She leaned from the cab. Her face looked ethereally beautiful in the faint light. I knew she meant to make d.i.c.ky regret that he could not accompany her.
"Good night," she said sweetly. "I am so sorry you do not feel well. I sincerely hope you will be better in the morning."
But as the taxi rolled away, my heart beating a triumphant accompaniment to the roll of its wheels, I knew she was wishing me every malevolent thing possible.
I was glad she could not guess the bitter taste in my cup of victory.
Long after d.i.c.ky was asleep, I lay on my porch bed looking out at the stars and debating over and over the question:
"Did d.i.c.ky refuse to accompany Grace Draper to her home because of consideration for me, or because he was afraid to trust himself alone with her?"
XXVI
A VOICE THAT CARRIED FAR
"Ah! Mrs. Graham, this is an unexpected pleasure."
Dr. Pett.i.t"s eyes looked down into my own with an expression that emphasized the words he had just uttered. His outstretched hand clasped mine warmly, his impressive greeting embarra.s.sed me a bit, and I turned instinctively toward d.i.c.ky to see if he had noticed the young physician"s extraordinarily cordial greeting.
But this I had no opportunity to discover, for as I turned, a taxi drew up to the curb where the Underwoods--who had come down to spend the promised week with us--d.i.c.ky and I were waiting for the little Crest Haven Beach trolley and d.i.c.ky sprang to meet Grace Draper and the Durkees--Alfred Durkee and his mother, who completed our party for the motor boat trip.
"I am very glad to see you, Dr. Pett.i.t," I murmured conventionally, then hurriedly: "Pardon me a moment, I must greet these guests. I will be back."
When I turned again to him after welcoming Grace Draper with forced friendliness, and the Durkees with the real warmth of liking I felt for them, I found him talking to Lillian.
Dr. Pett.i.t, it appeared, was waiting for the same car we wished to take, and no one looking at our friendly chatting group would have known that he did not belong to the party.
It was when we were all seated comfortably in the trolley, bowling merrily along over the gra.s.s-strewn track, that Lillian voiced a suggestion which had sprung into my own mind, but to which I did not quite know how to give utterance.
"Look here," she said brusquely, "I"m not the hostess of this party, but I"m practically one of the family, so I feel free to issue an invitation if I wish. Dr. Pett.i.t, what"s the matter with you joining our party for the day? d.i.c.ky here has been howling for another man to help lug the grub all morning. Unless you are set on a solitary day that man "might as well be you""--she punctuated the parody with a mocking little moue.
I had a sneaking little notion that d.i.c.ky would have been glad of the opportunity to box Lillian"s ears for her suggestion. I do not think he enjoyed the idea of adding Dr. Pett.i.t to the party, but, of course, in view of what she had said there was nothing for him to do but to pretend a cordial acquiescence in her suggestion.
"That"s the very thing," he said, with a heartiness which only I, and possibly Lillian, could dream was a.s.sumed. "Lil, you do occasionally have a gleam of human intelligence, don"t you?
"I do hope that you have no plan that will interfere with coming with us," he said to the physician. "We have a big boat chartered down here at the beach, and we"re going to loaf along out to one of the "desert islands" and camp for the day."
"That sounds like a most interesting program," said the young physician. His voice held a note of hesitation, and he looked swiftly, inquiringly, at me and back again. It was so carelessly done that I do not think any one noticed it, but I realized that he was waiting for me to join my voice to the invitation.
"Well, Dr. Pett.i.t," d.i.c.ky came up at this juncture, "out for the day?"
His tone was cordial enough, but I, who knew every inflection of d.i.c.ky"s voice, realized that he did not relish the appearance of Dr.
Pett.i.t upon the scene.
"Yes, I"m going down to the sh.o.r.e for a dip," the young physician returned. And then without the stiff dignity which I had seen in his professional manner, he acknowledged the introductions which I gave him to Grace Draper and the Durkees.
"I trust you will think it interesting enough to make it worth your while to join us," I said demurely, lifting my eyes to his and catching a swift flash of something which might be either relief or triumph in his steely gray ones.
"Indeed, I shall be very glad to accompany you," he said, smiling.
Our boat, a large, comfortable one, built on lines of usefulness, rather than beauty, slipped over the dancing blue waters of the bay like an enchanted thing. A neat striped awning was stretched over the rear of the boat beneath which we lounged at ease.
The boat sped on as lazily as our idle conversation, and finally we came in sight of a gleaming beach of sand, with seaweed so luxuriantly tangled that it looked like small clumps of bushes, with the calm, still water of the bay on one side, and the lazily rolling surf on the other.
"Behold our desert island!" d.i.c.ky exclaimed dramatically, springing to his feet.
Jim ran the boat skilfully up on the beach and grounded her. Harry Underwood stepped forward to a.s.sist me ash.o.r.e, but Dr. Pett.i.t, with un.o.btrusive quickness, was before him.
As I laid my hand in that of the young physician, Harry Underwood gave a hoa.r.s.e stage laugh. "I told you so," he croaked maliciously; "I knew I had a rival on my hands."
As Harry Underwood uttered his jibing little speech, d.i.c.ky raised his head and looked fixedly at me. It was an amazed, questioning look, one that had in it something of the bewilderment of a child. In another instant he had turned away to answer a question of Grace Draper"s.
I felt my heart beating madly. Was d.i.c.ky really taking notice of the attentions which Harry Underwood and Dr. Pett.i.t were bestowing upon me? I had not time to ponder long, however, for Lillian Underwood seized my arm almost as soon as we stepped on sh.o.r.e and walked me away until we were out of earshot of the others.
"Did you see d.i.c.ky"s face," she demanded breathlessly, "when Harry and that lovely doctor of yours were doing the rival gallant act? It was perfectly lovely to see his lordship so puzzled. That doctor friend of yours was certainly sent by Providence just at this time. Just keep up a judicious little flirtation with him and I"ll wager that before the week"s out d.i.c.ky will have forgotten such a girl as Grace Draper exists."
If it had not been for the memory of Lillian"s advice ringing in my ears, I think I should have much astonished Dr. Pett.i.t and Harry Underwood when they started into the surf with me.
The whole situation was most annoying to me. And, besides, it was so unutterably silly! I might have been any foolish school girl of seventeen, with a couple of immature youths vying for my smiles, for any reserve or dignity there was in the situation.
My fingers itched to astonish each of the smirking men with a sound box on the ear. But my fiercest anger was against d.i.c.ky. If he had been properly attentive to me, Mr. Underwood and Dr. Pett.i.t would have had no opportunity, indeed would not have dared, to pay me the idiotic compliments, or to offer the silly attentions they had given me.
But d.i.c.ky and Grace Draper were romping in the surf, like two children, splashing water over each other, and running hand in hand toward the place far out on the sand--for it was low tide--where they could swim.
They might have been alone on the beach for anything their appearance showed to the contrary. And yet as I gazed I saw d.i.c.ky look past the girl in my direction, with a quick, furtive, watching glance.
As they went farther into the surf, he sent another glance over his shoulder toward me.
As I caught it, guessing that in all his apparent interest in Grace Draper he was yet watching me and my behavior, something seemed to snap in my brain.
I would give him something to watch!
With a swift movement I slipped a little bit away from the two men by my side, and, filling my hands with water, splashed it full into the face of Harry Underwood.
"Dare you to play blind man"s buff," I said gayly, sending another handful into Dr. Pett.i.t"s face, and then slipping adroitly to one side I laughed with, I fancy, as much mischief as any hoyden of sixteen could have put into her voice, at the picture the men made trying to get the salt water out of their eyes.
I had no compunctions on the score of their discomfort, for I felt that I had a score to settle with each of them. The way in which each took my rudeness, however, was characteristic of the men.
Harry Underwood"s face grew black for a minute, then it cleared and he laughed boisterously.
"You little devil," he said, "I"ll pay you for that. Ever get kissed under water? Well, that"s what will happen to you before this day is over."
Dr. Pett.i.t"s face did not change, but into his gray eyes came a little steely glint. He said nothing, only smiled at me. But there was something about both smile and eyes that made me more uncomfortable than Harry Underwood"s bizarre threat.
I was so unskilled in this game of banter and flirtation that I was at a loss what to say. Recklessly I grasped at the first thing which came into my mind.