Lefferts was, therefore, glad to respond to Crane"s invitation to come into the office for a few minutes and leave Tucker to the contemplation of his own loyalty.
Left alone, Tucker"s eager ears soon detected the sound of dishes in the dining-room, and he knew that this could be produced by the hand of no other than Jane-Ellen. The moment seemed to have been especially designed for his purpose, and he decided to take advantage of it.
Jane-Ellen was setting the table with far more energy than Smithfield had displayed; in fact her task was almost finished when Tucker entered, and, advancing to the mantelpiece, leaned his elbow on the shelf and smiled down upon her benevolently.
"The time has come sooner than we antic.i.p.ated when I can be of a.s.sistance to you, Jane-Ellen," he said.
"Yes, indeed, sir," she returned with a promptness that fifteen years before would have made his heart beat faster.
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity."
"The finger-bowls, sir," she interrupted, flicking a napkin in their direction, "they ought to be filled; not too full, sir; that"s quite enough, it isn"t a tub, you know. And now, if you"ve a match about you, and gentlemen always have matches, I believe, would you light the candles, and then, yes, I do think we"re about ready now."
Tucker, who could not very well refuse such trivial services when he was offering one much more momentous, poured a little water from the ice pitcher into the gla.s.s finger-bowls, but he did it with such dignity and from such a height that he spilled much of it over the doilies. The cook did not reprove him directly, but she changed the doily with a manner that seemed to suggest that another time she would do the job herself.
And when Tucker took a neat gold match-box from his pocket and prepared to light the candles, she coolly took the whole thing out of his hands, remarking that he might set the shades on fire and then they"d be in what she described as "a nice way."
Observing that she was about to leave the room, he put himself before the door.
"I want just a word, Jane-Ellen."
"No time now, sir. Perhaps to-morrow morning."
"To-morrow will be too late. You must know this evening. I don"t want to say a word against Mr. Crane; young men who have always had everything they want are naturally thoughtless. But I can"t bear to see you turned out at a moment"s notice--"
"Turned out?"
"Yes, Mr. Crane is going either to-night or to-morrow morning. Didn"t he tell you?"
He had her attention now. She looked at him intently.
"Mr. Crane going? I thought he had the house for six weeks."
"So he had, but he"s bored with it. Miss Falkener has gone, and he sees no reason for staying on. He"ll be off either at midnight or in the morning. You"re about to lose your place, Jane-Ellen."
She stood staring before her so blankly that it grieved him to see her so deeply concerned about the loss of her position, and he pressed on.
"I can"t bear to think of your comfort being dependent on the caprices of Crane, or any one. Come to me, Jane-Ellen. This is no life for you, with your youth and beauty and charm. I could offer you a position that you need never leave, never, unless you wanted to--"
"Please move from the door, sir."
"Not until you"ve heard me," and he moved toward her as if to take her in his arms.
At some previous period of time, the Revellys, presided over by a less elegant functionary than Smithfield, must have been in the habit of summoning the family to meals by means of a large j.a.panese gong that now stood neglected in a corner. To this, Jane-Ellen sprang, and beat it with a vigor that made the house resound.
The next instant Crane burst into the room.
"What"s the matter?" he exclaimed, and added, fixing his eyes on his lawyer,
"What the deuce are you doing here, Tuck?"
"I," said Tucker, "was giving Jane-Ellen what help I could in setting the table."
"Like h.e.l.l you were."
"Do you mean you doubt what I say?"
"You bet I do."
"And may I ask what you do think I was doing?" asked Tucker.
"I think you were making love to the cook."
"Gentlemen, gentlemen," murmured the cook, "won"t you please let me go down and attend to the dinner. The chicken will be terribly overdone."
n.o.body paid any attention to the request.
"Well," said Tucker, "I certainly wouldn"t turn a poor girl out at a few hours" notice, as you mean to do."
"Who says I mean to?"
"You told me yourself you meant to leave to-morrow."
"And what kind of a job were you offering her?"
"I tell you I was trying to help her."
"And is that why she rang the gong?"
"She rang presumably because dinner was ready."
"There"s another presumption that seems to me more probable."
"Burton, I shall not spend another night under your roof."
"I had reached the same conclusion."
Tucker turned with great dignity.
"The trouble is," he said, "that you have not the faintest idea of the conduct of a gentleman," and with this he walked slowly from the room.
The cook did not now seem so eager to get back to the kitchen. She stood twisting a napkin in her hands and looking at the floor, not unaware, however, that her employer was looking at her.
"The trouble really is, Jane-Ellen," he said gently, "that you are too intolerably lovely."
"Oh, sir."
""Oh, sir, oh, sir!" You say that as if every man you knew had not been saying the same thing to you for the last five years."
Jane-Ellen had another of her attacks of dangerous candor.