"Wait till I ask mamma's permission to stay up a little longer. She
always insists upon my keeping such early hours," was 'Lina's very
filial and childlike reply, as she walked up to mamma, not to ask
permission, but to whisper rather peremptorily, "Dr. Richards wishes me
to walk with him, and as you are tired, you may as well go to bed!"
Meantime the doctor and 'Lina were walking up and down the long piazza,
chatting gayly, and attracting much attention from 'Lina's loud manner
of talking and laughing.
"By the way, I've called on Miss Johnson, at the Columbian," she said.
"Beautiful, isn't she?"
"Ra-ather pretty, some would think," and the doctor had an uncomfortable
consciousness of the refusal in his vest pocket.
If Alice had told. But no, he knew her better than that. He could trust
her on that score, and so the dastardly coward affected to sneer at what
he called her primness, charging 'Lina to be careful what she did, if
she did not want a lecture, and asking if there were any ragged children
in Kentucky, as she would not be happy unless she was running a Sunday
school!
"She can teach the negroes! Capital!" and 'Lina laughed so loudly that
Mrs. Richards joined them, laughing, too, at what she did not know,
only--Miss Worthington had such spirits; it did one good; and she wished
Anna was there to be enlivened.
"Write to her, John, won't you?"
John mentally thought it doubtful. Anna and 'Lina would never
assimilate, and he would rather not have his pet sister's opinion to
combat until his own was fully made up.
"Anna--oh, yes!" 'Lina exclaimed. "Miss Johnson spoke of her as the
sweetest lady she ever saw. I wish she would come. I'm so anxious to see
her. An invalid, I believe?"
Yes, dear Anna was a sad invalid, and cared but little to go from home,
though if she could find a waiting maid, such as she had been in quest
of for the last six months she might perhaps be persuaded.
"A waiting maid," 'Lina repeated to herself, remembering the forgotten
letter in her dress pocket, wondering if it could be Anna Richards,
whose advertisement Adah had answered, and if it were, congratulating
herself upon her thoughtlessness in forgetting it, as she would not for
the world have Adah Hastings, with her exact knowledge of Spring Bank,
in Mrs. Richards' family. It passed her mind that the very dress had
been given to Adah, who might find the letter yet. She only reflected
that the letter never was sent, and felt glad accordingly. Very adroitly
she set herself at work to ascertain if Anna Richards and "A.E.R." were
one and the same individual.
If Anna wished for a waiting maid, she could certainly find one, she
should suppose. She might advertise.