"Perfectly right. Entirely so," rejoined the broker decidedly.
"Of course he doesn"t realize how we feel about Jewel," thought Julia.
Here a large brown horse and brougham came around the driveway into sight.
Zeke"s eyes turned curiously toward the guests, but he sat stiffly immovable.
The broker rose. "I must go now or I shall miss my train. Think it over.
There"s only one way to think about it. It is quite evidently the thing to do. The break has been made, and now is the time for Julia to take her vacation before going into harness again. Moreover, perhaps Harry will get his raise and she won"t have to go into harness. Good-morning. I shall try to come out early. I hope you will make yourselves comfortable."
Mrs. Evringham looked at Zeke. He was the gla.s.s of fashion and the mould of form, but there was no indication in his smooth-shaven, wooden countenance of the comrade to whom Jewel had referred in her fragmentary letters.
"Well, Harry!" she exclaimed breathlessly, as the carriage rolled away. Her expression elicited a hearty laugh from her husband. "I _never_ was so surprised. How unselfish he is! Harry, is it possible that we don"t know your father at _all_? Think of his proposing to keep, still longer, a disturbing element like our lively little girl!"
"Oh, I"ve never believed he bothered himself very much about Jewel,"
returned Harry lightly. "You make a mountain out of that. All a child needs is a ten acre lot to let off steam in, and she"s had it here. He knows you"ll keep her out from under foot. Let"s accept this pleasure. He probably takes a lot of stock in you after all I told him last night. It"s a relief to his pride and everything else that I"m not going to disgrace the name. He wants to do something for you. That"s the whole thing in a nutsh.e.l.l; and you let him do it, Julia." In an exuberance of spirits, aided by the fresh, inspiring morning, the speaker took his wife in his arms, as they stood there on the wide veranda, and hugged her heartily.
"Do you think I shall get over my awe of him?" She half laughed, but her tone was sincere. "I"m so unused to people who never smile and seem to be enduring me. Oh, if you were only going to stay, too, Harry, then it would be a vacation indeed!"
"Here, here! Where are your principles? Who"s afraid now?"
"But he"s so stately and forbidding, and I shall feel such a responsibility of keeping Jewel from troubling him."
Harry laughed again. "She seems entirely capable of paddling her own canoe.
She didn"t seem troubled by doubts or compunctions in the carriage last night; and up there in the bedroom when she flew at him! How was that for a case of _lese majeste_? Gad, at her age I"d sooner have tackled a lighted fuse! What do you suppose it was she whispered to him?"
"I"ve no idea, and I must say I was curious enough to ask her while I was putting her to bed; but do you know, she wouldn"t say!" The mother laughed.
"She sidled about,--you know how she does when she is reluctant to speak, and seemed so embarra.s.sed that I have to laugh when I think of it."
"Perhaps it concerned some surprise she has persuaded father to give us."
"No, it couldn"t be that, because she answered at last that she"d tell me when she was a young lady."
They both laughed. "Well," said Harry, "she isn"t afraid of him so you"d notice it; and you can give her a few pointers so she needn"t get in father"s way now that she has you again. He has evidently been mighty considerate of the little orphan."
"How good he has been!" returned Julia fervently. "If we could only go home with you, Harry," she added wistfully, "while there"s so much good feeling, and before anything happens to alter it!"
"Where are your principles?" asked Harry again. "You know better than to think anything will happen to alter it."
"Yes, I do, I do; but I always have to meet my shyness of strangers, and it makes my heart beat to think of your going off and leaving me here. Being tete-a-tete with your father is appalling, I must confess."
"Oh, well, it wouldn"t do to slight his offer, and it will do you a world of good."
"You"ll have to send me my summer gowns."
"I will."
"Dear me, am I really going to _do_ it?" asked Julia incredulously.
"Certainly you are. We"d be imbecile not to accept such an opportunity."
"Then," she answered resignedly, "if it is fact and not a wild fancy, we have a lot of business to talk over, Harry. Let us make the most of our time while Jewel is asleep."
She led the way back to the chairs, and they were soon immersed in memoranda and discussion.
CHAPTER V
THE LIFTED VEIL
At last their plans were reduced to order and Harry placed the papers carefully in his pocket.
"Come in and let"s have a look at the house, Julia," he suggested. "It won"t do to go to the stables without Jewel."
They entered the drawing-room and Julia moved about admiring the pictures and carvings, and paused long before the oil portrait of a beautiful woman, conspicuously placed.
"That"s my grandmother," remarked Harry. "Isn"t she stunning? That"s the side of the family I didn"t take after."
While they still examined the portrait and the exquisite painting of its laces, Jewel ran into the room and seized them from behind.
"Well, well, all dressed!" exclaimed her father as the two stooped to kiss her.
"Yes, but my hair isn"t very nice," said the child, putting up her hand to her braids, "because I didn"t want to be late to breakfast."
Her father"s hearty laugh rang out. "Lunch, do you mean?"
"We"re through breakfast long ago, dearie," said her mother. "No wonder you slept late. We wanted you to."
"Breakfast"s all through!" exclaimed the child, and they were surprised at her dismay.
"Yes, but Mrs. Forbes will get you something," said her father.
"But has grandpa gone?" asked the child. Before they could reply the housekeeper pa.s.sed the door and Jewel ran to her. "Has grandpa gone, Mrs.
Forbes?" she repeated anxiously.
"Yes, indeed, it"s after ten. Come into the dining-room, Jewel; Sarah will give you your breakfast."
"I"m not a bit hungry--yes, I am, a little--but what is grandpa"s telephone number, Mrs. Forbes."
"Oh, now, you won"t call him up, dear," said the housekeeper coaxingly.
"Come and eat your breakfast like a good girl."
"Yes, in just one minute I will. What is the number, please, Mrs. Forbes?"
The housekeeper gave the number, and Harry and Julia drew nearer.