He was not engaged to Delight, and until
he was he had no claim upon her and not the smallest right in the world
to grumble if another man chose to pay her a compliment. And what were
compliments anyway? Only empty words. Yet reason as he would, he
wished Snelling twenty fathoms deep in the sea before ever he had come
to Wilton, there to haunt Willie's shop and make of himself a menace to
all tranquillity.
So the days passed in a delirious alternation of ecstasy and despair
until one morning when Mr. Snelling came bringing from Madam Lee the
long-delayed note which she had promised Bob she would send. She was
now quite strong again, she wrote, and she wished him to arrange for
his aunt, Mr. Spence and Miss Hathaway to come and have tea with the
Belleport family on the following afternoon, when both Roger and Mr.
Galbraith would be at home. With beating heart Robert Morton took the
letter into the house and showed it to Delight.
"How nice of them!" she exclaimed. "Oh, I do wish we could go! Willie
would love it. He liked Mr.
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