"There, that is better," Tom said, getting up. "Let me draw your sofa
close up to the fire. Where is your knitting, Aunt Lucy? I know you can't
have your afternoon nap without it."
But Miss Merivale did not laugh at the old joke that she pretended to be
knitting when she was really fast asleep. "Tom, sit down," she said. "I
want to speak to you."
Tom hesitated. She had spoken in so low a tone he had not noticed how her
voice trembled. "I thought I would go to meet them, Aunt Lucy. They will
be coming back by this time."
"Sit down," she repeated more urgently. "I want to speak to you. I must
tell you before they come home."
He was thoroughly startled now. "Has anything happened?" he said. "What is
it?" He drew a chair close to her and sat down, his square, honest face
full of concern. "What is it, Aunt Lucy?"
She turned away from him. It was more difficult to speak than she had
expected, though she had known it would be very difficult. "Tom, it is
about Rhoda," she said in a choked voice.
He straightened himself in his chair. "About Rhoda?" he echoed. She heard
the challenge in his grave voice.
"Yes, about Rhoda. I want to tell you why I asked her here. You know that
I love her, Tom. You know how happy it has made me to see that you"--
"Dear Aunt Lucy, I was sure you had guessed," Tom said in an eager voice.
Pages:
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114