YOUNG DR. INGLE'S NEWS
"Go, now, young gentlemen, into Mrs. Force's sitting room, and pay your
respects to the ladies there. They know nothing whatever of the affair
that brought you here to-day; nor do I wish them to know it. You are our
guests for the day. That is all," said the squire, in dismissing the
youths.
Then, turning to the old lady, he said:
"I cannot express to you, Miss Bayard, the obligation I feel under for
your wise and prompt action in this matter. But for you much misery might
have ensued."
"Lord, squire, I did no more than what might have been expected of me--one
of my descent!" complacently replied Miss Sibby, as she bowed and sailed
out of the office.
"To be sure! To be sure!" assented the amiable master of Mondreer.
"I wonder," whispered Leonidas Force, as he linked his arm in that of
Roland Bayard, and they passed along the hall together, "I do wonder if it
is characteristic of a lady of high descent to open the envelope of a
letter left on her mantelpiece and take out the letter? I wonder, further,
if it were not a breach of the law, and what the lawyers call
'actionable'?"
"I think not," laughed Roland. "She acted in the cause of law, peace and
justice. I don't think you could get any judge, jury, or even country
magistrate, to see it in any other light."
They had now reached Mrs. Force's sitting room, where, as soon as they
entered, they were received with the warmest welcome by all the family and
guests there assembled.
Miss Sibby had already resumed her seat in the most comfortable armchair
the room could boast.
There were present Mrs. Force, Mrs. Anglesea, Miss Bayard and the two
little girls, who had just come in.
Odalite was not there.
"Come here, my fine, young sailor lad! I haven't seen sight of you since
the rumpus in the church! Wasn't that a circus? Come here and sit by me!"
said the lady from Wild Cats', making room on the sofa for Roland Bayard,
who, with a smile and a bow, immediately placed himself beside her.
What else could a gentleman do?
"How is Odalite, auntie, dear?" inquired Le, seating himself just behind
Mrs. Force's chair, and leaning over its back.
"She is much better and brighter than she has been for many weeks past,"
replied the lady.
"Indeed! I am very glad to hear it, auntie! There is something about
Odalite that I cannot understand. I came home finding her engaged to be
married, of her own free will, and yet utterly wretched--wretched to the
verge of madness! And now that the wedding has been publicly broken off in
a manner reflecting the deepest disgrace upon the bridegroom, you say she
is brighter and happier than she has been for many weeks," said Le, in a
very low voice, still leaning over the back of the lady's chair and
speaking in her ear.
"Yes, she is so; but hush, dear boy! This is not the place to discuss
Odalite. Besides, it is not polite to whisper in company," said Mrs.
Force, with a smile at the quoted commonplace.
Le lifted his head, and took his elbows off the lady's chair, only to see
his two young cousins, Wynnette and Elva, standing on each side of him.
He caught them both, the one in his right arm, the other in his left, and
drew them to his side.
"We are so glad you have come back, Le! We missed you so awfully
yesterday--Wynnette and I did!" said Elva.
"Yes, the house was as dull as ditch water--I mean the mansion was
excessively melancholy!" added Wynnette.
"I am sorry to hear that! And all on account of my absence?" laughingly
inquired Leonidas.
"Largely, at any rate."
"My darlings," said Mrs. Force, "I thought you were in the schoolroom,
busy with Miss Meeke in dressing dolls for the Sunday school Christmas
tree."
"So we were, mamma, but Dr. Ingle came, and we all went down into the
drawing room to see him," replied Elva.
"He always does cry for her--I mean inquire for Miss Meeke--and she always
goes down to see him, and makes us go down with her. And he doesn't like
it at all, and neither do we. Why, the other evening, when he came just
after tea, when you had a headache and Odalite was sitting with you, and
we were in the drawing room with Miss Meeke, after a little while, he
said:
"'Do you not think that it is very unhealthy for children to sit up so
late?'
"And she laughed and said:
"'Their regular bedtime is nine o'clock. It is not yet seven.'
"And it is always so. He always looks at us as if he was saying to
himself:
"'Two is company,
Four is trumpery.'
"But this time, thank goodness, we happened to hear Le's voice in the
hall, and we skedaddled--I mean we left the drawing room and came in here,
mamma, dear," said Wynnette.
"What did Ingle talk about, or find to talk about, while you two were
hanging around him like a wet blanket?" inquired Le, who often amused
himself at Wynnette's expense.
"Oh, not much. He couldn't make love to Nat right before our four looking
eyes--I mean he couldn't pay his addresses to Miss Meeke in our presence.
Neither could he talk to Nat about old Col. Notley's gout, or old Mrs.
Gouph's dropsy, like he does to mamma--I mean he could not discuss medical
science with Miss Meeke as he might with a matronly lady. And so there
wasn't much to talk about," said Wynnette.
"Oh, don't you remember, he said that Col. Anglesea had gone?" inquired
Elva.
"Gone!" echoed Le and Mrs. Force, in one voice.
"Oh, yes!" replied Wynnette. "The horrid beat has made tracks--vamoosed
the ranche--absquatulated--that is to say, Col Anglesea, H.E.I.C.S., and
all the rest of it, has taken his final departure."
"Thank Heaven!" earnestly breathed Mrs. Force. "But is it certain,
Wynnette?" she almost immediately inquired.
"I think so. Dr. Ingle met him, in traveling dress, at the railway
station, when he took a through ticket to Washington, and said that he was
en route for New York, and meant to sail on the _Scotia_ for Liverpool
next Saturday. His trumpery was to be sent after him by to-night's
express."
"Thank Heaven!" again fervently breathed Elfrida Force.
"What's all that you're talking about over there?" inquired the lady from
the mines, rising from her seat on the sofa and unceremoniously joining
the group around her hostess. "What's up now? I heard the name of my fine
scamp mentioned just now! Has anything happened to him? Has he broken his
neck, eh?"
"Oh, no!" sighed Wynnette, in a tone of regret; "he has not broken his
neck. Fate reserves that for the hangman to do! He has only left the
neighborhood to return to England. But let us hope that the ship may be
lost! I'm sure his presence on board will be enough to raise the demon and
sink the ship!"
"Oh, Wynnette! Don't say such dreadfully wicked things! You don't mean
them at all, you know you don't! Consider how many good people would be
drowned if the ship should sink! And how many people would grieve all
their lives after them!" said little Elva.
"Well, I'll take that back again! I know I do talk too much with my
mouth--I mean speak without mature consideration," said Wynnette.
"So my scamp has gone back to England, has he? I wonder if he will try to
marry a dook's darter? Or a markiss' widder? He's got cheek enough for
anything! I declare, I ought to follow him up, to keep him out of
mischief! I mean, of course, out of doing other folks mischief! I don't
care a snap of my finger how much mischief he does himself! The more, the
better, sez I! But I ought to go for him to prevent him from preying upon
other people! And I would, too, if I had money enough! 'Pon my word, I'm a
great mind to go to New York and try to get a place as stewardess on one
of the ocean steamers, so as to go after him! I'll think of it, anyway."
The conversation was interrupted by the opening of the door and the
entrance of Miss Meeke, followed by Dr. Ingle.
There was a pretty flush on the usually pale cheeks of the young
governess, and some little embarrassment in her manner, which was almost
unnoticed, however, in the cordial greeting that was given to the young
physician by all the family and guests in the room, and with all of whom
he was acquainted, excepting only the lady from the California mines, to
whom Mrs. Force duly presented him, and by whom he was received with
gushing welcome.
"Sit right down here on the sofa by me, doctor! I dare say you have heard
a deal of reports about me, and now I'm gwine to tell you the truth about
myself, so that you can get it pure and fresh from first quarters!"
And, having found a new auditor, the lady from Wild Cats' began the story
of her life, and talked on until the dinner was announced. That stopped
her.