“I c-can’t. I think Ada’s watching from the window.”
He looked up quickly.
“Who’s Ada?”
“My sister. She watches me like a hawk.”
“Don’t blame her,” he said softly, and then all of a sudden he asked:
“Do you believe in love at first sight?”
“Yes,” I answered. “Do you?”
“Well, I didn’t--till to-night, but, by George, I do--now!”
X
I am not likely to forget that first call of Reginald Bertie upon me. I
had thought about nothing else, and, in fact, had been preparing all
day.
I fixed over my best dress and curled my hair. I cleaned all of the
lower floor of our house, and dusted the parlor and polished up the few
bits of furniture, and tried to cover up the worn chairs and horsehair
sofa.
Every one of the children had promised to “be good,” and I had bribed
them all to keep out of sight.
Nevertheless, when the front doorbell rang that evening, to my horror, I
heard the wild, noisy scampering of my two little brothers down the
stairs, racing to see which should be the first to open the door; and
trotting out from the dining-room right into the hall came Kathleen,
aged three, and Violet, four and a half. They had been eating bread and
molasses and had smeared it all over their faces and clothes, and they
stood staring solemnly at Mr. Bertie as though they had never seen a man
before. On the landing above, looking over the banister, and whispering
and giggling, were Daisy, Lottie and Nellie.
Oh, how ashamed I felt that he should see all those dirty, noisy
children. He stood there by the door, staring about him, with a look of
amazement and amusement on his face; and, as he paused, the baby crawled
in on hands and knees. She had a meat bone in her hand, and she squatted
right down at his feet, and while staring up at him, wide-eyed, she went
right on loudly sucking on that awful bone.
My face was burning, and I felt that I never could live down our family.
Suddenly he burst out laughing. It was a boyish, infectious laugh, which
was quickly caught up and mocked and echoed by those fiendish little
brothers of mine.
“Are there any more?” he demanded gaily. “My word! They are like little
steps and stairs.”