 43 The circumvention of Auntie. Sadie sat up with a start and rubbed her eyes. "'All right, Nanette,' she said sleepily. "'I'm awake.'" The trim, rosy cheeked maid smiled and swiftly left the room. She had deposited one armful of fluffy things on a chair beside Sadie's bed, and another armful of fluffy things on a chair beside Helen's bed. She had also performed other mysterious little offices noiselessly before going to the side of Sadie's bed. "'And sleeping like an innocent babe,' said the comely Nanette to herself, with a depth of affection in her tone. Then she bent down and called on Sadie's ear. "'Ten o'clock, Miss Sadie!' She had to repeat the whispered call several times before Sadie's eyelids fluttered and she stirred into life. The maid had vanished by the time the younger of the two sleeping beauties had removed the cobwebs from her eyes. The twin rosewood beds lay side by side, enveloped by the transparent silken hangings of a single canopy. The room was exquisitely done in pink, and everywhere were evidences that the two lucky mortals who slumbered therein were coddled and pampered to the limit of modern luxury. She's robe de nuis, as the fashion magazines put it, was a creation of laces and ribbons and mighty becoming. She had admitted this to herself as she surveyed her reflection in the tall oval mirror only five hours before. She admitted it again as she hopped out of bed and confronted herself in the same mirror. Then she turned and ran quickly to the side of Helen's bed. She bent down and kissed her cousin. Get up, Helen, Sadie urged, as the blue eyes reluctantly opened. Get up and dress, dear. We haven't much time. Much time for what? asked Helen, sitting up and going through the ceremony of rubbing her eyes. Much time before Auntie awakes. A rosé blush spread up from the ribbons at Sadie's throat to the roots of her fair hair. Helen's eyes were wide open now, and she looked at her cousin in frowning puzzlement. "'And Mr. Hogg is expected,' said Sadie, with swift inspiration. "'Whatever are you driving at?' asked Helen. "'Are you anxious to greet Mr. Hogg?' pouted Sadie. "'No,' was the vehement response. "'Then we must be out when he comes, and I have an important engagement at eleven.' Helen shot two little pink feet out of the covers and planked them down on the velvety rug. "'Whom have you an engagement with, Sadie Burton?' she asked, with breathless eagerness. "'I have an engagement to elope.' This time Sadie turned her head to hide her blushes. Helen seemed actually paralyzed. There was an intense pause before Sadie wheeled round, flung her head defiantly, and said with more fire than she had ever in her life displayed. "'With Mr. Whitney Barnes, and you are going to assist me, you and Mr. Gladwin?' "'You cannot be serious, Sadie,' said the older cousin slowly. "'I am, though,' was the passionate rejoinder. "'Nanette and I packed my steamer-trunk after you and Auntie went to bed. "'Hurry now, Helen, dear, for we must be at the little church around the corner at eleven o'clock. "'I am going to wear my grey travelling-dress, and you, your brown.' "'Why, you dreadful little minx, you,' cried Helen. "'If you are poking fun at me, I will never forgive you.' "'I am not poking fun,' retorted Sadie, with the same ardour and almost in tears. "'It is all planned and arranged. Whitney promised to have everything ready at the church, including Traverse Gladwin. He said he couldn't wait another minute after eleven o'clock that this suspense would kill him, and he was so terribly in earnest about it that I believe him.' "'You goose,' exclaimed Helen, but now she was smiling, and there was a happy light in her eyes. "'Do you mean to tell me, Sadie Burton?' she added, "'That you fell in love with that young man in a few hours? You, the man-hater?' "'Yes,' admitted Sadie, her cheeks again on fire. "'And a man you don't know anything about, a perfect stranger?' "'This brought the fire into the timid Mrs. Eyes,' and she returned warmly. "'I know everything about him, Helen Burton, his whole family history, and he is only obeying orders in rushing the ceremony.' "'Obeying orders?' "'Yes. His father commanded him to marry me at once, and if he doesn't obey, he will be disinherited, and have to become a plumber or something to make a living. "'His father is Joshua Barnes, the Mustard King. You must have heard of him.' When I told Auntie who he was, she almost collapsed, and said something about Joshua Barnes buying and selling twenty hogs. I suppose she meant Jebes Hogg. "'Why, I never heard of such a thing, Sadie. Mr. Barnes could not have been serious. His father never saw you in his life.' "'Oh, but he telephoned his father all about it before he proposed to me. He was sure I would say yes. He is a wonderful mind-reader and believes in mysteries and fate. He said the minute he saw me, he knew I was his fate.' Once more the modest Sadie was in a state bordering on conflagration. Helen's eye sobered as she looked at and beyond Sadie. "'That was the very thing Travers Gladwin, I mean the real one, said to me,' she mused. "'He did?' "'Yes, and the way things have turned out it would seem.' Helen stopped and covered her face with her hands. Sadie ran to her and put her arms about her. "'You are going to help us, aren't you, Helen dear?' said Sadie tremulously. I would tell Auntie about it, only she would want a tremendous wedding and all that. Whitney and I both hate big weddings. I am too timid and he is too nervous, says he might swallow the ring and choke to death. "'You will now, Helen darling?' There was a little sob in Sadie's voice and Helen surrendered. "'You are doing a very rash thing, Sadie,' Helen lectured, striving to draw her brows into an expression of impressive solemnity. "'My own terrible experience should have been a lesson to you, a warning. But it was Whitney Barnes who saved you, Helen,' cried Sadie exultantly. "'You owe it all to him, and that is why I began to love him.' "'Nonsense,' retorted Helen sharply. Mr. Barnes had nothing whatever to do with it. All he did was to get himself handcuffed and run about absurdly trying to be unlocked. "'But he was on watch and planned and planned,' Sadie defended her hero. "'Sadie Burton, I say that Whitney Barnes had nothing whatever to do with it. He was merely an instrument. Travers Gladwin did it all. I owe everything to him, everything. He would have gone to jail for me, sacrificed all his wonderful paintings. Oh, Sadie! It was wonderful of him!' It was Sadie who was thunderstruck now by the ardor in her cousin's voice. Her amazement soon gave way to a beaming smile, and she mumbled as she turned to her dressing table. "'I do believe she is in love with him,' end of Chapter 43, recording by Roger Maline. Chapter 44 of Officer 666. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Roger Maline. Officer 666 by Barton W. Curry and Augustine McHugh. Chapter 44 Miss Featherington's Shattered Dream Marietta Featherington couldn't seem to concentrate her mind upon that 13th Chapter of Lily the Lovely Laundress. The handsome rat-catcher had just beaten the aristocratic villain to a pulp, and would have finished the job neatly and thoroughly, had not Lily raised her lovely fair hand and cried with the imperiousness of an empress. Pause, Giovanni! Pause! He may have a mother!' Ordinarily Miss Featherington would have raced through the pages hungrily, avidly. Not so on this fair November afternoon. Whether it was the mince pie and melted cheese she had partaken of a bare hour before, or whether it was the even more so than usual grumpy mood of her employer, Joshua Barnes, she could not tell. Perhaps it was neither. She refused to analyze it. Whatever the cause, she felt heavy and wistful and sad. From time to time the emotional Miss Featherington allowed Whitney Barnes to flip through the corridors of her imagination. He had walked heavily through her dreams the night before. His strange words of yesterday had strangely moved her. Desperately she had striven to solve the mystery. Were they words of love? If so, how would old Grim Barnes accept the declaration from his son's lips that he loved the humble though, yes, though beautiful stenographer lady of the Barnes Mustard Company Limited? Miss Featherington had half expected to walk into Joshua Barnes's presence that morning and meet with a torrent of abuse. She had rehearsed a cold and haughty retort. But her employer had greeted her with a gruff good morning and an expression that was equivalent to a smile. Alas, the Prince had not spoken. Mary had appounded out forty-two letters containing references to as many different kinds of assorted and selected Mustard before she succeeded in dismissing the air to the Mustard Millions from her romantic thoughts and creating a new hero in his stead. The new hero some way fell down, and she picked up Lily the lovely Laundress. But even the lovely Lily failed to thrill, and she laid the book aside. Along Psy was escaping from the depressed maiden's bosom when the door of the anti-room opened. And who should enter but Whitney Barnes? Marietta swallowed her Psy and clasped her hand over her palpitating heart. The young man was not alone, however, and he did not dain Miss Featherington a glance as he held the door open and cried, Come in, children! The children were none other than Helen and Sadie and Travers Gladwin. Nor did they dain Miss Featherington a glance as they assembled in a little group, talking in hushed tones and punctuating their talk with suppressed laughter. By the time Whitney Barnes did turn to Marietta, that young lady's nose was elevated to an excruciating angle, so much so that she was unable to fulfill her desire to sniff. There was cold auteur in her stare as she met the smile of Whitney Barnes and replied to his query, Yes, Mr. Barnes, your father is in and alone. Thank you, Miss Featherington, cried the young man gaily, and an instant later the little party of four had vanished behind a mahogany portal. Joshua Barnes was bent over his desk writing as the door opened noiselessly and the four young people entered. When he looked up, his son, Travers Gladwin and Helen, were lined up beside his chair. The two young men smiling sheepishly, and the girls blushing crimson and looking down at the floor. Hello, Pater, opened Whitney Barnes. You remember Travers Gladwin. This is Mrs. Gladwin, a bride of sixty-seven minutes. Old Grim Barnes was on his feet in an instant, with a gallant bow to Helen and a hearty handshake for the bridegroom. For a second or two he failed to describe Sadie, who, as per rehearsal, was hidden behind the two young men. As, with a look of surprise, he spied her, Helen drew Sadie to her and managed to stammer. And this is my cousin Sadie, Mr. Barnes. Sadie dropped a timid curtsy, her face on fire. How do you do, Miss, uh… Joshua Barnes was feasting his eyes on Sadie's shy beauty and smiling benignly. I didn't catch the name, he added, turning to Helen. I didn't catch the name, he added, turning to Helen. She began when Whitney Barnes came to her rescue. Barnes, Pater, Mrs. Sadie, that is, Mrs. Whitney Barnes, a bride of seventy-seven minutes. Whitney Barnes beamed upon his father and put his arm about the old gentleman's shoulders to support him. How do you like my choice, Dad? Isn't she a darling? Why don't you ask to kiss the bride? Joshua Barnes breathed with difficulty for a moment and his eyes blinked. Slowly he looked for confirmation in the faces of the newlywed Gladwins, and when they both nodded and smiled he returned his glance to Sadie, who had turned very pale and was beginning to tremble. The mustard king shook off his son's arm and gathered Sadie to him with a bear hug. He kissed her ten times in succession and then let her down in his chair and padded her shoulder. Joshua Barnes was so happy that tears glistened in his eyes. He continued to look at Sadie for a long moment before he turned to his son and gulped. Whitney Barnes, you scoundrel, have you been keeping this from me? Why, no, Dad, came the laughing answer. I telephoned you about it last night and you called me. For the first time in my life I made a mistake, Whitney Barnes, his father checked him, and you both have my blessing a thousand fold, provided you will take me in as a border. Don, exclaimed Whitney Barnes, the end.