CHAPTER XLII
AN INTERVIEWER
The roan mare travelled well that morning, and Miss Panney was atCobhurst before the doctor reached his patient's house. To her regretshe found that Mrs. Drane and Miriam had driven to Thorbury. MissDrane was upstairs at her work, and Mr. Haverley was somewhere on theplace, but could easily be found. All this she learned from Mike, whomshe saw outside.
"And where is the cook?"
"She's in the kitchen," said Mike.
"A good place for her," replied the old lady; "let her stay there. I willsee Mr. Haverley, and I will see him out here. Go and find him and tellhim I am sitting under that tree."
Ralph arrived, bright-eyed.
"Well, sir," cried the old lady, "and so you have decided to take a wifeto yourself, eh?"
"Indeed I have," said he, with the air of one who had conquered acontinent, and giving Miss Panney's outstretched hand a hearty shake.
"Sit down here," said she, "and tell me all about it. I suppose your soulis hungering for congratulations."
"Oh yes," he said, laughing; "they are the collateral delights which arenext best to the main happiness."
"Now," said Miss Panney, "I suppose you feel quite certain that MissDrane is a young woman who will suit your temperament and your generalintellectual needs?"
"Indeed I do," cried Ralph. "She suits me in every possible way."
"And you have thoroughly investigated her character, and know that shehas the well-balanced mind which will be very much wanted here, and thatshe has cut off and swept away all remnants of former attachments toother young men?"
Ralph twisted himself around impatiently.
"One moment," said Miss Panney, raising her hand. "And you are quitepositive that she would have been willing to marry you if you had notowned this big farm; and that if you had had a dozen other girls tochoose from, you still would have chosen her; and that you really thinksuch a small person will appear well by the side of a tall fellow likeyou; and you are entirely convinced that you will never look around onother men's wives and wish that your wife was more like this one or thatone; and that--"
"Miss Panney!" cried Ralph, "do you suppose there was ever a man in theworld who thought about all those things when he really loved a woman?"
"No," said she, "I do not suppose there ever was one, and it was in thehope that such a one had at last appeared on earth that I put myquestions to you."
"Well, I can answer them all in a bunch," said he; "she is exactly thewife I want, and nobody in the world would suit me as well. And if thereis any one who does not think so--"
"Stop!" exclaimed Miss Panney; "your face is getting red. Never jump overa wall when there is a bottomless ditch on the other side. You might missthe ditch, but it is not likely. You are in love, and when people arethat way, the straight back of a saw is parallel to every line of itsteeth. Don't quarrel, and I will go on with my congratulations."
"Very queer ones they are so far, I am sure," replied Ralph, his facestill flushed a little.
"Oh yes," said Miss Panney, rising, "there are a lot of queer things inthis world, and I may be one of them. Now I will go and see your younglady. I do not know her very well yet, and I must make her betteracquaintance."
"Miss Panney," said Ralph, quickly, "if you are going to stir her up withquestions such as you put to me, I beg you will not see her."
"Boy, boy," said the old lady, "don't bubble and boil. I have a greatregard for you, and care a great deal more for you than I do for her, andit is only people that I care a great deal for that I stir up. Go back toyour grindstone, or whatever you were at work at, and do not worry yourmind about your little Cicely. It may be that I shall like her enough towish that I had made the match."
When Cicely accidentally met Ralph in the garden, a few hours later, shesaid to him that she could not have imagined that Miss Panney was such adear old lady.
"Why, Ralph," said the girl, looking up at him with moistened eyes, "shetalked to me so sweetly and gave me such good advice that I actuallycried. And never before, dear Ralph, did good advice make me feel sohappy that I had to cry."
And at this point the two wood doves, who had become regular detectives,actually pecked at each other in their despair of emulation.
Miss Panney's interview with Cicely had not been very long, because theold lady was anxious to see La Fleur before the doctor got there, and shewent down into the kitchen, where, although she did not know it, the cookwas expecting her. La Fleur's soul was in a state of turbulent triumph,but her expression was as soft as a dish of jelly.
Miss Panney sat down on the chair offered her, while the cookremained standing.
"I came down to ask you," said the old lady, "if you have heard whetherDr. Tolbridge and his wife have returned. I suppose you will be goingback to them immediately."
"Oh no," said La Fleur, her eyes humbly directed toward the floor as shespoke, "at least not for a permanency. I shall get the doctor a goodcook. I shall make it my business to see that she is a person fullycapable of filling the position. I have my eyes on such a one. As for me,I shall stay here with my dear Miss Cicely."
"Good heavens, woman!" exclaimed Miss Panney, "your Miss Cicely isn'thead of this house. What do you mean by talking in that way? MissHaverley is mistress of this establishment. Haven't you sense enough toknow that you are in her service, and that Miss Drane and her mother aremerely boarders?"
Not a quiver or a shake was seen on the surface of the gentle jelly.
"Oh, of course," said La Fleur, with her head on one side, and hersmile at its angle of humility, "I meant that I would come to her whenshe is settled here as Mrs. Haverley, and her dear mother is livingwith her, and when Miss Miriam has gone to finish her education atwhatever seminary is decided on. Then this house will seem like my truehome, and begging your pardon, madam, you cannot imagine how happy I amgoing to be."
"You!" exclaimed Miss Panney. "What earthly difference does it make toanybody whether you are happy or not?"
The jelly seemed to grow softer and more transparent.
"I am only a cook," said La Fleur, "but I can be as happy as persons ofthe highest quality, and I understand their natures very well, havinglived with them. And words cannot tell you, madam, how it gladdens my oldheart to think that I had so much to do myself with the good fortunes ofus all, for the Dranes and me are a happy family now, and I hope may longbe so, and hold together. I am sure I did everything that my humble mindcould conceive, to give those two every chance of being together, and tokeep other people away by discussing household matters whenever needed;for I had made up my mind that Miss Cicely and Mr. Haverley were born foreach other, and if I could help them get each other, I would do it. Whenyour telegram came, madam, it disturbed me, for I saw that it might spoileverything, by taking him away just at the time when they had nobody buteach other for company, and when he was beginning to forget that he hadever been engaged to Miss Bannister, as you told me he was, madam, thoughI think you must have been a little mistaken, as we are all apt to bethrough thinking that things are as we want them to be. But I couldn'thelp feeling thankful that nobody but me was home when the telegram wasbrought without any envelope on it, and I had no chance to give it to himuntil it was too late to take a train that night; for the trouble thepoor gentleman was in on account of his sister, being sure, of course,that something had happened to her, put him into such a doleful way thatMiss Cicely gave herself up, heart and soul, to comfort him. And when abeautiful young woman does that for a young man, their hearts are sure torun together, like two eggs broken into one bowl. Now that's exactly whattheirs did that night, for being so anxious about them I watched them andkept Mrs. Drane away. The very next morning when I asked her to go intothe garden and pick some lettuce, and then told him where she was, heoffered himself and was accepted. So you see, madam, that withoutboasting, or exalting myself above others, I may really claim that I madethis match that I set my heart on. Although, to be sure--for I don'ttake away rightful
credit from anybody--some of the credit is yours forhaving softened up their hearts with your telegram, just at the verymoment when that sort of softening could be of the most use."
Miss Panney sat up very cold and severe.
"La Fleur," said she, "I thought you were a cook who prided herself onattending to her business. Since I have been sitting here, listening toyour twaddle, the cat has been making herself comfortable in that pan ofbread dough that you set by the fire to rise."
La Fleur turned around; her impulse was to seize a poker and rush atthe cat. But she stood where she was and infused more benignity intoher smile.
"Poor thing," said she, "she doesn't do any harm. There's a thicktowel over the pan, and I should be ashamed of my yeast if it couldn'tlift a cat."
When Miss Panney went upstairs she laughed. She did not want to laugh,but she could not help it. She had scarcely driven out of the gate whenshe met Dr. Tolbridge.
"A pretty trick you have played me!" he cried.
"Yes, indeed, a very pretty one," replied the old lady, pulling up hermare. "I thought you knew me better than to think that I would come hereto look into this engagement business with you or anybody else. Or that Iwould let you get ahead of me, either. Well, I have got all the points Iwant, and more too, and now you can go along, and Mr. Ralph will tell youthat he is the happiest man in the world, and your secretary will tellyou that she is the happiest young woman, and the cook you are going tolose will vow that she is the happiest old woman, and if you stay untilMrs. Drane and Miriam come back, the one will tell you that she is thehappiest middle-aged woman, and the other that she is the happiest girl,and if you give Mike a half dollar, he will tell you that he is thehappiest negro in the world. Click!"
The doctor went on to Cobhurst, where Mrs. Drane and Miriam soon arrived,and he heard everything that Miss Panney told him he would hear.