THE captain, Violet and Grace now returned to the library, where they
found Lucilla at the typewriter answering some letters for her father.
“Oh, you have all been up to see Neddie, haven’t you?” she asked,
judging so by the expression of their faces.
“Yes, daughter,” replied the captain, “but the doctor would allow only
an exceedingly short call, and so much depending upon it, we must all
be careful to follow his directions.”
“Yes, indeed, the dear little brother!” she exclaimed with emotion.
“But surely something pleasant has happened to you, Gracie dear, for
you are looking very happy.”
“As I am and ought to be,” returned Grace, blushing vividly; “father
and the—and others, too, have been so kind to me.”
“Oh, father means to reward Harold, does he?” laughed Lucilla. “Well,
sister dear, if you like it I am glad for you.”
“Your father has, indeed, been very kind to our pair of lovers,” said
Violet, smiling upon both her husband and Grace, “and the best of it is
that he has stipulated that they are to stay here with us for the first
year of their married life.”
“After that to remain on the estate, but in a separate house if they
wish it,” added the captain.
“Oh, how nice!” cried Lucilla; “and Harold really deserves it.”
“As does Grace also,” said their father, “for she has been sweetly
submissive to her father’s will.”
“It would have been strange if I had been anything else toward such a
dear, kind father as mine,” she said, regarding him with an expression
of ardent affection, which he returned, smiling fondly upon her.
The door opened and Max stood upon the threshold.
“Am I intruding?” he asked, pausing there.
“No, my son; we wish to have no family secret from you. Come in and
join us,” replied his father, and Max stepped in, closing the door
behind him.
“You are all looking happy,” he said, glancing about upon them with
a pleased smile, “and no wonder; it is such good news that our dear
little Ned is convalescing.”
“Yes,” said Lucilla, “and I think Gracie here is somewhat rejoiced over
Harold’s promised reward.”
“Ah, I suppose I know what that is,” said Max, glancing at the
blushing, half smiling face of his younger sister. “You are to be ‘It’
this time, aren’t you, Gracie?”
Her only reply was a low, sweet laugh, but their father answered:
“Yes, I have withdrawn my objection to a speedy union, as I felt that
Harold deserved a great reward, and he preferred that to any other.”
“And when is it to be?” asked Max.
“When she has had time to prepare her trousseau.”
“And I fear that will take so long that I shall miss the sight,” sighed
Max.
“Don’t despair, son; you or I may be able to get an extension of your
leave of absence,” said his father.
“Perhaps, father, if they do not delay too long.”
“But we could hardly have a grand wedding now while Neddie is so ill,”
said Violet; “especially as Harold is his physician.”
“It needn’t be a grand wedding, mamma; I should prefer a quiet one,”
said Grace; “but I am certainly in no hurry about it.”
“You must have a handsome wedding dress and trousseau,” said Violet.
“And we want Max here at the wedding, and don’t want Harold to leave
our dear little boy till he is fairly on the road to recovery. Now, how
shall we manage it all?”
“Perhaps your mother might help in the arrangement,” suggested Lucilla.
“Perhaps Harold would want to tell her himself of—the change of
plans,” said the captain.
At that moment the door opened and mother and son appeared on the
threshold, both looking very cheery and bright.
The captain sprang to his feet and hastened to bring forward an
easy-chair, while Violet exclaimed:
“Oh, mother, I am so glad you have joined us! I was just on the point
of going to ask you to do so.”
“I suppose to tell me the good news I have just heard from Harold,” was
the smiling rejoinder. “But he was the one to tell it, daughter. And
captain,” turning to him, “I thank you for the change in your decision
in regard to a most important matter, which Harold feels to be a great
reward for what he has been enabled to do for our dear little boy.”
“I am very glad I had it in my power to do something to show my
appreciation of his invaluable services,” the captain said with evident
emotion.
“Where is Eva?” exclaimed Lucilla. “She should be here with us on this
important occasion.”
“Yes, she is one of the family,” assented Captain Raymond heartily.
“I will go and bring her,” said Max, hurrying from the room, to return
in a very few minutes carrying his baby and with his wife by his side.
The little one was cooing and smiling.
“Excuse me, friends and relatives, for bringing in this uninvited young
girl, for I can assure you she will not repeat anything that is said,”
laughed Max as Eva took possession of a chair handed her by Harold,
and he gave the child to her. The door opened again at that moment and
Elsie Raymond’s voice was heard asking:
“May I come in, papa?”
“Yes, daughter, you are wanted here,” was the pleasant-toned reply, and
as she came near to him he drew her to his knee, saying:
“We are talking of Grace’s wedding, trying to decide when it shall be.”
“Oh, is it going to be soon, papa?” she exclaimed. “I thought it
wasn’t to be for years yet. And I don’t want my dear Sister Grace to be
taken away from us to another home.”
“No, and she shall not be for a year or more, and then not out of the
grounds.”
“Oh, I am glad of that! You will build them a house in our grounds,
will you, papa?”
“I hope to do so,” he said. “But now you may listen quietly to what
others are saying. Mother,” turning to Mrs. Travilla, “I think we can
hardly yet set the exact date for the ceremony that will give you a
daughter and me a son. We will want our little Ned to be well enough to
enjoy the occasion, and to spare his doctor for a wedding trip of more
or less length.”
“Yes, sir, I agree with you in that. Perhaps Christmas eve would be a
suitable time for the ceremony; Neddie will probably be well enough by
then to be present; and if bride and groom want to take a trip, Herbert
and Cousin Arthur Conly can give any attention or prescriptions needed
during Harold’s absence.”
“Don’t forget, mother, that it is the groom’s privilege to fix the
month,” exclaimed Violet. “And, Harold,” turning to him, “please don’t
let it be so early as Christmas, because I want Grace here then. It
would hardly seem like Christmas without her.”
“How would New Year’s day do for the ceremony?” suggested Lucilla.
“Much better than Christmas,” said Violet.
“So I think,” said the captain. “They are both too soon to suit my
desires, but—I have already relinquished them.”
“It would be the best New Year’s gift you could possibly bestow upon
me, captain,” said Harold.
“But what is your feeling about it, dearest?” he asked in an undertone,
bending over Grace as he spoke.
“If you are suited, I am satisfied,” she returned in the same low key,
and with a charming smile up into his eyes.
“I, for one, like the New Year’s gift idea,” said Evelyn. “Gracie to
give herself to Harold as such, and he himself to her as the same.”
“Yes, it is a pretty idea,” assented Grandma Elsie; “but, as Vi has
reminded us, it is Harold’s privilege to set the month, but Gracie’s to
choose the day.”
“New Year’s would suit me better than any later day, but I want my
ladylove to make the choice to suit herself,” Harold said, giving Grace
a look of ardent admiration and affection.
“I like Eva’s idea,” she said with a blush and smile, “so am more than
willing to say New Year’s day, if that suits you, Harold; that is,
if—if dear little Ned is well enough by that time to attend and enjoy
the scene.”
“I think he will be,” said Harold; “at all events, if we have the
ceremony performed here in this house.”
“I should prefer to have it here rather than anywhere else,” said Grace
with gentle decision.
“I, too,” said Harold.
“Then let it be understood that such is to be the arrangement,” said
the captain. “And in the meantime, Grace, daughter, you can be busied
about your trousseau, shopping and overseeing the dressmakers.”
“Thank you, father dear,” she said; “but I have abundance of handsome
wearing apparel now, and shall not need to get anything new but the
wedding dress.”
“Nonsense!” exclaimed Violet, “you must have a handsome travelling
dress and loads of other nice things; and as soon as Neddie is well
enough to be left by us for some hours we must go to the city and do
the necessary shopping.”
“Yes,” added the captain, “remember that your father wants you to have
all that heart could wish for your trousseau, if—if he is handing you
over to another rather against his will.”
“I trust I shall never give you cause to regret it, sir,” said Harold
pleasantly. “But I must go now to my young patient,” he added, rising
to his feet. “Adieu for the present, friends. I know that you can
arrange remaining matters without my valuable assistance.”
With that he left the room, and the talk between the others went on.
Harold was pleased to find his young patient sleeping quietly. The
improvement in his condition was steady from that time, so that
in another week it was deemed altogether right and wise to begin
preparations for the approaching nuptials.
Relieved from anxiety about little Ned, and supplied by the captain
with abundant means, the ladies thoroughly enjoyed the necessary
shopping, and daily brought home an array of beautiful things for the
adornment of the bride that was to be. At the same time Max returned to
his vessel, but with the promise of another short leave of absence to
enable him to attend the wedding. That made it easier to part with wife
and baby for the time.
Here we will leave our friends for the present, preparations for the
wedding going merrily on, the lovers very happy in each other and the
bright prospect before them, the captain not very discontented with the
turn events had taken, and Grandma Elsie full of quiet satisfaction in
the thought of Harold’s happiness, and that she herself was to have so
sweet a new daughter added to her store of such treasures.
THE END
* * * * *
Transcriber’s Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page 92, “Burk” changed to “Burke” (Burke, says Lossing, used)
Page 168, “acecpting” changed to “accepting” (accepting the seat)
Page 200, “enjoing” changed to “enjoying” (if enjoying the ride)
Page 282, “kisssed” changed to “kissed” (kissed her tenderly)
Page 293, a paragraph break was inserted between (Captain Raymond
heartily.
“I will go and)
End of Project Gutenberg's Elsie and Her Loved Ones, by Martha Finley