In spite of the Mayor's attitude, which was unsympathetic to the
verge of discouragement, the Town Clerk was able to inform him on New
Year's morning that Miss Sarah Ann Munt had graciously consented to
accept an illuminated address in commemoration of her deeds on January
twenty-fifth at the Floral Hall. The news was not received graciously.
Josiah had comforted himself with the not unreasonable hope that the
Hussy would decline the presentation; it would be so like her to upset
their plans. But no, after all, Sally preferred to behave with still
deeper cussedness. She wrote a charmingly polite letter from the Depôt
of the Northern Command at Screwton, where she was at present attached,
to inform the members of the Blackhampton City Council that it would
give her great pleasure to attend the function on January twenty-fifth
and that she was very sensible of the honor about to be conferred upon
her. And that, after all, was even more like her than a refusal of the
proposal would have been.
Josiah was more disconcerted than he cared to own. It was necessary
to hide his feelings as far as he could, but he was not a finished
dissembler, and, in addition to "that Aylett," there were several
members of the Council who seemed to enjoy the situation. Several
of these received a piece of the Mayor's mind in the course of the
morning. "He didn't know what they could be thinking of to be wastin'
the Town's money in that way." In other words, Josiah had decided to
carry things off with a high hand.
That evening, after dinner, he sat down and wrote a letter.
"Dear Sarah Ann, I understand that you are to be presented with an
Address on the twenty-fifth at the Floral Hall. Your mother and I hope
that you will be able to come and stay here over the week end. Your
affectionate Father, Josiah Munt. P.S. No need to tell you that this
Affair is none of my doing."
It was not an easy letter to write nor was the Mayor altogether
satisfied when it was written. But in the circumstances it wouldn't do
to say too much.
By return of post came a dry, rather curt note from Sally. She thanked
her father for the invitation, but she had already promised Ethel that
when next in Blackhampton she would stay at Park Crescent.
Josiah felt annoyed. Once more it was so like her. Somehow the reply
left him less easy in his mind than ever. He would be glad when the
ordeal of the twenty-fifth was over. He didn't trust the minx. As
likely as not she would play some trick or other; she was quite capable
of affronting him publicly. However, the eyes of the world were upon
him, he must keep a stiff upper lip, he must see that she didn't down
him.
In the meantime, from another quarter, bitter disappointment came. The
high hopes of a little grandson did not materialize. Instead of a lusty
Horace Josiah Cockburn bursting upon a flattered world, the inferior
tribe of Gwenneths and Gwladyses had a Gwendolen added to their number.
It was quite a blow. The Mayor and all his family had set their hearts
on a boy. For once the successful Ethel had been less than herself. She
had failed conspicuously. It was impossible to conceal the fact that
people were a little disappointed with her.
Happily, Gwendolen had enough sense of proportion and right feeling to
arrive according to schedule. It would have been unpardonable in her
to have prevented Mrs. Doctor from attending the important function
on the twenty-fifth at the Floral Hall and the even more important
ceremony on the twenty-sixth when the Duke was to open the new annex
to the Mayor of Blackhampton's hospital, which at one acute moment she
had threatened to do. Fortunately Gwendolen remembered herself in time.
She contrived to make her appearance on January second in this vale of
tears, and, although from the outset not a popular member of society,
after all she was less unpopular than she might have been had she
deferred her arrival until a week later.