It seems a horrid
shame she should miss seeing it. She hadn't money enough left, you
recollect, to take her there."
Lucy gazed at him, unsuspicious. "It does a pity," she answered,
sympathetically.
"She'd enjoy it so much. I'm sorry she hasn't been able to carry
out all her programme."
"And, mother," Bernard went on, his eyes fixed hard on hers, "how
awfully she'd be thrown away on Kansas City! I can't bear to think
of her going back to 'keep store' there."
"For my part, I think it positively wicked," Lucy answered, with a
smile, "and I can't think what--well, people in England are about,
to allow her to do it."
I opened my eyes wide. Did Lucy know what she was saying? Or had
Melissa, then, fascinated her--the arch little witch!--as she had
fascinated the rest of us?
But Bernard, emboldened by this excellent opening, took Melissa
by the hand as if in due form to present her. "Mother," he said,
tenderly, leading the wee thing forward, "and father, too, THIS is
what I wanted to show you--the girl I'm engaged to!"
I paused and trembled. I waited for the thunderbolt. But no thunderbolt
fell. On the contrary, Lucy stepped forward, and, under cover of
the mast, caught Melissa in her arms and kissed her twice over.
Pages:
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149