第78章

He was not disturbed and that evening, after supper was over, he was ready to talk again.He and Albert sat together in the sitting room--Mrs.Snow and Rachel were in the kitchen washing dishes--and Captain Zelotes told his grandson as much as he thought advisable to tell of his conversation with the Honorable Fletcher Fosdick.

At first Albert was inclined to rebel at the idea of permitting his letters to Madeline to be read by the latter's parents, but at length he agreed.

"I'll do it because it may make it easier for her," he said.

"She'll have a dreadful time, I suppose, with that unreasonable mother of hers.But, by George, Grandfather," he exclaimed, "isn't she splendid, though!""Who? Mrs.Fosdick?"

"No, of course not," indignantly."Madeline.Isn't she splendid and fine and loyal! I want you to know her, Grandfather, you and Grandmother.""Um-hm.Well, we'll hope to, some day.Now, son, I'm goin' to ask for another promise.It may seem a hard one to make, but I'm askin' you to make it.I want you to give me your word that, no matter what happens or how long you have to wait, you and Madeline won't get married without tellin' her folks and yours beforehand.

You won't run away and marry.Will you promise me that?"Albert looked at him.This WAS a hard promise to make.In their talks beneath the rainbows, whenever he and Madeline had referred to the future and its doubts, they had always pushed those doubts aside with vague hints of an elopement.If the unreasonableness of parents and grandparents should crowd them too far, they had always as a last resort, the solution of their problem by way of a runaway marriage.And now Captain Zelotes was asking him to give up this last resort.

The captain, watching him keenly, divined what was in his grandson's mind.

"Think it over, Al," he said kindly."Don't answer me now, but think it over, and to-morrow mornin' tell me how you feel about it." He hesitated a moment and then added: "You know your grandmother and I, we--well, we have maybe cause to be a little mite prejudiced against this elopin' business."So Albert thought, and the next morning, as the pair were walking together to the office, he spoke his thought.Captain Zelotes had not mentioned the subject.

"Grandfather," said Albert, with some embarrassment, "I'm going to give you that promise."His grandfather, who had been striding along, his heavy brows drawn together and his glance fixed upon the frozen ground beneath his feet, looked up.

"Eh?" he queried, uncomprehendingly.

"You asked me last night to promise you something, you know....

You asked me to think it over.I have, and I'm going to promise you that--Madeline and I won't marry without first telling you."Captain Zelotes stopped in his stride; then he walked on again.

"Thank you, Al," he said quietly."I hoped you'd see it that way.""Yes--yes, I--I do.I don't want to bring any more--trouble of that kind to you and Grandmother....It seems to me that you--that you have had too much already."

"Thank you, son....Much obliged."

The captain's tone was almost gruff and that was his only reference to the subject of the promise; but somehow Albert felt that at that moment he and his grandfather were closer together, were nearer to a mutual understanding and mutual appreciation than they had ever been before.