a hound who could ill treat one so helpless and friendless, a stranger
in a strange land, whose very beauty would be her undoing, were she
without a protector."
Much relieved, Mr. Middleton prepared to depart and the odalisque saw
she was not to be included in his departure. She noted the luxurious
appointments of the house, so different from the threadbare and seedy
furnishings of Mr. Middleton's one lone room, but rather a thousand
times would she have been there. A tumult of yearning and love filled
her heart, but beyond the slow tears in her eyes and the trembling
lips, no one could have guessed it. Once more she was a Moslem slave,
sold by the man whom last night she had thought----She bowed to kismet
and strangled her feelings as she had so many times before. And so
after a shake of the hand, Mr. Middleton left her, left her to learn
as the idol of Mr. Crayburn's life, with every whim gratified, that
the first American she had known was but one of millions.
Away toward Englewood hastened Mr. Middleton, reasoning with himself
in a somewhat casuistical manner. His conscience smote him as he
thought of the previous night. But what else could anybody have done?
Deprived of the power of communicating by the means of words, he had
by caresses assuaged her grief and stilled her fears and now it was
too plain he had made her love him and he had left her in desolation.
But heigho! what was the use of repining over spilled milk and
nicotined fingers that another man and good would care for, and he
himself had not been unscathed by Cupid's darts there the night
before.
The young lady of Englewood was just putting on her hat to go out and
was standing before the mirror in the hallway. Mr. Middleton had never
called at that hour of the day. For months he had not called at all
and she never expected that he would again. So without any
apprehension at all, she was wearing one of the green silk shirt
waists she had made from the Turkish trousers he had given her, and
had just got her hat placed to suit her, when there he was!
She turned, blushing furiously. Whether it was the confusion caused
her by being discovered in this shirt waist, or the joy of seeing him
again and the complete surrender, she made in this joy, so delectable
and unexpected and which was not unmixed with a little fear that if he
went away this time, he would never come back again, never! whether it
was these things or what not, she made no struggle at all as Mr.
Middleton threw his arms about her, threw them about her as if she
were to rescue him from some fate, and though he said nothing
intelligible for some time, but kissed her lips, cheeks, and nose,
which latter she had been at pains to powder against the hot sun then
prevailing, she made no resistance at all and breathed an audible
"yes," when he uttered a few incoherent remarks which might be
interpreted as a proposal of marriage.
Here let us leave him, for all else would be anti-climax to this
supreme moment of his life. Here let us leave him where I wish every
deserving bachelor may some day be: in the arms of an honest and
loving woman who is his affianced wife.