[Illustration:  THEN I TOLD HIM MY IDEA]

But I did it; and at five minutes before ten she was sitting quietly sewing in her own room.  Then I went downstairs to watch for Father.

He came just on the dot, and I let him in and took him into the library.  Then I went upstairs and told Mother there was some one downstairs who wanted to see her.

And she said, how funny, and wasn’t there any name, and where was the maid.  But I didn’t seem to hear.  I had gone into my room in quite a hurry, as if I had forgotten something I wanted to do there.  But, of course, I didn’t do a thing—­except to make sure that she went downstairs to the library.

They’re there now together.  And he’s been here a whole hour already.  Seems as if he ought to say something in that length of time!

After I was sure Mother was down, I took out this, and began to write in it.  And I’ve been writing ever since.  But, oh, I do so wonder what’s going on down there.  I’m so excited over—­

* * * * *

One week later.

At just that minute Mother came into the room.  I wish you could have seen her.  My stars, but she looked pretty!—­with her shining eyes and the lovely pink in her cheeks.  And young!  Honestly, I believe she looked younger than I did that minute.

She just came and put her arms around me and kissed me; and I saw then that her eyes were all misty with tears.  She didn’t say a word, hardly, only that Father wanted to see me, and I was to go right down.

And I went.

I thought, of course, that she was coming too.  But she didn’t.  And when I got down the stairs I found I was all alone; but I went right on into the library, and there was Father waiting for me.

He didn’t say much, either, at first; but just like Mother he put his arms around me and kissed me, and held me there.  Then, very soon, he began to talk; and, oh, he said such beautiful things—­such tender, lovely, sacred things; too sacred even to write down here.  Then he kissed me again and went away.

But he came back the next day, and he’s been here some part of every day since.  And, oh, what a wonderful week it has been!

They’re going to be married.  It’s to-morrow.  They’d have been married right away at the first, only they had to wait—­something about licenses and a five-day notice, Mother said.  Father fussed and fumed, and wanted to try for a special dispensation, or something; but Mother laughed, and said certainly not, and that she guessed it was just as well, for she positively had to have a few things; and he needn’t think he could walk right in like that on a body and expect her to get married at a moment’s notice.  But she didn’t mean it.  I know she didn’t; for when Father reproached her, she laughed softly, and called him an old goose, and said, yes, of course, she’d have married him in two minutes if it hadn’t been for the five-day notice, no matter whether she ever had a new dress or not.