The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ladies-In-Waiting, by Kate Douglas Wiggin

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Ladies-In-Waiting

Author: Kate Douglas Wiggin

Illustrator: Christine Tucke Curtiss

Release Date: October 15, 2008 [EBook #26928]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LADIES-IN-WAITING ***

Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

LADIES-IN-WAITING

By
KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN

WITH FRONTISPIECE BY
CHRISTINE TUCKE CURTISS

BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

The Riverside Press Cambridge

COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY KATE DOUGLAS RIGGS
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

FOREWORD

It may be urged that all proper heroines go through a period of
uncertainty before giving their hands and hearts in marriage.
Occasionally, however, there are longer seasons of indecision,
incident to pride, high temper, or misunderstanding on the lady's
side, or to poverty, undue timidity, or lack of high pressure on the
part of the gentleman. I have christened the heroines of this volume
"Ladies-in-Waiting," and that no mental picture may be formed of Queen
and Court and Maids of Honor I have asked the artist to portray for
the frontispiece a marriageable maiden seated pensively upon a
hillside. Her attitude is plainly one of suspended animation while the
new moon above her shoulders suggests to the reader that she will not
wait in vain.

KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN

August 11, 1919

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
Miss Thomasina Tucker 1
The Turning-Point 97
Huldah The Prophetess 145
Two On A Tour 183
Philippa's Nervous Prostration 275

LADIES-IN-WAITING

MISS THOMASINA TUCKER

I

"Good-bye, Miss Tucker!"

"Good luck, Miss Tommy!"

"Bye, bye, Tomsie!"

"Don't stay away too long!"

These sentiments were being called from the Hoboken dock to the deck
of an ocean steamer, while a young lady, buried in bouquets and
bonbons, leaned over the rail, sparkling, inciting, compelling,
responding.

"Take care of yourself, Tomm