Hilda's Mascot Part 33

Erma was still silent; she seemed to be collecting her thoughts for an answer.

"Promise me that you will be my wife; promise now, before a stranger steps in to prevent us being alone together! If you will consent, I will seek the consent of your father and mother before I leave this evening."

"I must have time to consider," said Erma; "you cannot expect me to take such an important step without reflection, or consultation with papa and mamma."

"But you can certainly give me some hope, or appoint some early date when you can give me your decision!"

"Yes, I will appoint a time," she said, gently. "When Anita's visit is over, if you ask me again I will give you my decision. There is no need to speak to papa and mamma in regard to it; their only wish is for my happiness. They could say no more to you than I have already done, and I am sure that they will give free and full consent to any choice I may make."

"But I would be so much happier if you would promise me now, so much more settled in mind than if kept in suspense for more than a month."

"The time will soon pa.s.s, and we must bend all our thoughts toward making Anita's visit pleasant. We will take her out driving and on horseback. Cecil Courtney would, I think, help make a party of four for many a pleasant expedition."

"Then Cecil must be her escort; I will not give you up to him!" said Fred, his face flushing warmly.

"We will not consult our own pleasure," replied Erma, gently. "Whatever will be most agreeable to Anita for the short time she will be here must be our pleasure. I only hope that you will a.s.sist in entertaining her by coming as many evenings as you can."

"There is nothing to prevent my coming from Baltimore every evening with Mr. Courtney; you know that I have a standing invitation to 'My Lady's Manor.' Mr. Courtney is glad to have my company in the drive out and back to the city."

"I know it; Mr. Courtney loves you as he would an own brother."

Early the following week Miss Appleton came, was cordially welcomed by the Merrymans, and proved to be one of the most agreeable of guests, a brilliant, attractive creature, with whom every member of the family felt at home from the moment she crossed the door sill, and whose cheery presence seemed to pervade the whole house.

Anita had perfect taste in dress; and every article of her artistic and elegant wardrobe was becoming to her. More than once, the very first evening in the parlor of the Merryman home, where several young people were congregated in honor of her arrival, Erma saw Fred's glance rest upon the beautiful face of her friend, and then upon hers, and she read his thoughts as correctly as if they were spoken words.

"Bird of Paradise and gentle dove," he had said in a low tone to her, and she had the intuition that "Bird of Paradise" was the ideal of the spoiled favorite of society, and not the sober plumaged dove.

Cecil Courtney was more than pleased to act as escort to one of the girls, and, seeming to prefer Erma, Fred did not object; so after the first drive and horseback expedition, all fell naturally into the places which they had filled the beginning of the visit.

Fred made no secret of his preference for the companionship of Anita, and soothed his conscience with the thought that he had been solicited by Erma to help entertain her friend, and she surely could not be so unjust as to feel aggrieved that he had taken her at her word.

The visit was over and Anita returned to her home, and Fred, true to the letter of his request, and his promise to Hilda, called to hear Erma's decision.

"I have concluded that we are not at all suited to each other, Mr.

Warfield," said Erma when he again made his offer of marriage.

A swift look of relief crossed Fred's expressive features, and any lingering idea that he really cared for her fled from Erma's mind.

The next day she went to take tea at "My Lady's Manor," and Hilda rejoiced at heart that she was not a love-lorn damsel, but was, as usual, bright and cheerful.

"Fred seemed pleased with your friend Anita," remarked Hilda as the two were seated in the shaded veranda while Mrs. Warfield and the children were taking their afternoon rest.

"Not pleased only, but captivated. He is certainly in love now, if never before."

"But Erma, dear, if you care for Fred, was it wise to invite your beautiful friend to visit you at this time?"

A smile, as if the question had called up some pleasant remembrance, hovered upon the lips of Erma, and Hilda's heart grew so light that she laughed gleefully.

"Tell me, my Erma," she said, a.s.suming a tragic air, "pour out the secrets of that heart into my faithful bosom."

"I will, oh friend of my childhood!" laughed Erma; then with tears of feeling in her eyes she added, "Oh, Hilda, how grateful I am every hour since Anita's visit that I was willing to agree with papa and mamma's advice to invite her to visit me at this time."

"The advice of Uncle and Aunt Merryman?" exclaimed Hilda in surprise.

"Yes, I had told them of Mr. Warfield's flippant manner of speaking of his broken engagements, and they trembled for my happiness should I become his wife. That was our reason for inviting Anita at this time and the result is just as we expected."

"And you are not crushed by the blow? Ah, Erma, dear, someone has taken possession of that gentle heart of yours."

Erma's downcast eyes and flushing cheeks confirmed her in this opinion in advance of the artless words, "Yes, Hilda, I compared him with Cecil Courtney, and he dwindled into insignificance beside that manly, reliable friend that I have known from babyhood. And oh, Hilda, Cecil has always cared for me and I did not know it! Nor did I know until Anita's visit that I cared for him."

"I congratulate you both from my heart; but Erma, dear, there is another side of the question to be considered. Was there not danger of your friend Anita becoming attached to Fred? You cannot deny that he is handsome and agreeable."

"I told her that he was a known trifler, and she was not many evenings in his society until she saw that my opinion was correct. She went away perfectly fancy free, so far as Fred was concerned. I cannot answer for him."

Erma had not long to wait to hear how Fred fared, for Anita's second letter informed her that he had written an offer of marriage which she declined for two reasons, one being that she could not respect a man who so trifled with the affections, and the other, that after her return she promised herself in marriage to a young man worthy in every respect, absence proving that they were all in all to each other.

Winter, with its sleighing parties and other amus.e.m.e.nts, brought the young people together frequently, and Cecil Courtney was always Erma's escort, both their families, the Lattingers, and in truth the whole neighborhood approving highly of the prospective union.

Thus the months pa.s.sed, and one sweet June morning a company of dear friends were gathered in the parlor of the Merryman farmhouse to witness the marriage, after which the newly-made husband and wife went upon a wedding journey and then took up their residence in Baltimore, as happy a young couple as could be found in "Maryland, My Maryland."

The evening of the wedding day Hilda and the children took one of their favorite walks to Dorton churchyard, and while the little ones, under the care of Chloe, gathered wild flowers that dotted the gra.s.sy enclosure, Hilda went to the resting place of Jerusha Flint.

When she reached the spot she was surprised to see a lady beside it, and more so to find in her no stranger, but Mrs. Robert De Cormis, of Philadelphia, the aunt, by marriage, of Mrs. Lura Warfield.

"No wonder that you are surprised to see me, my dear," she said, as Hilda greeted her cordially. "I am on my way to your house to pa.s.s the night with you, if agreeable to you to entertain me at this time. The postmaster at Dorton pointed out 'My Lady's Manor,' but I took a circuit from the direct way in order to visit this churchyard."

"Nothing would give us greater pleasure than to have you with us, Mrs.

De Cormis. Shall we walk, or would you prefer that I send Chloe to have the carriage come for us?"

"I prefer walking this lovely evening, and we can converse on our way. I came from Philadelphia this morning, and stopped off in Baltimore in order to see Horace Flint, the brother of Jerusha Flint. He had forwarded letters to our address which was the reason for my coming. My dear, do you know that Jerusha was my husband's niece, the daughter of his only sister?"

"His niece!" echoed Hilda, halting to look into the face of Mrs. De Cormis; "his sister's daughter! Then she was first cousin to Lura Warfield, wife of Cousin Paul."

"Yes, her own cousin; Lura's father and Jerusha's mother were brother and sister."

"Lura Warfield has no knowledge of it, I am sure. I have every reason to know that she never heard of Jerusha Flint until she became acquainted with me," commented Hilda.

"No, I am sure of it. My husband never heard of Jerusha until we received the letter from her brother-Horace De Cormis Flint-which Jerusha requested should be forwarded to her grandfather. The letter proved itself, having been written by Jerusha's mother-my sister-in-law, long since dead; and enclosed in it was my father-in-law's reply."

"But I cannot understand it," exclaimed Hilda in bewilderment. "Jerusha died several years ago. Why were not her mother's and her grandfather's letters forwarded at that time to your husband, Mr. Robert De Cormis, instead of waiting until now?"

"Horace Flint gave the excuse that as he and his sister Jerusha had lived until past middle age without any acquaintance with their mother's relatives he should never have made himself known were it not for the request of Jerusha."

"I never saw Horace Flint," remarked Hilda. "He may never have lived in this neighborhood, or if so, must have left it before my remembrance."

"He did not mention how long he has lived in Baltimore, but just incidentally mentioned that Jerusha's home was with him until she rented the cottage where a lady lived whose name was Ashley."

"It is so surprising that I can as yet scarcely comprehend it," said Hilda.