Mrs. Paynter said, "Certainly, my dear," and they went down, the older lady disappearing toward the dining-room. In the parlor Sharlee was greeted cordially and somewhat respectfully. Major Brooke, who appeared to have taken an extra toddy in honor of her coming, or for any other reason why, flung aside his newspaper and seized both her hands. Mr.
Bylash, in the moleskin waistcoat, sure enough, bowed low and referred to her agreeably as "stranger," nor did he again return to Miss Miller"s side on the sofa. That young lady was gay and giggling, but watchful withal. When Sharlee was not looking, Miss Miller"s eye, rather hard now, roved over her ceaselessly from the point of her toe to the top of her feather. What was the trick she had, the little way with her, that so delightfully unlocked the gates of gentlemen"s hearts?
At supper they were lively and gay. The b.u.t.ter and preserves were in front of Sharlee, for her to help to; by her side sat Fifi, the young daughter of the house. Major Brooke sat at the head of the table and carved the Porterhouse, upon which when the eyes of William Klinker fell, they irrepressibly shot forth gleams. At the Major"s right sat his wife, a pale, depressed, nervous woman, as anybody who had lived thirty years with the gallant officer her husband had a right to be. She was silent, but the Major talked a great deal, not particularly well. Much the same may be said of Mr. Bylash and Miss Miller. Across the table from Mrs. Brooke stood an empty chair. It belonged to the little Doctor, Mr. Queed. Across the table from Sharlee stood another. This one belonged to the old professor, Nicolovius. When the meal was well along, Nicolovius came in, bowed around the table in his usual formal way, and silently took his place. While Sharlee liked everybody in the boarding-house, including Miss Miller, Professor Nicolovius was the only one of them that she considered at all interesting. This was because of his strongly-cut face, like the grand-ducal villain in a ten-twenty-thirty melodrama, and his habit of saying savage things in a soft, purring voice. He was rude to everybody, and particularly rude, so Sharlee thought, to her. As for the little Doctor, he did not come in at all. Half-way through supper, Sharlee looked at her aunt and gave a meaning glance at the empty seat.
"I don"t know what to make of it," said Mrs. Paynter _sotto voce_. "He"s usually so regular."
To the third floor she dispatched the colored girl Emma, to knock upon Mr. Queed"s door. Presently Emma returned with the report that she had knocked, but could obtain no answer.
"He"s probably fallen asleep over his book," murmured Sharlee. "I feel certain it"s that kind of book."
But Mrs. Paynter said that he rarely slept, even at night.
"... Right on my own front porch, mind you!" Major Brooke was declaiming. "And, gentlemen, I shook my finger in his face and said, "Sir, I never yet met a Republican who was not a rogue!" Yes, sir, that is just what I told him--"
"I"m afraid," said Nicolovius, smoothly,--it was the only word he uttered during the meal,--"your remark harrows Miss Weyland with reminders of the late Mr. Surface."
The Major stopped short, and a silence fell over the table. It was promptly broken by Mrs. Paynter, who invited Mrs. Brooke to have a second cup of coffee. Sharlee looked at her plate and said nothing.
Everybody thought that the old professor"s remark was in bad taste, for it was generally known that Henry G. Surface was one subject that even Miss Weyland"s intimate friends never mentioned to her. Nicolovius, however, appeared absolutely unconcerned by the boarders" silent rebuke.
He ate on, rapidly but abstemiously, and finished before Mr. Bylash, who had had twenty minutes" start of him.
The last boarder rising drew shut the folding-doors into the parlor, while the ladies of the house remained to superintend and a.s.sist in clearing off the supper things. The last boarder this time was Mr.
Bylash, who tried without success to catch Miss Weyland"s eye as he slid to the doors. He hung around in the parlor waiting for her till 8.30, at which time, having neither seen nor heard sign of her, he took Miss Miller out to the moving-picture shows. In the dining-room, when Emma had trayed out the last of the things, the ladies put away the unused silver, watered the geranium, set back some of the chairs, folded up the white cloth, placing it in the sideboard drawer, spread the pretty Turkey-red one in its stead, set the reading lamp upon it; and just then the clock struck eight.
"Now then," said Sharlee.
So the three sat down and held a council of war as to how little Doctor Queed, the young man who wouldn"t pay his board, was to be brought into personal contact with Charlotte Lee Weyland, the grim and resolute collector. Various stratagems were proposed, amid much merriment. But the collector herself adhered to her original idea of a masterly waiting game.
"Only trust me," said she. "He can"t spend the rest of his life shut up in that room in a state of dreadful siege. Hunger or thirst will force him out; he"ll want to buy some of those apples, or to mail a letter--"
Fifi, who sat on the arm of Sharlee"s chair, laughed and coughed. "He never writes any. And he never has gotten but one, and that came to-night."
"Fifi, did you take your syrup before supper? Well, go and take it this minute."
"Mother, it doesn"t do any good."
"The doctor gave it to you, my child, and it"s going to make you better soon."
Sharlee followed Fifi out with troubled eyes. However, Mrs. Paynter at once drew her back to the matter in hand.
"Sharlee, do you know what would be the very way to settle this little difficulty? To write him a formal, businesslike letter. We"ll--"
"No, I"ve thought of that, Aunt Jennie, and I don"t believe it"s the way. A letter couldn"t get to the bottom of the matter. You see, we want to find out something about this man, and why he isn"t paying, and whether there is reason to think he can and will pay. Besides, I think he needs a talking to on general principles."
"Well--but how are you going to do it, my dear?"
"Play a Fabian game. Wait!--be stealthy and wait! If he doesn"t come out of hiding to-night, I"ll return for him to-morrow. I"ll keep on coming, night after night, night after night, n--Some one"s knocking--".
"Come in," said Mrs. Paynter, looking up.
The door leading into the hail opened, and the man himself stood upon the threshold, looking at them absently.
"May I have some supper, Mrs. Paynter? I was closely engaged and failed to notice the time."
Sharlee arose. "Certainly. I"ll get you some at once," she answered innocently enough. But to herself she was saying: "The Lord has delivered him into my hand."
III
_Encounter between Charlotte Lee Weyland, a Landlady"s Agent, and Doctor Queed, a Young Man who wouldn"t pay his Board._
Sharlee glanced at Mrs. Paynter, who caught herself and said: "Mr.
Queed, my niece--Miss Weyland."
But over the odious phrase, "my business woman," her lips boggled and balked; not to save her life could she bring herself to d.a.m.n her own niece with such an introduction.
Noticing the omission and looking through the reasons for it as through window-gla.s.s, Sharlee smothered a laugh, and bowed. Mr. Queed bowed, but did not laugh or even smile. He drew up a chair at his usual place and sat down. As by an involuntary reflex, his left hand dropped toward his coat-pocket, whence the top edges of a book could be described protruding. Mrs. Paynter moved vaguely toward the door. As for her business woman, she made at once for the kitchen, where Emma and her faithful co-worker and mother, Laura, rose from their supper to a.s.sist her. With her own hands the girl cut a piece of the Porterhouse for Mr.
Queed. Creamed potatoes, two large spoonfuls, were added; two rolls; some batterbread; coffee, which had to be diluted with a little hot water to make out the full cup; b.u.t.ter; damson preserves in a saucer: all of which duly set forth and arranged on a shiny black "waiter."
"Enough for a whole platform of doctors," said Sharlee, critically reviewing the spread. "Thank you, Emma."
She took the tray in both hands and pushed open the swing-doors with her side, thus making her ingress to the dining-room in a sort of crab-fashion. Mrs. Paynter was gone. Mr. Queed sat alone in the dining-room. His book lay open on the table and he was humped over it, hand in his hair.
Having set her tray on the side-table, Sharlee came to his side with the plate of steak and potatoes. He did not stir, and presently she murmured, "I beg your pardon."
He looked up half-startled, not seeming to take in for the first second who or what she was.
"Oh ... yes."
He moved his book, keeping his finger in the place, and she set down the plate. Next she brought the appurtenances one by one, the b.u.t.ter, coffee, and so on. The old mahogany sideboard yielded knife, fork, and spoon; salt and pepper; from the right-hand drawer, a fresh napkin.
These placed, she studied them, racked her brains a moment and, from across the table--
"Is there anything else?"
Mr. Queed"s eye swept over his equipment with intelligent quickness. "A gla.s.s of water, please."
"Oh!--Certainly."
Sharlee poured a gla.s.s from the battered silver pitcher on the side-table--the one that the Yankees threw out of the window in May, 1862--and duly placed it. Mr. Queed was oblivious to the little courtesy. By this time he had propped his book open against the plate of rolls and was reading it between cuts on the steak. Beside the plate he had laid his watch, an open-faced nickel one about the size of a desk-clock.
"Do you think that is everything?"
"I believe that is all."
"Do you remember me?" then asked Sharlee.
He glanced at her briefly through his spectacles, his eyes soon returning to his supper.