daughter with a smile full of affectionate admiration.
“You see, Mr. Whacker,” said Alice, turning to me with earnest gravity in her eyes, under which their irrepressible twinkle could have been discernible only to those who knew her well,—“you see I have been in love with him ever since I first saw him, and I infer from mamma’s remark that should anything ever come of it, I should find in her an ally.”
“Well, we shall see,” said her mother, laughing. “And what does Miss Mary think of him?”