'Well, Elizabeth,' I said, 'you haven't told me yet
who it is, but whether it's the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Prince
of Wales--for I felt I had to make a little joke like that--I hope
you'll make him as happy as you've made me all these years.'"
"You old darling," said Olga. "I should have gone into hysterics, and
forbade the banns."
"No, Miss Bracely, you wouldn't," said Mrs Weston, "you'd have been
just as thankful as me, that she'd got a good husband to take care of
and to be taken care of by, because then she said, 'Lor ma'am, it's
none of they--not them great folks. It's the Colonel's Atkinson.' You
ask the Colonel for Atkinson's character, Miss Bracely, and then you'd
be just as thankful as I was."
"The Colonel's Atkinson is a slow coach, just like Georgie," said Olga.
"He and Elizabeth have been living side by side all these years, and
why couldn't the man make up his mind before? The only redeeming
circumstance is that he has done it now. Our poor Georgie now--"
"Now you're going to be rude to Colonel Boucher again," said Georgie.
"Colonel, we've been asked here to be insulted."
Colonel Boucher had nothing stronger than a mild tolerance for Georgie
and rather enjoyed snubbing him.
"Well, if you call a glass of wine and a dinner like this an insult,"
he said, "'pon my word I don't know what you'd call a compliment."
"I know what I call a compliment," said Olga, "and that's your all
coming to dine with me at such short notice.
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