A Little Queen of Hearts by Ruth Ogden

Author:Ruth Ogden [Ogden, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anboco
Published: 2017-02-25T23:00:00+00:00

In the hour that intervened between Donald’s arrival and supper he had had a chat with Mr. Hartley, in which the old keeper had taken to the boy immensely; had made friends with Martha, as she showed him to the little room under the eaves and helped him to stow away the contents of his sailor chest, and had won his way straight to Mrs. Hartley’s heart, who was but a woman, after all, and gratified by the undisguised admiration in his frank, honest eyes. There remained only one inmate of the cottage yet to be encountered—the gentleman about whom Chris had told him, and who had met with the driving accident a few weeks back; but the gentleman in question bad his own ideas as to the time and place when that dreaded encounter was to be gotten through with, and Donald was not to be favored with an interview that evening.

“If it’s not too much bother, Mrs. Hartley,” Ted had said, “I’ll have my supper here in my room to-night. I think for a first drive Harry took me a little too far this afternoon.”

“I was afraid of that—afraid of that,” said Mrs. Hartley, looking at Ted with the deepest solicitude, so that Ted felt like a fraud, for though tired indeed from the drive, he had quite strength enough to take his seat at the table with the rest but for the presence of that new and undesired guest, Donald.

“Your sailor-boy arrived all right?” asked Ted, partly by way of diverting conversation from himself and partly because there was the possibility of meeting him to be provided against.

“Yes, indeed,” her face lighting up as she spoke; “and he seems the most attractive little fellow. I want you should meet him after—”

“Not to-night, I think, Mrs. Hartley, if you don’t mind. I’ll just see Harry a few moments when he comes and turn in very early. The little sailor-boy will keep all right till morning, won’t he?’”

Deeply annoyed that Ted’s strength should have been so apparently overtaxed, Mrs. Hartley paid no attention to this last remark.

“I shall take Mr. Allyn to task when he comes to-night,” she said severely (that is, for her); “he should have known better; but if I leave you now perhaps you’ll get a good sleep before ever it’s time for your supper;” and then as she went out Ted drew a long sigh, and had half a mind to call the dear old lady back and take her right into his confidence. But no; on the whole, he thought he would wait and once more consult Harry, and, besides, he was really too tired to enter upon any explanations just then.

“Why, where’s Ted?” asked Harry Allyn with real concern, as at his usual hour he brought up at the doorway of the little cottage and peered into the room beyond. The evening meal over, the old couple were seated on the settle just outside the door, and Mrs. Hartley made room for Harry between them.

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