Babie looked up from her
work with an amused smile of infinite congratulation. There was a
glance from his mother. Then, as Babie put it, the Prince saw the
Sleeping Beauty, and, with a strange long half-strangled gasp and
clasped hands, went down on one knee. At that very moment Elvira
stirred, opened her eyes, put her hand over them, bewildered, as if
thinking herself dreaming, then with a sort of shriek of joy, flung
herself towards him, as he held out his arms with "My darling."
"O Allen, can you forgive me? And oh! do marry me before they can
come after me!"
So much Mother Carey and Babie heard before they could remove
themselves from the scene, which they felt ought to be a tete-a-tete.
They shut the lovers in. Babie said, "Undine has found a heart, at
least," and then they began to piece out the story by conjecture, and
they then discovered how little they had really learnt about Janet.
They supposed that the Hermanns must be living and practising at
Saratoga, and in that case it was no wonder she could not come home,
the only strange thing was Elvira's expecting it. Besides, why had
not Mrs. Gould taken alarm at the name, and why was her husband never
mentioned? Was there no message from her? Most likely there was, in
the note that was lost, and moreover, Elvira might be improved, but
she was Elvira still, and had room for very little besides herself in
her mind's eye.
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