'Go ahead and report, Tom; I'm due here. See you later,' said Demi,swinging himself down at the door of the Dovecote.

 

　　'Don't peach, there's a good fellow. Let me have it out with MotherBhaer first,' returned Tom, wheeling in at the gate with a heavysigh.

 

　　Demi laughed, and his comrade went slowly up the avenue, devoutlyhoping that the coast was clear; for he was the bearer of tidingswhich would, he thought, convulse the entire family with astonishmentand dismay.

 

　　To his great joy Mrs Jo was discovered alone in a grove ofproof-sheets, which she dropped, to greet the returning wanderercordially. But after the first glance she saw that something was thematter, recent events having made her unusually sharp-eyed andsuspicious.

 

　　'What is it now, Tom?' she asked, as he subsided into an easy-chairwith a curious expression of mingled fear, shame, amusement, anddistress in his brick-red countenance.

 

　　'I'm in an awful scrape, ma'am.'

 

　　'Of course; I'm always prepared for scrapes when you appear. What isit? Run over some old lady who is going to law about it?' asked MrsJo cheerfully.

 

　　'Worse than that,' groaned Tom.

 

　　'Not poisoned some trusting soul who asked you to prescribe, I hope?'

 

　　'Worse than that.'

 

　　'You haven't let Demi catch any horrid thing and left him behind,have you?'

 

　　'Worse even than that.'

 

　　'I give it up. Tell me quick; I hate to wait for bad news.'

 

　　Having got his listener sufficiently excited, Tom launched histhunderbolt in one brief sentence, and fell back to watch the effect.

 

　　'I'm engaged!'

 

　　Mrs Jo's proof-sheets flew wildly about as she clasped her hands,exclaiming in dismay:

 

　　'If Nan has yielded, I'll never forgive her!'

 

　　'She hasn't; it's another girl.'

 

　　Tom's face was so funny as he said the words, that it was impossibleto help laughing; for he looked both sheepish and pleased, besidesvery much perplexed and worried.

 

　　'I'm glad, very glad indeed! Don't care who it is; and I hope you'llbe married soon. Now tell me all about it,' commanded Mrs Jo, so muchrelieved that she felt ready for anything.

 

　　'What will Nan say?' demanded Tom, rather taken aback at this view ofhis predicament.

 

　　'She will be rejoiced to get rid of the mosquito who has plagued herso long. Don't worry about Nan. Who is this "other girl"?'

 

　　'Demi hasn't written about her?'

 

　　'Only something about your upsetting a Miss West down at Quitno; Ithought that was scrape enough.'

 

　　'That was only the beginning of a series of scrapes. Just my luck!

 

　　Of course after sousing the poor girl I had to be attentive to her,hadn't I? Everyone seemed to think so, and I couldn't get away, andso I was lost before I knew it. It's all Demi's fault, he would staythere and fuss with his old photos, because the views were good andall the girls wanted to be taken. Look at these, will you, ma'am?

 

　　That's the way we spent our time when we weren't playing tennis'; andTom pulled a handful of pictures from his pocket, displaying severalin which he was conspicuous, either holding a sun-umbrella over avery pretty young lady on the rocks, reposing at her feet in thegrass, or perched on a piazza railing with other couples in seasidecostumes and effective attitudes.

 

　　'This is she of course?' asked Mrs Jo, pointing to the much-ruffleddamsel with the jaunty hat, coquettish shoes, and racquet in herhand.

 

　　'That's Dora. Isn't she lovely?' cried Tom, forgetting histribulations for a moment and speaking with lover-like ardour.

 

　　'Very nice little person to look at. Hope she is not a Dickens Dora?

 

　　That curly crop looks like it.'

 

　　'Not a bit; she's very smart; can keep house, and sew, and do lots ofthings, I assure you, ma'am. All the girls like her, and she'ssweet-tempered and jolly, and sings like a bird, and dancesbeautifully, and loves books. Thinks yours are splendid, and made metalk about you no end.'

 

　　'That last sentence is to flatter me and win my help to get you outof the scrape. Tell me first how you got in'; and Mrs Jo settledherself to listen with interest, never tired of boys' affairs.

 

　　Tom gave his head a rousing rub all over to clear his wits, andplunged into his story with a will.

 

　　'Well, we've met her before, but I didn't know she was there. Demiwanted to see a fellow, so we went, and finding it nice and coolrested over Sunday. Found some pleasant people and went out rowing; Ihad Dora, and came to grief on a confounded rock. She could swim, noharm done, only the scare and the spoilt gown. She took it well, andwe got friendly at once--couldn't help it, scrambling into that beastof a boat while the rest laughed at us. Of course we had to stayanother day to see that Dora was all right. Demi wanted to. AliceHeath is down there and two other girls from our college, so we sortof lingered along, and Demi kept taking pictures, and we danced, andgot into a tennis tournament; and that was as good exercise aswheeling, we thought. Fact is, tennis is a dangerous game, ma'am. Agreat deal of courting goes on in those courts, and we fellows findthat sort of "serving" mighty agreeable, don't you know?'

 

　　'Not much tennis in my day, but I understand perfectly,' said Mrs Jo,enjoying it all as much as Tom did.

 

　　'Upon my word, I hadn't the least idea of being serious,' hecontinued slowly, as if this part of his tale was hard to tell; 'buteveryone else spooned, so I did. Dora seemed to like it and expectit, and of course I was glad to be agreeable. She thought I amountedto something, though Nan does not, and it was pleasant to beappreciated after years of snubbing. Yes, it was right down jolly tohave a sweet girl smile at you all day, and blush prettily when yousaid a neat thing to her, and look glad when you came, sorry when youleft, and admire all you did, and make you feel like a man and actyour best. That's the sort of treatment a fellow enjoys and ought toget if he behaves himself; not frowns and cold shoulders year in andyear out, and made to look like a fool when he means well, and isfaithful, and has loved a girl ever since he was a boy. No, by Jove,it's not fair, and I won't stand it!'

 

　　Tom waxed warm and eloquent as he thought over his wrongs, andbounced up to march about the room, wagging his head and trying tofeel aggrieved as usual, but surprised to find that his heart did notache a bit.

 

　　'I wouldn't. Drop the old fancy, for it was nothing more, and take upthe new one, if it is genuine. But how came you to propose, Tom, asyou must have done to be engaged?' asked Mrs Jo, impatient for thecrisis of the tale.

 

　　'Oh, that was an accident. I didn't mean it at all; the donkey didit, and I couldn't get out of the scrape without hurting Dora'sfeelings, you see,' began Tom, seeing that the fatal moment had come.

 

　　'So there were two donkeys in it, were there?' said Mrs Jo,foreseeing fun of some sort.

 

　　'Don't laugh! It sounds funny, I know; but it might have been awful,'

 

　　answered Tom darkly, though a twinkle of the eye showed that his lovetrials did not quite blind him to the comic side of the adventure.

 

　　'The girls admired our new wheels, and of course we liked to showoff. Took 'em to ride, and had larks generally. Well, one day, Dorawas on behind, and we were going nicely along a good bit of road,when a ridiculous old donkey got right across the way. I thought he'dmove, but he didn't, so I gave him a kick; he kicked back, and overwe went in a heap, donkey and all. Such a mess! I thought only ofDora, and she had hysterics; at least, she laughed till she cried,and that beast brayed, and I lost my head. Any fellow would, with apoor girl gasping in the road, and he wiping her tears and beggingpardon, not knowing whether her bones were broken or not. I calledher my darling, and went on like a fool in my flurry, till she grewcalmer, and said, with such a look: "I forgive you, Tom. Pick me up,and let us go on again."'Wasn't that sweet now, after I'd upset her for the second time? Ittouched me to the heart; and I said I'd like to go on for ever withsuch an angel to steer for, and--well I don't know what I did say;but you might have knocked me down with a feather when she put herarm round my neck and whispered: "Tom, dear, with you I'm not afraidof any lions in the path." She might have said donkeys; but she wasin earnest, and she spared my feelings. Very nice of the dear girl;but there I am with two sweethearts on my hands, and in a deuce of ascrape.'

 

　　Finding it impossible to contain herself another moment, Mrs Jolaughed till the tears ran down her cheeks at this characteristicepisode; and after one reproachful look, which only added to hermerriment, Tom burst into a jolly roar that made the room ring.

 

　　'Tommy Bangs! Tommy Bangs! who but you could ever get into such acatastrophe?' said Mrs Jo, when she recovered her breath.

 

　　'Isn't it a muddle all round, and won't everyone chaff me to deathabout it? I shall have to quit old Plum for a while,' answered Tom,as he mopped his face, trying to realize the full danger of hisposition.

 

　　'No, indeed; I'll stand by you, for I think it the best joke of theseason. But tell me how things ended. Is it really serious, or only asummer flirtation? I don't approve of them, but boys and girls willplay with edged tools and cut their fingers.'

 

　　'Well, Dora considers herself engaged, and wrote to her people atonce. I couldn't say a word when she took it all in solemn earnestand seemed so happy. She's only seventeen, never liked anyone before,and is sure all will be all right; as her father knows mine, and weare both well off. I was so staggered that I said:

 

　　'"Why, you can't love me really when we know so little of oneanother?" But she answered right out of her tender little heart:

 

　　"Yes, I do, dearly, Tom; you are so gay and kind and honest, Icouldn't help it." Now, after that what could I do but go ahead andmake her happy while I stayed, and trust to luck to straighten thesnarl out afterwards?'

 

　　'A truly Tomian way of taking things easy. I hope you told yourfather at once.'

 

　　'Oh yes, I wrote off and broke it to him in three lines. I said:

 

　　"Dear Father, I'm engaged to Dora West, and I hope she will suit thefamily. She suits me tip-top. Yours ever, Tom." He was all right,never liked Nan, you know; but Dora will suit him down to theground.' And Tom looked entirely satisfied with his own tact andtaste.

 

　　'What did Demi say to this rapid and funny lovemaking? Wasn't hescandalized?' asked Mrs Jo, trying not to laugh again as she thoughtof the unromantic spectacle of donkey, bicycle, boy, and girl all inthe dust together.

 

　　'Not a bit. He was immensely interested and very kind; talked to melike a father; said it was a good thing to steady a fellow, only Imust be honest with her and myself and not trifle a moment. Demi is aregular Solomon, especially when he is in the same boat,' answeredTom, looking wise.

 

　　'You don't mean--?' gasped Mrs Jo, in sudden alarm at the bare ideaof more love-affairs just yet.

 

　　'Yes, I do, please, ma'am; it's a regular sell all the way through,and I owe Demi one for taking me into temptation blindfold. He saidhe went to Quitno to see Fred Wallace, but he never saw the fellow.

 

　　How could he, when Wallace was off in his yacht all the time we werethere? Alice was the real attraction, and I was left to my fate,while they were maundering round with that old camera. There werethree donkeys in this affair, and I'm not the worst one, though Ishall have to bear the laugh. Demi will look innocent and sober, andno one will say a word to him.'