The Californians

  XVII

  Trennahan had written to Magdalena from the Islands, acknowledging theletter she had written him after her interview with her father, andaccepting his dismissal. He returned to San Francisco the last of May.Almost immediately she received a letter from Helena announcing herengagement to him.

  Helena, while in Southern California, had written to Magdalena with heraccustomed regularity. The letters were bitter with self-reproachalternated with the very joy of being alive in that opulent southernland. When she wrote of the engagement she assured the dearest friendshe had on earth that if things had turned out differently she shouldhave gone away and got over it somehow, but as Magdalena's decision wasirrevocable she intended to be the happiest girl in the world; itwouldn't do anybody a bit of good if she wasn't. Magdalena felt nobitterness toward her. She had lost Trennahan; the woman matterednothing. She would rather it were Helena than another; for who elsecould make him so happy? But she knew that she should see less of Helenain the future, and she hardly knew whether she were glad or sorry. Shewished that she had the courage to ask her to keep him away from MenloPark this summer.

  The other girls moved down, bringing many guests, and she saw themdaily; habit is not broken in a moment. They passed through Fair Oaks asusual on their afternoon drives, stopping for a chat; in theirchar-a-bancs or on the verandah. It was some time before they discoveredthe changes in the Yorba household, and when they did they merelyshrugged their shoulders at the old don's eccentricities. The bigparlours were certainly to be regretted; but there were other parloursthat were not half bad, and it was terribly up-hill work entertainingDon Roberto. They were profoundly sorry for Magdalena, and were soinsistent in their demands that she should spend much of her time withthem that she found her solitude far less complete than she had hoped.But Helena and Trennahan were not to come down until the first of July;they had gone with Colonel Belmont to the Yosemite, Geysers and BigTrees.