The party returned to Old Point by a boat which did not reach the pier6 until after dark, and as the officer's wife had never before been in Norfolk alone her husband was at the pier, in much anxiety, to look for her, and escort her home, and the pier was so covered with freight that Jermyn thought it his duty to insist that Kate should take his arm, which he held very closely to his side without any remonstrance7 from the owner, and then he insisted upon finding her brother or Trif before he left her.
"'Tis all right," whispered Trif to Fenie, as she saw them approaching.
"About the dolls?" asked Trixy, anxiously. "Do you think them's in the bundle that he's carryin'?"
"No, you silly child!" said Fenie. "Your mother means——"
Fenie received a warning pinch, but it was too late, for the child exclaimed: "Oh, I know!" and made a sudden dash in the direction of the approaching couple. Trif snatched at Trixy's dress; there was a ripping, tearing sound, and away went the child, while behind her floated something like a train.
"Oh, I'm so glad!" she exclaimed, stopping before Jermyn and Kate so suddenly as to separate them.
"Yes," said Kate. "Here are the dolls, dear."
"I'm awful glad to get 'em; my, what a big bundle! But that wasn't what I meant."
[Pg 142]
"Why, that you're bein' nice to Mr. Jermyn. Mamma and Aunt Fee have been talkin' about you all day, and hopin' you wouldn't be a fool—that's what they said; I never say such things about a lady—no indeed! Say, you're engaged, aren't you? 'Cause——"
"Take the package to your mother, Trixy, and let her open it for you," said Jermyn quickly. "Miss Trewman, please don't hurry away; do take my arm again, just for a moment; thank you. I merely wished to say—shall we walk a moment?—to say that our friends seem to take unusual interest in us; interest of a kind which I'm sure neither of us has said a word to justify9."
"But I can't endure," continued Jermyn rapidly, "to risk, merely through the prattle11 of a child, the most delightful12 friendship I ever made. Last night I said to you—but why repeat it? I've no right to expect you to endure any annoyance13, for my sake, but if you chance to like me as much as last night you let me think you do, can't we afford to make light of such chatter14 as that provoking child may inflict15 upon us? Good men are plentiful—better men than I; but to me there is only one woman in all the world, and I can't bear the thought of giving up hope of her until she herself commands me. I assure you that I am entirely16 in earnest."
"I couldn't suspect you of flirting," said Kate, softly.
"Thank you," said Jermyn, pressing closely to [Pg 143]his side the little hand which was trembling on his arm. "I won't ask you for any promises, except that you will allow yourself to become well acquainted with me. You are with friends who love you dearly, and one of them knows me of old. There can be nothing to cause embarrassment17 between us, except——"
"Except Trixy?" interrupted Kate, with a silvery laugh.
"Bless you for laughing about it!" said Jermyn, earnestly. "If you can continue to do so, then——"
"One can get accustomed to almost anything," said Kate, with another laugh, although why she laughed she was sure she did not know.
"If 'can' could mean 'will,' and if I could be 'anything'—" said Jermyn. He did not complete the sentence, so Kate looked shyly up at him. They had walked so far that they were beyond the lights of the hotel, but the girl could see that her companion's face, always strong and earnest, seemed intently fixed18 upon something far ahead. They had walked all the way to the little lighthouse, and just beyond it, and there are few darker places than the base of a lighthouse. The darkness gave Kate courage, so she whispered:
"It shall mean 'will,' if you wish it so."
"Heaven bless you!" Then—what strange influences there are in darkness!—Jermyn threw his arms about Kate and kissed her.
Some student of love has said that kisses gain force by delay. Jermyn's was the first kiss Kate [Pg 144]Trewman had ever received from a man who professed19 to love her, so between astonishment20 and many other things which she did not understand and could not have called up and thought about at the time had her life depended upon it, she did not resist the kiss nor the several that followed it.
"My angel!" said Jermyn. "You will be my wife?"
"How can I help it?" asked Kate, softly, "after—after what has happened?"
"Trixy!"
"I didn't mean to do nothin'," the child explained. "I was just walkin' along behind you, 'cause you both looked so splendid, and walked so nice together, but when you kissed each other——"
"Trixy!" exclaimed Kate, "I did nothing of the sort!"
"Didn't you? Then I don't think you was very polite."
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1
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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2
heartiness
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| 诚实，热心 | |
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3
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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4
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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5
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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6
pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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7
remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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8
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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9
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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10
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
prattle
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| n.闲谈；v.（小孩般）天真无邪地说话；发出连续而无意义的声音 | |
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12
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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13
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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14
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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15
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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16
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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17
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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18
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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19
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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20
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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21
hurrah
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| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
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