Part 32 (1/2)
”Your special representative is here, Miss Gilfooly,” exclaimed Bert, eager for a portion of the Queen's attention. ”Mr. Marvin sent me to tell you. You can learn all about your kingdom now.”
”Good gracious!” exclaimed Tessie. ”I've almost decided I don't want a kingdom! I don't know as I even want to be a queen! It's a lot safer to be a salesgirl!” And she drew a long breath.
”That's the stuff, Tess!” indorsed Joe. ”There isn't any place in the world to-day for a queen!”
”Miss Gilfooly has no choice,” broke in Mr. Kingley, turning his broad back to Joe. ”Her good fortune, as such things always are, is just an accident of birth. And one cannot escape the duties to which one is born. That is true of my son and it is true of Miss Gilfooly. Neither of them can s.h.i.+rk the obligations which Providence has given them. I should suggest,” he added hastily, as he became aware of an increasing audience, ”that Mr. Douglas take Queen Teresa to see Mr. Pitts, so that our business may be resumed. All of these good people,” he smiled benevolently on the good people, who were staring at him open-eyed and open-mouthed, ”wish to buy something.”
”I'll take her!” Mr. Bill exclaimed jealously, and he still clung to Tessie's little hand.
”We'll all go,” suggested Joe. ”You come too, Mr. Kingley?” he added with unusual courtesy.
”I can't go like this,” objected Tessie, looking scornfully at her black frock and touching her hair with her free hand. ”I'm a fright!”
”You're an angel!” contradicted Mr. Bill.
Norah slipped behind Tessie, and with magic fingers touched the little knot at the back of Tessie's head. A miracle seemed to be performed before their eyes, for the old Tessie came back to them with the loosening of her yellow hair.
”Bless me!” murmured Mr. Kingley, as interested as he was surprised.
”It's easy for a girl to disguise herself with colored gla.s.ses and a new way of doing her hair,” laughed Tessie. Her cheeks were as pink as they had been pale. ”But shouldn't I go and put on some of my queen clothes?”
she asked anxiously. She wished to appear at her best before her special representative.
”You look like an angel as you are!” declared Mr. Bill again, and his voice shook. ”Come along!”
A way opened through the crowd, and as Mr. Bill led the Queen away, there was a cheer. Another voice, actually Mr. Walker's voice, took up the shout, until the air was filled with, ”Hurrah for Queen Teresa!
Hurrah for the Queen!” The sound was music to Mr. Kingley. It was as if the Metropolitan Grand Opera company were there singing in his bas.e.m.e.nt.
He turned to Joe. He could afford to be magnanimous.
”Queens may be out of place in the world, Joe,” he said complacently, ”but the people still seem to like them!”
”Yes,” remarked Joe with a grin, ”people will always like a show.” And he added, as if he were reading Mr. Kingley's inner thoughts, ”This is another great day for the Evergreen, isn't it? You're coming with us, Mr. Kingley? Tessie will want everything cleared up now.”
”Of course I'm coming!” Mr. Kingley was a bit testy. ”I just want to speak to----”
”Mr. Gray?” suggested Joe with another grin.
”To send a message to Miss Gilfooly's grandmother,” Mr. Kingley corrected with great dignity. ”I think she should know that the queen has been found.”
XXV
Mr. Bill hurried Tessie through the crowd and to his car. They both thought of the day, over a month ago, when Tessie had learned that she was a queen, and Mr. Bill had taken her to Marvin, Phelps & Stokes. And now he was taking her to the lawyers' again. They smiled radiantly at each other. How blue the sky was! How bright the suns.h.i.+ne!
”My word!” exclaimed Mr. Bill from the very depths of his honest heart.
”I'm glad I found you!”
”I'm glad, too,” Tessie murmured shyly. ”I made up my mind that I'd stay in the Evergreen bas.e.m.e.nt until the special representative came and made the Sons of Suns.h.i.+ne behave themselves. I'm sorry you were worried,” she said apologetically. Indeed she was sorry that Mr. Bill had been worried. The thought that Mr. Bill would worry about her sent a lump, that almost choked her, into her throat.
”Worried!” The word was inadequate to express what Mr. Bill had suffered. ”Say,” he said quickly, ”when I heard you had been carried off I--I--Oh, hang it all!” The eager expression slipped from his face, and he drew back. ”I wish you weren't a queen,” he muttered discontentedly.