ACCEPTANCE
"Celie, be yuh happy?" asked Jeremiah anxiously.
"Oh, yes!" answered Cecilia. She caught her breath rather
spasmodically and went on: "Of course I'm happy! Here I am, all
through being improved and ready to stay at home with you and John.
Isn't that enough to make any one happy?"
"Don't you want some new frills, or something?" asked Jeremiah
wistfully. "You know I can buy yuh anything, and I like to, good."
"I have so much," answered Cecilia. She went over to him and perched
on the arm of his chair. "You and John are everything to me," she
said. "When I have you I have everything!" She leaned toward him
and kissed him. Her arms tightened fiercely about his neck. "You
are _everything_!" she repeated loudly. 'Iggins came sliding in with
that effect of being on casters, proper to butlers.
"Was yuh lookin' fer me, sir?" asked Jeremiah. Higgins assented and
delivered a small box. Then he elevated his head and left. Outside
the door he muttered of leaving. He recalled with bitterness his
last post, where the man of the house had been a "perfect gentleman"
and had thrown boots and curses at him without partiality.
"'Sir!'" he echoed with a fine scorn. "'Ow is a man to keep 'is
self-respect?"
Josephine tripped down the hall. She carried Marjory's small dog,
who had a scarlet coat buttoned about his small tummy. "Dee-ar
Eegeens!" she purred, then fluttered her eyelashes.
"The post 'as its hadvantages," said Dee-ar Eegeens, and followed in
Josephine's direction.
Inside the library Cecilia stood by a window with Jeremiah. He was
untying the string of a small box and his fingers shook.
"I got it fer you, Celie," he said, "because I thought you was peaked
like." He opened the box reverently.
"Oh!" said Cecilia.
"_Twenty_-five thousand," said Jeremiah. "_Look_ at her!" Jeremiah
lifted his present from the box. The pendant of his present looked
like a lamp shade from Tiffany's.
"_Oh!_" said Cecilia again.
"_Look_ at that there diamond and emerald and ruby all mashed
together like!" said Jeremiah proudly. "_Look_ at her! _Don't_ she
sparkle?"
"It does," said Cecilia; "it certainly does!"
"I told 'em to take out the pearls and put more sparkly stuff in. I
sez, 'Put in all yuh can! Don't spare no expense.' I sez, 'Make her
showy. She's fer the best girl on earth.' They done it too."
"Oh, yes!" said Cecilia. Her eyes were a little moist. Tears came
easily lately. She put her arms around Jeremiah's neck. "Dear," she
said, "I love it. I can't say thank you the way I want to."
Jeremiah didn't answer and she laid her cheek against his shoulder.
Together they looked out of the window on the green and then the
water's grey.
"Celie," said Jeremiah uncertainly.
"Yes?" answered Cecilia.
"Celie," he said, "you wasn't sweet on that young Twombly? You
_wasn't_?" Cecilia shook her head.
"I was afraid you was frettin' over him," said Jeremiah; "you
wasn't?" Again he felt her head move against his shoulder. She
clung to him for a moment, and then straightened and said, "I must go
dress." At the door she paused and turned back. "I love the
pendant," she said. "It is beautiful. I _love_ it!"
Jeremiah beamed widely. "I knew yuh would," he said boastfully. "I
sez, 'Spare no expense. It's fer my little girl that nursed her maw,
cooked her paw's meals, and then learned him to wear a _dress_-suit.
None smarter!'"
"It is beautiful, dearest," murmured Cecilia. Then she left the
room. Alone, Jeremiah went to stand below a portrait.
"Mary," he whispered, "what makes her look like she wants to cry?"