_The Reunion_
In truth, Barbara and Mildred were having a delightful afternoon at the
Chateau d'Amélie.
When they arrived, solemnly François invited them into the old French
drawing room they so well remembered.
But here, instead of the slender, tiny figure of the old Countess
appearing to greet them, a tall, dark young woman came forward, whose
hair was wound about her head like a coronet.
"Eugenia!" Barbara exclaimed, and straightway shed several tears, while
Eugenia and Mildred laughed at her.
Then the three girls went over and sat down on the same Louis XIV sofa
that two of them had once occupied with young Captain Castaigne, on
their first visit to the chateau.
This time Eugenia took the place of honor in the center, while each
hand clasped one of her companions.
"Henri and I arrived just an hour ago," she explained. "He found he
could get a three days leave to come with me. Of course, I wished to
rush off to the farmhouse before I even got my traveling things off. But
since I am a much managed woman these days, I was made to wait until you
came here. I have been expecting you every minute. Now tell me about
Nona and Madame Valesky."
This time it was Barbara who laughed. The idea of Eugenia's being
managed instead of managing other people was amusing. Besides, it was
unlike her to talk so fast and ask so many questions without giving one
time to reply.
So Barbara only held closer to her friend's hand and looked at her,
leaving Mildred the opportunity for answering.
It was still early in the afternoon and the sunshine flooded the
beautiful drawing room. It was strange to see how at home Eugenia seemed
to look and feel in it, when a little more than a year before she and
the old room had been so antagonistic.
Eugenia had changed. In the first place, she wore this afternoon a
lovely costume of violet crepe, trimmed in old gold brocade. It was a
costume that must have been specially designed for Eugenia, so perfectly
did it suit her rather stately beauty and dark, clear coloring. This
turned out to be true, since Eugenia a short time before had discovered
a little French dressmaker, whom the war had rendered penniless, and
given her work to do.
Now, even while Mildred was talking of Nona and Sonya, the drawing room
door opened and Captain Castaigne and his mother came in.
Monsieur Le Duc accompanied them, but promptly deserted his former
master and mistress and padded over to Eugenia, placing his great silver
head on her lap and gazing at her with adoration.
Captain Castaigne and his mother followed to greet their guests. In his
hand the young officer carried a number of letters which he gave at once
to Barbara and Mildred.
"These just arrived at the chateau for you; they are American letters
and so I am sure you will be pleased."
Mildred's were from her mother and father and Barbara had received three
from Dick in this same mail, and another which looked as if it might be
the long-expected letter from Mrs. Thornton.
After ten minutes of conversation, it was Captain Castaigne who proposed
that their guests might be allowed to read their letters without waiting
to return home. It was not difficult to guess at their impatience, since
it must have been a long time since they had heard from home.
Then he and Eugenia crossed over to the other side of the room and stood
by the fireplace. Le Duc went with them and Eugenia kept one hand on the
dog's head.
Now and then she smiled over something Captain Castaigne said to her,
then again she looked at him with the anxious gravity that was a part of
Eugenia's character. The war had made the young French officer older,
love and marriage had apparently taken ten years from Eugenia's age.
Plainly a beautiful understanding existed between the husband and wife,
in spite of the differences in their natures, which would survive to the
end.
For when Captain Castaigne suddenly lifted his wife's hand and kissed
it, it was like Eugenia to blush and whisper a protest, at which the
young officer only laughed.
Over by the window Barbara and Mildred were really too busy with their
letters to notice what was taking place. Madame Castaigne had gone out
of the room for the instant to speak to François.
Of course, Barbara had read Dick's letters first. She could only read
them hastily, for Dick had written to say that he had a fine position
with a big real estate office in New York City, and enough salary for
two persons to live upon, in a tiny apartment on the west side. Barbara
was to come home at once, else Dick would probably lose his job by
deserting to fetch her. Also the letter from Mrs. Thornton was cheering.
Whatever it may have been, something had occurred to change that lady's
state of mind. Perhaps it was her anxiety about Mildred in the days
when she knew nothing of her daughter's fate except that Mildred had
stayed behind at Grovno until the hour of the final surrender of the
Russian fort.
For Mrs. Thornton had written to Barbara to say that she would be most
happy to welcome her as Dick's wife, and the dearest wish of her heart
was to have her two daughters safe at home in New York City as soon as
they were able to return.
Mildred's letters were much of the same character, and the two girls had
only barely finished them when François appeared bearing coffee and
cakes.
Then the little party talked on until nearly dusk.
At last, when Barbara and Mildred felt compelled to leave, Eugenia
proposed that she and Captain Castaigne walk over to the farmhouse with
them. She did not feel that she could wait for another day before seeing
Nona.
Nona and Sonya had just been in a few moments and taken off their wraps
when the others arrived. And Nona need have felt no nervousness over
Eugenia's attitude toward Sonya. Many things had happened to broaden
Eugenia's point of view since her arrival in Europe to act as a Red
Cross nurse. Besides, few persons could fail to feel anything but
sympathy and admiration for the beautiful Russian woman, whose life had
come so near closing in tragedy.
There was not a great deal of food at the farmhouse, nevertheless
Eugenia and Captain Castaigne remained to dinner.
Barbara and Mildred retired to act as cooks, while Eugenia and Sonya
fell to talking together, and Nona and Captain Castaigne.
In the course of their talk Nona remembered to inquire for Lieutenant
Hume, who was Captain Castaigne's friend. At last she might be able to
hear real news of the young British officer.
By good fortune Captain Castaigne had received a letter written by him
in the same post that had brought Barbara's and Mildred's letters.
"Lieutenant Hume had gone to the United States and was living at the
present time in Florida. He had appeared to have contracted a fatal
illness during his imprisonment, but his letter had said he was feeling
ever so much better.
"I can't say how glad I am," Captain Castaigne continued. "There was
never a braver fellow in the world than Robert Hume. And besides, if he
should happen to die just now, it would be particularly hard on his
family. You see, Hume's older brother, the one with the title, has just
been killed in the Dardanelles. Robert Hume is Lord Hume now, I believe,
and the English think more of titles than we do in Republican France,"
the French officer concluded.
"But I thought," Nona commented stupidly, "that Lieutenant Hume was a
gardener's son and had been educated by friends who were interested in
him."
Then Nona stopped, because Captain Castaigne was half smiling and half
frowning over her information. Moreover, Nona suddenly remembered that
what she was saying was founded partly on information and the rest on
her own fancy.
"Lieutenant Hume told me he was the gardener's son," she protested, "or
at least he called the gardener's wife 'Mother Susan.'"
Eugenia had suddenly spoken her husband's name and Captain Castaigne had
gotten up to go over to her.
However, he stopped long enough to expostulate. "That was an
extraordinary idea of yours, Miss Davis. Hume was only talking of his
old nurse. His mother died when he was a baby and she brought him up. I
have heard him speak of 'Mother Susan' myself. The Countess you visited
in Surrey is a cousin of Hume's, I think, and the old nurse and her
husband live there. Hume was having Mother Susan nurse him when you met,
I expect. Hope you two may see each other some day in the United States
and laugh over that impression of yours, Miss Davis," Captain Castaigne
concluded, as he walked over to his wife's side.
At midnight Captain Castaigne and Eugenia went back to the chateau,
walking hand-in-hand like children through the woods. There was no
fighting these days in this particular portion of southern France and in
the peace of the night one could almost forget that the world was at
war.
"You will miss your friends when they return to their own country,
Eugenia," Captain Castaigne suggested.
Eugenia nodded. "Yes, they will be gone, I believe, in another month.
But we will go over ourselves some day, Henri, and perhaps you may learn
to care for my country as I do for yours."
"Yes, and think of the service I shall owe her for the work the American
Red Cross has done for France!" the young officer concluded, and in the
darkness lifted his cap for a moment.
"Whatever Lafayette did for you in the cause of freedom, your land has
now fully repaid."
THE END
BOOKS BY MARGARET VANDERCOOK
THE RANCH GIRLS SERIES
THE RANCH GIRLS AT RAINBOW LODGE
THE RANCH GIRLS' POT OF GOLD
THE RANCH GIRLS AT BOARDING SCHOOL
THE RANCH GIRLS IN EUROPE
THE RANCH GIRLS AT HOME AGAIN
THE RANCH GIRLS AND THEIR GREAT ADVENTURE
THE RED CROSS GIRLS SERIES
THE RED CROSS GIRLS IN THE BRITISH TRENCHES
THE RED CROSS GIRLS ON THE FRENCH FIRING LINE
THE RED CROSS GIRLS IN BELGIUM
THE RED CROSS GIRLS WITH THE RUSSIAN ARMY
THE RED CROSS GIRLS WITH THE ITALIAN ARMY
THE RED CROSS GIRLS UNDER THE STARS AND STRIPES
STORIES ABOUT CAMP FIRE GIRLS
THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS AT SUNRISE HILL
THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS AMID THE SNOWS
THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD
THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS ACROSS THE SEA
THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS' CAREERS
THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS IN AFTER YEARS
THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS IN THE DESERT
THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS AT THE END OF THE TRAIL