It was some time since Mrs. Gray had made any communication to the boarders. But one evening she seemed laboring under suppressed excitement. "Something is up," said Mr. Blake, the young reporter who sat on my left, the Disagreeable Woman being on my right. "We shall have it after supper," I answered. Mrs. Gray always waited till the last boarder had finished his meal. It was one of the unwritten laws of the boarding-house. The last boarder on this occasion was Professor Poppendorf. He was the "My friends," she said, "I have a letter to read to you." She opened a perfumed billet, adjusted her spectacles, and read. "It is from Mrs. Wyman," she said, "and it is at her request that I read it." We had already noticed that neither Mrs. Wyman nor the Count was present. Mrs. Gray began:
We listened to the reading of the letter in silent excitement. Then there was a chorus of exclamations. "Did you ever?" ejaculated the young woman from Macy's. "I am not surprised," said the Disagreeable woman, calmly. "Mrs. Wyman has been courting the Count ever since he came here." "You mean that he has been paying his attentions to her," suggested Mr. Blake, the reporter. "No, I mean what I say." "She says she had no thought of marrying again." "Mr. Blake, you are a young man. You don't understand women, and particularly widows. Probably there is not a gentleman at the table whom Mrs. Wyman has not thought of as a matrimonial subject, yourself not excepted." Mr. Blake was a very young man, and he blushed. "She would not have married me," growled the Professor. Most of us smiled. "Are you pledged to celibacy, Professor?" asked the landlady. "No, madam. If a certain young lady would marry me I would marry to-morrow." Ruth Canby blushed furiously, and was indignant with herself for doing so, especially as it drew all glances to her. "Let us hope you may be successful in your suit, Professor," said Mrs. Gray. "Thank you, my dear lady; time will show." Miss Blagden turned her searching glance upon the flaming cheeks of Ruth and smiled kindly. If there was any one at the table whom she liked it was the young woman from Macy's. "I suppose there is no doubt about his being a Count," suggested Mr. Blake. "I should say there was a good deal of doubt," answered the Disagreeable Woman. "Do you really think so?" "It is my conjecture." "Oh, I think there is no doubt about it," said the landlady, who prided herself on having had so aristocratic a boarder. "I am a loser by this marriage," said Mrs. Gray. "I have two rooms suddenly vacated." "A friend of mine will take one of them," said Mr. Blake, the reporter. "He has been wishing to get in here for a month." "I shall be glad to receive him," said Mrs. Gray, graciously. The other room was also taken within a week. |