“Joe, you are a dear old man, and you have made it quite clear to me about Providence. Now, look here, I want you to make me one promise, and when you have done so you may go to sleep as soon as ever you like.”
“Well, my dear, you know that as an honest man I cannot make a promise blindly; it might bind me to something which my conscience—”
“It is not to do anything, but just to do nothing at all, that I want you to promise,” interrupted his wife. “For the next two days I want you simply to take no notice of anything out of the common that happens, and in any case not to interfere without coming to see me first.”
“Well, my dear, I think I can safely promise that. But look here, can you not tell me what this means?”
“It means just this—and you can go and call it out in the streets to-morrow if you like—that I am not going to let old Bloxam snap up Stella Mason, nor am I going to see young Wardley hooked by Lavinia. Now, it’s no use looking at me like that or saying another word, for I’ve quite made up my mind about it. I cannot tell you how I am going to manage, and if I could I would not, because you would ‘look’ it out even if you did not tell it. All you have to do is to keep quite quiet, take no notice of anything that happens, and come to me if you feel uneasy. Now you may kiss me, and then go to sleep.”
After a few seconds she said in a softer voice. “Joe.”
“Yes, my dear.”
“Supposing someone had helped us long ago, don’t you think it would have saved Providence a great deal of trouble?”
“How so, my dear?”
“Well, you see, two people had to die before we could be happy, and even then we had lost four years of our life. Joe, I am determined that Bloxam shall not get Stella, even if I have to come into the church and forbid the marriage when you ask whether anyone knows of any just cause, so you had better help me.”