"Then you'd better come down with me right off," I said, "for Pinky
Carewe had her out driving last night and I want a stop put to that as
soon as possible. Even if he is rich he's a perfect pig."
Dick got his hat and came. We walked up the road in lovely creamy
yellow twilight and I was, oh, so happy.
"Isn't it just like a novel?" I said.
"I am afraid, Elizabeth," said Dick preachily, "that you read too many
novels, and not the right kind, either. Some of these days I am going
to ask you to promise me that you will read no more books except those
your mother and I pick out for you."
You don't know how squelched I felt. And I knew I would have to
promise, too, for Dick can make me do anything he likes.
When we got to Owlwood I left Dick in the parlour and flew up to Aunt
Tommy's room. I found her all scrunched up on her bed in the dark with
her face in the pillows.
"Aunt Tommy, Dick is down in the parlour and he wants to see you," I
said.
Didn't Aunt Tommy fly up, though!
"Oh, Jill--but I'm not fit to be seen--tell him I'll be down in a few
minutes."
I knew Aunt Tommy wanted to fix her hair and dab rose-water on her
eyes, so I trotted meekly down and told Dick. Then I flew out to Jacky
and dragged him around to the glass door. It was all hung over with
vines and a wee bit ajar so that we could see and hear everything that
went on.
Jacky said it was only sneaks that listened--but he didn't say it
until next day. At the time he listened just as hard as I did. I
didn't care if it was mean. I just had to listen. I was perfectly wild
to hear how a man would propose and how a girl would accept and it was
too good a chance to lose.
Presently in sweeps Aunt Tommy, in an elegant dress, not a hair out of
place. She looked perfectly sweet, only her nose was a little red.
Dick looked at her for just a moment, then he stepped forward and took
her right into his arms.
Aunt Tommy drew back her head for just a second as if she were going
to crush him in the dust, and then she just all kind of crumpled up
and her face went down on his shoulder.
"Oh--Bertha--I--love--you--I--love you," he said, just like that, all
quick and jerky.
"You--you have taken a queer way of showing it," said Aunt Tommy, all
muffled.
"I--I--was led to believe that there was another man--whom you cared
for--and I thought you were only trifling with me. So I sulked like a
jealous fool. Bertha, darling, you do love me a little, don't you?"
Aunt Tommy lifted her head and stuck up her mouth and he kissed her.
And there it was, all over, and they were engaged as quick as that,
mind you. He didn't even go down on his knees. There was nothing
romantic about it and I was never so disgusted in my life. When I grow
up and anybody proposes to me he will have to be a good deal more
flowery and eloquent than that, I can tell you, if he wants me to
listen to him.
I left Jacky peeking still and I went to bed. After a long time Aunt
Tommy came up to my room and sat down on my bed in the moonlight.
"You dear blessed Elizabeth!" she said.
"It's all right then, is it?" I asked.
"Yes, it is all right, thanks to you, dearie. We are to be married in
October and somebody must be my little flower girl."
"I think Dick will make a splendid husband," I said. "But Aunt Tommy,
you mustn't be too hard on Jacky. He only wanted to help things along,
and it was I who put him up it in the first place."
"You have atoned by going and confessing," said Aunt Tommy with a hug,
"Jacky had no business to put that off on you. I'll forgive him, of
course, but I'll punish him by not letting him know that I will for a
little while. Then I'll ask him to be a page at my wedding."
Well, the wedding came off last week. It was a perfectly gorgeous
affair. Aunt Tommy's dress was a dream--and so was mine, all pink silk
and chiffon and carnations. Jacky made a magnificent page too, in a
suit of white velvet. The wedding cake was four stories high, and Dick
looked perfectly handsome. He kissed me too, right after he kissed
Aunt Tommy.
So everything turned out all right, and I believe Dick would never
have dared to speak up if we hadn't helped things along. But Jacky and
I have decided that we will never meddle in an affair of the kind
again. It is too hard on the nerves.