Part 9 (2/2)
She smiled down at it, loose on her finger.
”Why, so it is--my wis.h.i.+ng ring!” she sighed happily. She turned it about her finger, and he saw her lips move. She was wis.h.i.+ng. He wondered what, but she did not offer to tell him.
”I wish that he may have the thing he wants the very most in all the world,” she was saying fervently under her breath. When she was done she rose from the leaves, and he sprang up beside her.
”There's one more ceremony,” he told her, half-amusedly. ”Even for a four days' engagement, to make it _quite_ legal--” He bent toward her, smiling.
”Oh--oh, should we?” stammered Joy, her wild-rose color deepening to rose-red.
”I really think we should,” said John solemnly. It was the nearest to teasing any one he had come for a long time, and he found himself rather enjoying it. Besides, in his heart lurked the feeling that the child ought to realize that she might have let herself in for a good deal, if she hadn't fallen into merciful hands. He was a little ashamed of himself at the sweet way she took it. She merely held herself quite still and serious, and lifted her face a little.
John was a young man who always went through with anything he had begun, and he bent over and kissed Joy, very lightly.
”I'm sorry,” he said.
”I--I didn't mind,” said Joy, trying to make him happy, for she saw he was sorry, though she didn't know why or what for.
”You dear child!” he said. ”Well, I won't do it again. I was teasing you, and I shouldn't. Come, we ought to go now.”
She fell into step beside him, still mystified, but very much obliged to him in general, and they went back to the bungalow and congratulations side by side.
Meanwhile two very much surprised young people confronted two still perturbed old ones in the sunset on Phyllis' veranda.
”Now _why_ do you suppose,” Allan demanded of the world in general, ”Johnny didn't break the news to us? I've rarely known a man who liked secrets less. He hasn't even come over and looked radiant with his mouth shut, as a normal human being would.”
Phyllis picked up Angela and gazed over her head as she considered.
She had a way of using Angela as most women do knitting or embroidery: as something to have in her hands when she wanted to think.
”It was certainly a case of very silent emotion,” she said contemplatively.
”What was there a case of, Mother?” demanded Philip, reappearing, very dusty, and climbing up on all of her that Angela didn't occupy, thereby damaging fatally the spotlessness of her crinkled white silk skirt. ”Is it something to eat? Did Johnny bring--”
”Johnny brought the rather surprising news that he and Joy are going to be married,” his mother informed him, kissing the back of his neck. She spoke to him, as she always did, in a manner entirely unedited for children. If he didn't always know the long words, as she said, so much the better--his growing intelligence was stretched a little hunting them up.
The growing intelligence was certainly excited now.
”Married?” inquired Philip indignantly, voicing the feelings of the entire party. ”Well, I think it would of been politer to have let us know before they spoke to each other about it!”
It was no time to feed either of the children, and their nurse would have been horrified, but Allan produced a box of marshmallows from behind a jardiniere before anything more was said.
”Here, my dear son,” he said politely. ”You deserve them for saying that. 'Them's our sentiments,' too, only we hadn't quite decided how to put it. Now go off and die happily, and only give Angela two.”
Philip returned thanks automatically, clutched the box and fled before any one should interfere to revoke this wonderful gift from Heaven. Angela wriggled her small, blue-overalled body down and went in pa.s.sionate pursuit.
”Now, you mustn't worry about it,” Phyllis said to Mrs. Havenith, rising with one of her swift, graceful movements and putting both arms about the disconsolate old lady. ”John Hewitt is one of the best men I ever knew. He's a rock of defense. Indeed, you may trust him with Joy. Allan has known him since they were in college together, and he has been our closest friend since our marriage.
He's--why, he's nearly as nice as Allan, and that's saying all I _can_ say. Isn't he, Allan?”
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