The day was a wonderful autumn one, and I felt the need of a walk.
"I think I will run down to the village," I said to Lillian. "This is the day the candy kitchen makes up the fresh toasted marshmallows. I think we could use some, don"t you?"
"Lovely," agreed Lillian enthusiastically.
"I don"t think Mother Graham will come out of her room while I"m gone," I went on. "Just keep an eye out for her if she should need you."
"She"d probably bite me if I offered her any a.s.sistance," returned Lillian, laughing, "but I"ll look out for her."
But when I came back with the marshmallows, after a longer walk than I had intended, I found Lillian sitting by my mother-in-law"s bedside, watching her as she slept. When she saw me she put her finger to her lips and stole softly out into the hall.
"She had a slight heart attack while you were gone, and I was fortunate enough to know just what to do for her. It was not serious at all. She is perfectly all right now and"--she hesitated and smiled a bit--"I do not think she dislikes me any more."
"Oh, I"m so glad!" I exclaimed, ecstatically hugging her. "Everything will come out all right now."
During the rest of the Underwoods" stay it seemed as if my words had come true. The ice once broken, my mother-in-law"s heart thawed perceptibly toward Lillian.
By the time the day came when Harry and Lillian left us to go back to their apartment the elder Mrs. Graham had so far gotten over her prejudices as to bid Lillian a reluctant farewell and express a sincere wish that she might soon see her again.
Toward Harry Underwood my mother-in-law"s demeanor remained rigid.
She treated him with formal, icy politeness which irritated d.i.c.ky, but appeared greatly to amuse Mr. Underwood. He took delight in paying her the most elaborate attentions, laying fresh nosegays of flowers at her plate at each meal. If he had been a lover besieging a beautiful girl"s heart he could not have been more attentive, while he was absolutely impervious to all the chilling rebuffs she gave him.
I think that the touch of malice which is always a part of this man"s humor was gratified by the frigid annoyance which the elder Mrs.
Graham exhibited toward his attentions. At any rate, he kept them up until the very hour of his departure.
It was when he happened to be alone with me on the veranda a few moments before the coming of the taxi which was to bear them to their homeward train that he gave me the real explanation of his conduct.
"Tell me, loveliest lady," he said, with the touch of exaggeration which his manner always holds toward me, "tell me, haven"t I squared up part of your account with the old girl this last week?"
"Why, what do you mean?" I stammered.
"Don"t pretend such innocence," he retorted. "If you want me to tell you in so many words, I beg leave to inform you that I"ve been doing my little best to annoy your august mother-in-law to pay her off for her general cussedness toward you, and, incidentally, me."
"But she hasn"t been cross to me," I protested.
"Not the last three or four days perhaps, but I"ll bet you"ve had quite a dose since she came to live at your house, and you"ll have another if she ever finds out my wicked designs upon you." He smiled mockingly and took a step nearer to me. "Don"t forget you owe me a kiss," he said, with teasing maliciousness, referring to the time when he had threatened to "kiss me under water." "Don"t you think you had better give in to me now?"
d.i.c.ky"s step in the hall prevented my rebuking him as I wished. I told myself that, of course, his persistent reference to that kiss was simply one of mockery and I also admitted to myself that as much as I loved Lillian I was glad that her husband was to be no longer a guest in our house.
x.x.xI
A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER
"Well, my dear, what are you mooning over that you didn"t see me come in? I beg your pardon, Madge, what is the matter? Tell me."
Lillian Underwood stood before me a week after her visit to us.
Lillian, whose entrance into the small reception room of the Sydenham, at which we had an appointment, I had not even seen. She stood looking down at me with an anxious, alarmed expression in her eyes.
"There is nothing the matter," I returned, evasively.
"Don"t tell me a tarradiddle, my dear," Lillian countered smoothly.
"You"re as white as a sheet, and I can see your hands trembling this minute. Something has happened to upset you. But, of course, if you"d rather not tell me--"
There was a subtle hint of withdrawal in her tone. I was afraid that I had offended her. After all, why not tell her of the stranger who had so startled me?
"Look over by the door, Lillian," I said, in a low voice, "not suddenly as if I had just spoken to you about it, but carelessly. Tell me if there is a man still standing there staring at us."
Lillian whistled softly beneath her breath, a little trick she has when surprised.
"Oh-h-h!" she breathed, and turning, she looked swiftly at the place I had indicated.
"I see a disappearing back which looks as though it might belong to a "masher." I just caught sight of him as he turned--well set-up man about middle age, hair sprinkled with gray, rather stunning looking."
"Yes, that is the man," I returned, faintly, "but, Lillian, I"m sure he isn"t an ordinary "masher." He had the strangest, saddest, most mysterious look in his eyes. It was almost as if he knew me or thought he did, and I have the most uncanny feeling about him, as if he were some one I had known long ago. I can"t describe to you the effect he had upon me."
"Nonsense," Lillian said, brusquely, "the man is just an ordinary common lady-killer of the type that infests these hotels, and ought to be horsewhipped at sight. You"re getting fanciful, and I don"t wonder at it. You"ve had a terrible summer, with all that trouble the Draper caused you, and I imagine you haven"t been having any too easy a time with dear mamma-in-law, I"m mighty glad you"re going to get away with d.i.c.ky by yourself. A week in the mountains ought to set you up wonderfully, and you certainly need it when you start weaving mysterious tragedies about the commoner garden variety of "masher.""
Lillian"s rough common sense steadied me, as it always does. I felt ashamed of my momentary emotion.
"I fancy you"re right, Lillian," I said nonchalantly. "Let"s forget about it and have some lunch. Where shall we go?"
"There"s a bully little tea room down the street here." she said.
"It"s very English, with the tea cozies and all that sort of frills, and some of their luncheon dishes are delicious. Shall we try it?"
"By all means," I returned, and we went out of the hotel together.
Although I looked around furtively and fearfully as we left the hotel entrance, I could see no trace of the man who had so startled me.
Scoring myself for being so foolish as to imagine that the man might still be keeping track of me, I put all thought of his actions away from me and kept up with Lillian"s brisk pace, chatting with her gayly over our past experience in buying hats and the execrable creations turned out by milliners generally.
The tea room proved all that Lillian had promised. Fortunately, we were early enough to escape the noon hour rush and secure a good table near a window looking out upon the street.
"I like to look out upon the people pa.s.sing, don"t you?" Lillian said, as she seated herself.
"Yes, I do," I a.s.sented, and then we turned our attention to the menu cards.
"I"m fearfully hungry," Lillian announced. "I"ve been digging all morning. Oh! it"s chicken pie here today." Her voice held all the glee of a gormandizing child. "I don"t think these individual chicken pies they serve here can be beaten in New York," she went on. "You know the usual mess--potatoes and onions, and a little bit of chicken mixed up with a sauce they insult with the name gravy. These are the real article--just the chicken meat with a delicious gravy covering it, baked in the most flaky crust you can imagine. What do you say to those, with some baked potatoes, new lima beans, sliced tomatoes and an ice for dessert?"
"I don"t think it can be improved upon," I said, gayly, and then I clutched Lillian"s arm. "Look quickly," I whispered, "the other side of the street!"
Lillian"s eyes followed mine to the opposite side of the street, where, walking slowly along, was the man I had seen in the hotel. He did not once look toward the tea room, but as he came opposite to it he turned from the pavement and crossed the street leisurely toward us.
"Oh! I believe he is coming in," I gasped, and my knees began to tremble beneath me.
"Suppose he is," Lillian snapped back. Her tone held a contemptuous impatience that braced me as nothing else could. "The man has a right to come in here if he wishes. It may be a mere coincidence, or he may have followed you. You"re rather fetching in that little sport rig, my dear, as your mirror probably told you this morning. Unless he obtrudes himself there is nothing you can do or say, and if he should attempt to get fresh--well, I pity him, that"s all."