choosing you for my knight,” said Rose, hastening to soothe the
feelings her careless words seemed to have ruffled slightly.
“Much good that is likely to do me,” grumbled Mac.
“You ungrateful boy, not to appreciate the honor I’ve conferred
upon you! I know a dozen who would be proud of the place, but
you only care for compound fractures, so I won’t detain you any
longer, except to ask if I may consider myself provided with an
escort for tomorrow night?” said Rose, a trifle hurt at his
indifference, for she was not used to refusals.
“If I may hope for the honor.” And, rising, he made her a bow
which was such a capital imitation of Charlie’s grand manner that
she forgave him at once, exclaiming with amused surprise: “Why,
Mac! I didn’t know you could be so elegant!?
“A fellow can be almost anything he likes if he tries hard enough,”
he answered, standing very straight and looking so tall and
dignified that Rose was quite impressed, and with a stately
courtesy she retired, saying graciously: “I accept with thanks. Good
morning, Dr. Alexander Mackenzie Campbell.?
When Friday evening came and word was sent up that her escort
had arrived, Rose ran down, devoutly hoping that he had not come
in a velveteen jacket, top-boots, black gloves, or made any trifling
mistake of that sort. A young gentleman was standing before the
long mirror, apparently intent upon the arrangement of his hair,
and Rose paused suddenly as her eye went from the glossy
broadcloth to the white-gloved hands, busy with an unruly lock
that would not stay in place.
“Why, Charlie, I thought ” she began with an accent of surprise in
her voice, but got no further, for the gentleman turned and she
beheld Mac in immaculate evening costume, with his hair parted
sweetly on his brow, a superior posy at his buttonhole, and the
expression of a martyr on his face.
“Ah, don’t you wish it was? No one but yourself to thank that it
isn’t he. Am I right? Dandy got me up, and he ought to know what
is what,” demanded Mac, folding his hands and standing as stiff as
a ramrod.
“You are so regularly splendid that I don’t know you.?
“Neither do I.?
“I really had no idea you could look so like a gentleman,” added
Rose, surveying him with great approval.
“Nor that I could feel so like a fool.?
“Poor boy! He does look rather miserable. What can I do to cheer
him up in return for the sacrifice he is making??
“Stop calling me a boy. It will soothe my agony immensely and
give me courage to appear in a low-necked coat and curl on my
forehead, for I’m not used to such elegancies and I find them no
end of a trial.?
Mac spoke in such a pathetic tone, and gave such a gloomy glare at
the aforesaid curl, that Rose laughed in his face and added to his
woe by handing him her cloak. He surveyed it gravely for a
minute, then carefully put it on wrong side out and gave the
swan’s-down hood a good pull over the head, to the utter
destruction of all smoothness to the curls inside.
Rose uttered a cry and cast off the cloak, bidding him learn to do it
properly, which he meekly did and then led her down the hall
without walking on her skirts more than three times on the way.
But at the door she discovered that she had forgotten her furred
overshoes and bade Mac get them.
“Never mind it’s not wet,” he said, pulling his cap over his eyes and
plunging into his coat, regardless of the “elegancies” that afflicted
him.
“But I can’t walk on cold stones with thin slippers, can I?” began
Rose, showing him a little white foot.
“You needn’t, for there you are, my lady.” And, unceremoniously
picking her up, Mac landed her in the carriage before she could say
a word.
“What an escort!” she exclaimed in comic dismay, as she rescued
her delicate dress from a rug in which he was about to tuck her up
like a mummy.