embroidery.

Before Mrs. Anglesea could reply, the door was opened by Mr. Force, who
had just come in from his daily ride around his plantation.

He greeted all the ladies present, and the conversation became general.

A little later on, Leonidas and the girls came in from their walk, and the
family party separated to get ready for dinner, and at the usual hour met
again around the table.

CHAPTER XLIII

LE GOES TO JOIN HIS SHIP

The next morning Dr. Ingle called to keep an appointment with Miss Meeke.
He came in his gig to take her to the village to inspect a certain house
that he thought of leasing. But she ordered him to send his gig to the
stable, and let his horse rest, while he availed himself of the family
carriage in which to take her and her invited company, her little pupils,
to see the house on trial.

And these being the days of her power and his slavery, he obeyed without a
murmur, and gave up his anticipated _tete-a-tete_ drive with his
betrothed, with as good a grace as he could assume.

Miss Meeke then gave her impromptu invitation to her little friends to
accompany her in a drive; and, as they eagerly accepted the invitation,
she sent Wynnette to order the carriage; all this was done according to a
prearrangement with Mrs. Force.

"And we will not interrupt you and Leonidas all day long, for we are going
to take lunch with us in the carriage, and we won't be home till
night--maybe not till morning!

"'Till daylight doth appear,'"

sang Wynnette, as she kissed her elder sister good-by, before running out
to jump into the carriage.

Odalite and Leonidas, standing at the front window of the drawing room,
watched their departure until the carriage passed through the west gate
and rolled out of sight into the woods beyond.

Then they turned toward the fireplace, around, or near, which their
father, mother and guest were seated.

And then it was that Mrs. Force announced to the little group the
approaching marriage of Dr. Ingle and Miss Meeke.

"Natalie going to leave us!" exclaimed Mr. Force, in mock despair.

"'I never had a dear gazelle
To love me with its soft, dark eye,
But came a loafing ne'er-do-well
And stole her from me on the sly!'"

"Girls never know what's their own good," said Mrs. Anglesea, in all
solemnity; "nor no more won't they learn nothing from experience! One girl