Mary"s response escaped him.
He sat staring through the gla.s.s, at the pa.s.sing sights, a curious sense of anti-climax within, a strange flat feeling of failure. He was like a boy who, having run valiantly at a jump, tamely subsides and ducks under the string. What then? Had he really been about to court a new humiliation by _lecturing_ Mary Wing? Telling himself that he came generously to warn her about Donald, had he actually been thinking that he would discuss the personal losses involved in Leaving Home?--perhaps by some frankness even bridge the gap in the old friendship? It really did seem that some such thoughts must have lurked in his mind, judging by this sense within him now.
Then, out of blankness and frustration, the young man felt slowly rising a deep exasperation, a mighty grievance. So he shook himself at once, donned his mask quickly while yet he could, and said in quite a natural-seeming voice:--
"But I"m afraid I"ve bored you horribly with these purely literary troubles. And, by the way,--speaking of realism versus romance just now,--how are Donald and Miss Carson getting on these days?"
She appeared a little surprised at the change of topic, but replied easily: "Oh!--very well, indeed, I believe. They"re together somewhere nearly every evening.--But why--"
"Really! That relieves me--knowing your serious interest in that affair.
I was beginning to fear Donald might be wandering a little in his affections."
"Wandering? No--how do you mean?"
"Well, he has seemed quite attentive to your pretty cousin of late, don"t you think?"
Then the Secretary turned her head again, sharply. And it hardly improved Charles Garrott"s frame of mind to perceive that, of all he had said in the strangely talkative drive, this alone had really touched her: this, which affected her personal purposes, her Own ambitions.
"Angela? Why, not that I know of! I didn"t know he"d seen her at all--except one casual meeting, perhaps!"
"I"ve happened to see them driving together from tune to time, as I plod about on my rounds. But no doubt it"s all quite casual, as you say, since you"ve heard nothing about it."
"You have? But please tell me!--where have you seen them together--and when?"
He cited particulars from his collection, damaging ones, though perhaps not so damaging as he could have made them had not self-interest restrained. Still, something in him was not displeased as he saw his old friend"s concern steadily deepening.
"I"m surprised, and--frankly, I "m sorry," she said slowly, at the end.
"Of course Angela"s a dear girl, very sweet and attractive, but--I shouldn"t like Donald to see too much of her--in view of my other hopes!
I"ve had good reason to think that he"s really interested in Helen, and she in him.--Well!" she went on, after a small pause, "this seems to require some diplomatic management. Donald has engagements for every evening this week--but--"
"It"s in the daytime that he meets Miss Flower. At least, I don"t think she takes the Fordette out at night."
Beside him on the padded seat, Mary sat silent, a little pucker between the dark brows which set such a question-mark in her colorless face.
Considering her formidable strength, it was odd how all but ethereal, how sincerely girlish, she could look at times.
"Well, Donald"s going to New York on Friday," she said, thoughtfully.
"He"s had a fine offer from Blake & Steinert--to go into the firm, had you heard?--so fine that I think he"d have taken it, and thrown over Wyoming, if I had let him! He"ll be gone nearly a week. Then, about the time he comes back, I"ve arranged to have him invited to Creekside, the Kingsleys" place at Hatton, for a week-end party. Helen"s to be there--I"ve really been hoping great things of that. Meantime," she rounded up efficiently, "there are the afternoons. Perhaps I could start him to playing golf, or something of that sort.... I suppose, of course, you"re too busy to--"
"I?" said the young man, hastily. "Oh, I fear I can offer nothing to rival Miss Angela"s attractions just now."
"Does it look as serious as that? Well," she said, with a sort of determined friendliness, "all the more reason that I should like to have your help."
He hardly repressed a sardonic laugh. "Are you asking me to help _you_?"
"What"s so extraordinary about that?"
"Not a thing, of course. I wasn"t certain I"d understood you, that was all."
But it appeared that the idea of helping this young woman had ceased to have the smallest pulling power now. Rather, there was bitterness in the thought that she still seemed ready to use him when she could.
He said, with savage urbanity: "Perhaps you might get Donald a motor-cycle, and encourage him to practice up as a Speed Demon."
The remark was received in entire silence. It was probably true that she literally did not understand him. All the same, his displeasure grew.
"But really," he continued sweetly, "if these two young people are so strongly attracted to each other--love at first sight, who knows?--really, is it judicious to interfere? Don"t you believe in elective affinities at all?"
"As a matter of fact, you know, Donald was greatly attracted to Helen, at first sight. And as for Angela, I"m certain--"
"You see," he interrupted, stung beyond all calculations, "my personal idea is that Miss Angela would probably make him a more suitable wife."
That unwisdom made everything worse at once; for Mary, after one glance at him and a stare out the window, said in a changed, "diplomatic" tone: "Well, I mustn"t let you misunderstand me, at any rate. You know, I"ve agreed with you perfectly, all along, that she"s thoroughly charming....
And, by the way, she likes _you_ so much, too!"
Charles froze instantly.
"In fact, she thinks you"re much more attractive than Donald--or did, just a little while ago. I have her word for it. So if she"s seeing a good deal of Donald just now, I don"t believe it"s from affinity, necessarily!"
"Indeed?"
"She was inquiring about you the last time I saw her--saying that she never saw you now, asking if you ever spoke of her to me, and so on. I told her, of course, you did, and repeated some of the compliments you paid her--"
Again he interrupted her, now with some slipping of his mask. It was true, to be just, that Mary Wing knew nothing of his long struggles to elude the Fordette. Nevertheless, her patent desire to hand him back to it, merely by way of furthering a little her plans for Donald, seemed somehow the last straw. A friendly reward for magnanimity this! And it may be some touch of purely male chagrin enhanced the philosophic anger, that any woman should be thus eager to pa.s.s on him, Charles, to another.
"I believe my remark was that I considered Miss Angela a suitable wife for Donald. So far as I am aware, I do not come into the conversation at all. If your suggestion is that I should step in and take her off his hands--in order to help you--may I beg you to put such an idea from your head, once and for all?"
It was clear that he astonished her: made her indignant as well. Her scrutiny of him was direct and sharp: but she did not speak at once, as if weighing her words or firmly counting ten, and when she did speak, her manner bore evidences of strong control.
"You are rather puzzling to-day. I should like to know what you have on your mind. "Take her off his hands!" Do you really think that"s quite the way to speak of a girl who--"
"I don"t, indeed. But the idea was your own, was it not?"
"Mine!--why, how can you! I only--"
"Then why not let things take their natural course, as I suggested?"
On that, turning her head away from him, she said quietly, too quietly in fact: "I"m afraid you wouldn"t understand now, if I were to tell you."
That seemed to bring the conversation to a natural _impa.s.se_. And then--as if no touch were to be wanting from this embittering hour--at just this instant, as Eustace slowed down to make his curve into Olive Street, the two estranged friends in the old lady"s limousine found themselves looking together into the eyes of their common and particular enemy, Mary"s former princ.i.p.al at the High School.
Mr. Mysinger, her conqueror and his own, no less, was approaching down the sunny promenade. He gave the two in the car just one full surveying stare; then casually moved his gaze a degree or two away. But, as he dropped back out of the range of vision, Charles could have sworn he saw a smile springing under the glossy mustache he had once pledged himself to pull off.
But this time, he felt no such bitter hostility toward the victorious foe as had shaken him on that other remembered occasion. There was a transient flicker of the Old Blood toward his temples, a brief iciness within, and that was all. Recalling the childish folly of the setting-up exercises, he experienced a cold mirth: "Why, of course, she"d say she"d have licked Mysinger herself, if she"d considered it worth the trouble!"
And, at his old friend"s side, Charles had the most disloyal thought of her that had ever knocked at his mind. Was Mysinger, perhaps, so entirely to blame for the ancient friction? Had he, Charles, been princ.i.p.al of the High School, did he think he would have found Mary so acceptable, so perfect, a subordinate?...
a.s.sisting her to alight at her door, the young man inquired politely if she had yet found a tenant for her flat. Mary replied, quite distantly, he thought, that the John Wensons were going to take it. His comment was that old Jack should make her a fine tenant. He courteously sent his regards to her mother; he amiably wished her a good-afternoon.
And then he shut the limousine door on himself so hard that the gla.s.s shook.