Part 16 (1/2)
”Sit down and rest, Daddy darling; don't talk for a minute or two. This is my room, and you are my visitor, and you shall do just as you like.”
”Smoke a pipe, for instance?” he asked, giving me a quizzical glance.
”Indeed you may and shall,” I said. I began to poke in his pocket for his pipe, and when I found it filled it for him and lit it, as I used to do when I was a small child; then I gave it to him to smoke.
”You are a dear little thing,” he said. ”You are the comfort of my life.”
His pipe and the peace of my room seemed to soothe him wonderfully, but over and over I heard him mutter, ”Upon my word!” and then I heard him say, ”No, not quite that; I have done a good bit for her ladys.h.i.+p, but that scoundrel--she must know that he can never come here.”
”Daddy, what is wrong?” I asked.
He took his pipe out of his mouth, gave a profound sigh, and looked me full in the face.
”There's nothing wrong at all,” he said. ”I was in a bit of a pa.s.sion--not a temper--a _pa.s.sion_--my pa.s.sion was right and justifiable, but her ladys.h.i.+p's nearly all right now.”
”And won't you let her brother come to see her, Daddy?”
”Stop that, Heather; you are not to question me.”
”Then he is not coming?” I said.
”That man shall never darken my doors.”
”Daddy!”
”Miss Curiosity is not to know the reason,” he said, smiling once more and pinching my cheek. ”Now then, look here. Her ladys.h.i.+p is in a bit of a tiff--oh, not much; she'll be herself by this evening. You and she are going to a very big affair to-night, and what do you say to _our_ enjoying a very big affair to-day? Richmond, eh? in her ladys.h.i.+p's motor, eh? and no questions asked, eh, eh?”
”Oh, father, how truly rapturous!”
”Well, then, we'll do it. Get Morris to make you look as smart as possible, and I will order the motor-car to come round. Now, then, off with you!”
I flew to get ready, and father and I had a very happy day together. As we were coming back in the motor-car, just in time for me to get dressed for that great function which he would not attend, I said to him:
”Daddy, I thought that when people were a long time in the army----”
”Eh, eh?” he said. ”What about the army?”
”I thought that they got promotion--I mean you ought to be a full colonel, or even a general, by now.”
”Little Heather, will you promise with all your heart and soul never to repeat something I am going to say to you?”
”Of course, I will promise you, my own daddy.”
”Well, I am not in the army--I haven't been in the army for years.”
”Daddy!”
”Now listen, and keep that knowledge deep down in your heart. But for that scoundrel who wanted to pay us a visit I'd have been a general in his Majesty's service now. No more words, Heather; no more words--keep it dark, _dark_ in your heart. I am called Major by her ladys.h.i.+p as a matter of courtesy, but I was snuffed out some time ago, child; yes, snuffed out. Now then, here we are! We've had a good day--very jolly to be alone with my little Heather--life's not half bad when you consider that your own child need not understand every black and evil thing about you. But I am snuffed out for all that, little Heather mine.”