I was awakened by the consciousness of a second presence in my
arm-chair, which was a roomy one of the saddle-bag variety. It was
Kitty. Presently I became aware that she was crying, softly, as women
usually do,--men gulp noisily, because they have lost control of
themselves, and children wail, chiefly to attract attention,--but so
softly on this occasion that I knew she was trying to avoid disturbing
me.
It had happened, then.
Well, obviously, this was one of the rare occasions upon which a husband
can be of some use to his wife. I sat up, and made a clumsy effort at a
caress.
"We've still got each other," I said, rather brokenly.
Kitty positively laughed.
"Adrian, you don't understand. Philly roused up for a few minutes about
eight o'clock,--very _piano_, poor mite, but almost herself,--and then
dropped off into a beautiful sleep, bless her! The doctor has gone home
and left the nurse in charge. He says things should be all right now.
Oh, Adrian, Adrian!"
And my wife sobbed afresh.
"Then what the--what on earth are you crying for?" I demanded.
"I don't know, dear," said Kitty, without making any attempt to stop.
"I'm so happy!"
Really, women are the most extraordinary creatures. Here was I, after
the labour and anxiety of the last twenty-four hours, ready to shout for
joy. I was no longer tired: I felt as if my day's work had never been. I
wanted to sing--to dance--to give three cheers in a whisper. And my
wife, after giving me a very bad fright, was sitting celebrating our
victory by a flood of tears and other phenomena usually attributed by
the masculine mind to unfathomable woe. It was all very perplexing, and
I felt a trifle ill-used; but I suppose it was one of the things that
mark the difference between a man and a woman.
After that we sat long and comfortably. Our conversation need not be set
down here, for it has no bearing on this chronicle.
Finally we looked at the clock, and then at each other.
"We must have been sitting here a long time," I said. "I wonder where
the others are."
"By the way," said Kitty, "Dilly and Dicky have arrived. Robin and Dolly
wired for them this morning. They may be upstairs any moment. They were
having supper in the coffee-room when last I saw them." She patted her
hair. "Do I look an awful fright?"