Mr. Force and Leonidas entered soon after, and only in time for dinner.

The afternoon was pa.s.sed in chess, music and conversation, and after an early tea Dr. and Mrs. Peters bade good-by to their entertainers and started for their home.

Dr. Ingle lingered longer--in fact, until after ten o'clock, the usual bedtime at Mondreer, and then at length he said good-night and went away.

But the family of Mondreer did not immediately retire on the departure of their last guest.

Was not this the first of January? And was not their dear Leonidas to leave them on the second?

They could not bid him good-night so soon. They lingered in the drawing room long after the departure of their last guest.

Mrs. Anglesea, who had by her fine animal instincts scented out the state of affairs in the family which entertained her, watched Leonidas and Odalite with lynx eyes.

"Them young uns is sweethearts," she said, in an aside to Miss Meeke, as she pointed to the youthful pair, who, seated on the cushioned sill of the bay window, were exchanging their last confidences. "Them young uns is sweethearts, as sure as you're born. And why she didn't choose him, instead of choosing my beat, beats me. But perhaps the match was made up all along of the old folks. Shouldn't wonder. Not I! But if they are fond o' one another, why, in the name o' sense, can't the knot be tied afore he goes to sea? They'd be a heaper better contented in parting from one another if they knowed that they belonged to each other, certain sure, no matter what might happen."

"Yes," replied Miss Meeke. "I think that they are lovers still. And I know that they were engaged to be married before he went to sea the first time, and they would have been married on his return from his first voyage if Col. Anglesea had not come between them. I betray no confidence in telling you this, for the whole county knows it well."

"To be sure they do. Why, didn't I hear all about it before ever I entered into this house? You just bet I did. But why she ever could have thrown over that fine young fellow for my old rascal is more than I can tell."

"I suppose he fascinated her in some way," suggested Natalie.

"You bet your pile on that. Lord! how that man could make love when he tried! Why, there was poor John, my first husband, poor, dear fellow!--that ever I should have forgot him so far as to take up with this furriner!--poor John, after keeping company with me for more'n a year, and never saying a word to me about love, or his heart, or anything, though we knew how it was with each other well enough, one summer Sunday night, when the moon was a-shining bright as day, he kind o' loitered at the gate, and sort o' kicked the gravel slowlike with his foot, and then said:

"'Well, Marier, when hed I better speak to the ole man?'

"And I said: 'Fust time you see him, John.' And that was all. Every word of love-making that pa.s.sed betwixt us two until we was married."

"He was a plain, good, honest man," put in Miss Meeke.

"You bet your pile on that! And you won't lose nothing by it! He was a good, true man, and so I found him, else I shouldn't a-followed of him all round the world, and out to Wild Cats' Gulch! But as for this other fellow! Lord! Why, from the minute he made up his mind to marry and rob me, he did nothing but make love! Lord, how he could do it! Like a play-actor! Why, honey, one time he fell on his knees before me and looked up in my face in such a way! And what on earth can an ordinary 'oman do when a man goes down on his marrow bones and rolls up his eyes like a dying duck? She has to sort o' give in to him whether she wants to or not!

for fear he'd get worse, and have a fit, and do hisself a mischief of some sort! And all the time, dear, it wasn't the poor Californy widow he was after; but her poor, dear, dead-and-gone husband's pile, as he had made by the sweat of his brow, and lost his life in making, too! He fashionated me into marrying of him and trusting of him until he levanted with all my money! And he fashionated that young girl there until she throwed over her own true love for him! But his fashionations don't last long after he is found out--that is one good thing! Leastways they didn't with me, and they don't seem to have done so with her. I come to my senses soon's ever I found out as he had robbed me and run away. And she come to hers soon's ever she found out he had a lawful wife living. But now that the grand vilyun is out of the way, and the young turtledoves has made it all up, why can't they be married before he goes off to sea?" earnestly inquired the Californian lady.

"I wish to Heaven it might be done!" fervently exclaimed Natalie, who, in the happiness of her own love-life, felt a deep sympathy for the young pair in the bay window.

"And why might it not, then? That is what I want to know. There's no lawful impediment why them two mightn't be made one right off! My scamp can't have any claim on her to hinder of it! Good Lord! No! I should think not! When here I am his lawful wife, alive, and likely to live! And a man can't have two wives, in this State, at least! So why can't them young uns be married, and made happy right away?"

"I wish it could be done; but I feel sure that it could not."

"But why, in the name o' common sense?"

"Because neither Mr. nor Mrs. Force would entertain such a plan for a moment. They would consider it indelicate and undignified in all parties concerned to marry their daughter to any other suitor, even though that suitor were Mr. Leonidas Force, so soon after the breaking off of her marriage ceremony with her late bridegroom-expectant," replied Natalie.

"Fiddle-faddle!" exclaimed the lady from Wild Cats'. "I think it is hard enough for poor human natur' to keep the commandments of the Lord and the laws of the land without having to be bound by a pa.s.sel of fiddle-faddle fancies!"

"My private opinion is," said Natalie, "that the young couple will yet marry; but not until he shall return from his next voyage. And they are both young enough to wait."

CHAPTER XLVII

LEONIDAS LEAVES MONDREER

"Aunty," said Leonidas, taking the hand of Odalite, and leading her up to Mrs. Force, who stood before the grand piano, putting away the sheets of music before closing the instrument--"aunty, dear, I am not going away to-morrow."

"What now?" inquired the lady, in some uneasiness.

"I mean I am not going away to-morrow morning. I can go to-morrow night, and be in time to join my ship on the third. It will be a close shave, as to time, auntie; but then, it will give me twelve more hours with you all.

Twelve precious hours! Aunty, are you sorry? You look so grave."

"No, dear boy, I am glad to have you until the last possible moment. I only regret that you have to go at all," kindly replied Mrs. Force.

"Yaw! Oh, Lord! I could crack my jawbones a-gasping! Never was so sleepy in my life! Say, good folks, ain't it time to go to bed? After being up most all night, and not even getting a wink of sleep this morning."

The suggestion came from the lady from the gold diggings, of course; and it was so speedily acted upon--especially since Leonidas had announced his intention of deferring his departure until the next night--that in less than half an hour the parties had separated and retired to their several bedrooms.

The next day was the last that Leonidas Force would spend at Mondreer for three years, at least.

All that day Mr. Force was closeted with his overseer, in his office, looking over the farm books and making up the accounts for the year just closed.

Mrs. Force was merciful, and told Leonidas and Odalite to spend this last day as they pleased.

The young couple, warmly clothed, set out through the splendid winter sunshine and over the crisply frozen snow to walk to Greenbushes.

They went out by the north gate, through the woods, across Chincapin Creek, and so on to the farmhouse.

They took the housekeeper by surprise indeed; but they never could take her unprepared.

She soon laid as dainty a repast upon the table as two young people, with healthy appet.i.tes sharpened by a brisk walk through the winter woods, ever sat down to and enjoyed.

The two lingered over that meal, playing at housekeeping, playing at being master and mistress at their own table.

When they were tired of that little drama they went all through the house, Odalite seeing the improvements that had been made there during the weeks of her absence.

"All this new furniture is to be packed up or covered over, and the rooms are to be closed up, and only opened occasionally to be dried or aired.

And, my darling of darlings, I mean never to live in this house until I can bring you here as its mistress. I ask no promise from you, my dear, for I must not; but I can and will give you mine," said Leonidas, earnestly.

"Le, dear, you do not need a promise from me, nor I from you. We know and can trust each other, dear. And, Le, I will come over here once every week to open and air the rooms and inspect the furniture, so that nothing shall come to harm from ignorance or neglect. And, Le, this weekly work will be my happiest employment, except that of writing to you."

"Dear Odalite, now I feel that you are my own again. This weekly work, as you call it, will be a sign between us. It will be your own house you will be watching over, darling. And when I return from this voyage, if all should go well with us, we will settle down here, and I will never go to sea again. We two shall not be so very old when I come home again. You will be twenty, and I will be twenty-five."

She smiled up in his face in her old arch manner, but made no reply in words.

When they had gone through all the rooms, as it was some time after noon, they took leave of Greenbushes and of the old servants, and set out to return to Mondreer.

They varied their walk by going down the wooded hill to the bay and walking along the sh.o.r.e until they reached Mondreer, and up the wooded hill again to the mansion.