When dinner had long been finished and the tables cleared, the Fords including Persis remained at Ingleside to listen to the radio for a bit, and to continue catching up and telling stories. It seemed that Persis had quite a few stories to tell after her many travels around the world. She even met several American expatriates, especially in Paris.
"One day, I was so tired of hearing about how she could have been great and would be again that I told her to her face, 'Zelda Fitzgerald, you are no more a ballerina than I am Elizabeth, Duchess of York!"
"What did she have to say in return?" Jem asked, enthralled by Persis' stories.
"She said nothing in return. She was too drunk to know her own name," Persis coolly replied.
"You mean to tell me that they really do live as wild as their stories?" Rilla naively asked.
"Oh yes, they certainly do. One needn't much 'scope for the imagination' as Aunt Anne calls it. You don't have to imagine anything with those people. Their lives are crazy enough! Especially Zelda, she'll probably be locked up some day."
Kenneth frowned, remembering how his sister was once known for exaggerations. "You're exaggerating Persis. Why, anyone who writes such fluid and interesting works couldn't be married to a complete lunatic."
Persis held her hand over her heart, "I swear that I'm telling the truth! She bathed their daughter in a bidet, for Heaven's sake!" All of the adults burst out in laughter, but the children were very confused.
"What's a bidet?" Walt curiously asked.
"I'll tell you later," Faith answered.
About that time, Little Anne let out big yawn. Yawns, being the contagious things that they are; all the children started to yawn and show how tired they didn't want to be. Rilla looked to the sleepy babes and said, "I guess that it's getting fairly late, and the older children have school tomorrow. We should make our way to the House of Dreams."
"It's time for all of the little ones to visit Dreamland, I believe," Faith agreed.
Everyone stood up as the Fords started to take their leave. Persis gave Mrs. Blythe a quick hug and walked over to Walter. "Thank you for being such an amiable traveling companion, Walter. We must see each other again soon," she said, holding out her hand to shake.
"We definitely do. Possibly we could work on our sundry projects together?" he asked.
"Possibly," she coyly answered before he watched her saunter out the door.
Walter turned around to see his own two children and instructed them, "Albert, Abigail, as he sometimes liked to call them by their first names, go get ready for bed, and I shall be up shortly to read to you and tuck you in bed."
The twins did as their father instructed and scurried up stairs. Walter picked up a few sundry items that he knew his children had left lying about. Anne walked up to him, "It was a nice coincidence that you and Persis ran into each other on the ferry."
"Yes it was," he answered absently.
"I've always liked Persis Ford. When I look at her, I see all the things that Leslie could have been had her early life not held so much tragedy," she reminisced.
"Um hmm," he continued in his absent way, then turned around and asked, "Mother, what has become of the situation with Una since I left? It hasn't been mentioned, and Hope went to see her, but she wasn't at the manse. Has she already left? Is she married yet? Or was she just away at the time?"
A look of consternation came upon Anne's face. "Where do I begin?" she asked, sitting back down on the sofa with a nervous and somewhat frustrated laugh.
Don't you just love cliff-hangers? Please continue to review and tell me what you're thinking. They're the best inspiration to continue.