"Did she remember to call on the Squire?" she asked.
"Oh, yes," said Robert. "It was at Peters', and they had the
whole neighbourhood in."
Kate swayed slightly, then lifted her head, her eyes blazing. She
had come, feeling not altogether guiltless, and quite prepared to
overlook a youthful elopement. The insult of having her only
daughter given a wedding at the home of the groom, about which the
whole neighbourhood would be laughing at her, was a different
matter. Slowly the high colour faded from Kate's face, as she
stepped back. "Excuse me, Nancy Ellen," she said. "I didn't mean
to deprive you of the chance of even speaking to Robert. I KNEW
this was for me; I was over-anxious to learn what choice morsel
life had in store for me now. It's one that will be bitter on my
tongue to the day of my death."
"Oh, Kate, I as so sorry that if this had to happen, it happened
in just that way," said Nancy Ellen, "but don't mind. They're
only foolish kids!"
"Who? Mr. and Mrs. Peters, and the neighbours, who attended the
wedding! Foolish kids? Oh, no!" said Kate. "Where's Adam?"
"I told him I'd bring you out," said Robert.
"Why didn't he send for you, or do something?" demanded Kate.
"I'm afraid the facts are that Polly lied to him," said Robert.
"She told him that Peters were having a party, and Mrs. Peters
wanted her to come early and help her with the supper. They had
the Magistrate out from town and had the ceremony an hour before
Adam got there. When he arrived, and found out what had happened,
he told Polly and the Peters family exactly his opinion of them;
and then he went home and turned on all the lights, and sat where
he could be seen on the porch all evening, as a protest in
evidence of his disapproval, I take it."
Slowly the colour began to creep back into Kate's face. "The good
boy!" she said, in commendation.
"He called me at once, and we talked it over and I sent you the
telegram; but as he said, it was done; there was no use trying to
undo it. One thing will be a comfort to you. All of your family,
and almost all of your friends, left as soon as Adam spoke his
piece, and they found it was a wedding and not a party to which
they'd been invited. It was a shabby trick of Peters."
Kate assented. "It was because I felt instinctively that Mrs.
Peters had it in her to do tricks like that, that I never would
have anything to do with her," said Kate, "more than to be passing
civil. This is how she gets her revenge, and her hired girl, for
no wages, I'll be bound! It's a shabby trick. I'm glad Adam
saved me the trouble of telling her so."