Part 43 (1/2)

”It's this,” said Dolly, solemnly, ”Alicia is planning to elope with Marly Turner.”

There were four astonished faces that greeted this announcement, but none showed such blank amazement as Alicia's own.

”Oh, Dolly!” she cried. ”Oh, Dolly Fayre! You will be the death of me yet! Go on, tell them more!”

”That's about all I know. They planned it last night and it just happened that Geordie and I heard them. Marly coaxed her, and Alicia hesitated and then consented. She said her mother eloped, and she would do the same. They were going to have a rope ladder.”

”Oh, Dolly! Oh, Uncle Jeff! Oh, Dollyrinda!”

”Well, Alicia, suppose you stop yelling, oh, and tell me about this interesting performance,” Mr. Forbes spoke, severely.

But Alicia had thrown herself into a big chair and was screaming with laughter. Every time she essayed to speak, she went off in uncontrollable spasms of mirth and when she wiped her eyes and endeavoured to speak, she giggled again.

Dolly realised there was some misunderstanding somewhere and waited for the explanation.

At last it came.

”No, Uncle Jeff,” and Alicia managed to speak intelligibly, ”I'm not going to elope with Marly or anybody else. I'm going to live here with you.”

”But you were!” said Dolly. ”You planned to!”

”No, my child,” and Alicia laughed again. ”I'll have to tell my story myself. I've written a play, Uncle, and in it, the heroine elopes with the handsome hero. I was awfully shy about showing it to anybody, but Marly said he'd try to persuade his father to read it over and see if it showed any promise. You know it's a great thing to have Mr. Turner read your play, and I was delighted. Well, last night, Marly and I went over the elopement scene, that's the strong act of the play, and that's what Dolly heard, and she thought we were talking ourselves! Oh, Dolly, if people plan to elope they don't do it at the top of their lungs!

Marly and I read the various character parts to see how it would sound in different voices. Well, then, he said he'd try to get his father to read it to-night, so I'd know before I went away to-morrow. And he telephoned that he'd pull it off,--he meant he'd get his father to read it. That's my secret. And, you know, Uncle Jeff, my mother DID elope, because her father didn't want her to marry Jim Steele. And I'd heard the story of her elopement so often, and it was so dramatic, that I put it in my play. Oh, Dolly, what a little innocent you are!”

”I don't care if I am,” returned Dolly, and her pretty face beamed with smiles. ”I think your secret is lovely, Alicia, and I think Uncle Forbes' secret is too.”