Emily retired into an enraged silence, and a day or two later, Ella, on a Sunday morning late in February, announced that she was going to chaperone both the girls to the Browning dance on the following Friday night.
Susan was thrown into a most delightful flutter, longing desperately to go, but chilled with nervousness whenever she seriously thought of it.
She lay awake every night anxiously computing the number of her possible partners, and came down to breakfast every morning cold with the resolution that she would make a great mistake in exposing herself to possible snubbing and neglect. She thought of nothing but the Browning, listened eagerly to what the other girls said of it, her heart sinking when Louise Chickering observed that there never were men enough at the Brownings, and rising again when Alice Chauncey hardily observed that, if a girl was a good dancer, that was all that mattered, she couldn"t help having a good time! Susan knew she danced well--
However, Emily succ.u.mbed on Thursday to a heart attack. The whole household went through its usual excitement, the doctor came, the nurse was hurriedly summoned, Susan removed all the smaller articles from Emily"s room, and replaced the bed"s flowery cover with a sheet, the invalid liking the hospital aspect. Susan was not very much amazed at the suddenness of this affliction; Emily had been notably lacking in enthusiasm about the dance, and on Wednesday afternoon, Ella having issued the casual command, "See if you can"t get a man or two to dine with us at the hotel before the dance, Emily; then you girls will be sure of some partners, anyway!" Emily had spent a discouraging hour at the telephone.
"h.e.l.lo, George!" Susan had heard her say gaily. "This is Emily Saunders. George, I rang up because--you know the Browning is Friday night, and Ella"s giving me a little dinner at the Palace before it--and I wondered--we"re just getting it up hurriedly--" An interval of silence on Emily"s part would follow, then she would resume, eagerly, "Oh, certainly! I"m sorry, but of course I understand. Yes, indeed; I"ll see you Friday night--" and the conversation would be ended.
And, after a moment of silence, she would call another number, and go through the little conversation again. Susan, filled with apprehensions regarding her own partners, could not blame Emily for the heart attack, and felt a little vague relief on her own account. Better sure at home than sorry in the dreadful brilliance of a Browning ball!
"I"m afraid this means no dance!" murmured Emily, apologetically.
"As if I cared, Emmy Lou!" Susan rea.s.sured her cheerfully.
"Well, I don"t think you would have had a good time, Sue!" Emily said, and the topic of the dance was presumably exhausted.
But when Ella got home, the next morning, she reopened the question with some heat. Emily could do exactly as Emily pleased, declared Ella, but Susan Brown should and would come to the last Browning.
"Oh, please, d.u.c.h.ess--!" Susan besought her.
"Very well, Sue, if you don"t, I"ll make that kid so sorry she ever--"
"Oh, please!--And beside--" said Susan, "I haven"t anything to wear! So that DOES settle it!"
"What were you going to wear?" demanded Ella, scowling.
"Em said she"d lend me her white lace."
"Well, that"s all right! Gerda"ll fix it for you--"
"But Emily sent it back to Madame Leonard yesterday afternoon. She wanted the sash changed," Susan hastily explained.
"Well, she"s got other gowns," Ella said, with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "What about that thing with the Persian embroidery? What about the net one she wore to Isabel"s?"
"The net one"s really gone to pieces, d.u.c.h.ess. It was a flimsy sort of thing, anyway. And the Persian one she"s only had on twice. When we were talking about it Monday she said she"d rather I didn"t--"
"Oh, she did? D"ye hear that, Mama?" Ella asked, holding herself in check. "And what about the chiffon?"
"Well, Ella, she telephoned Madame this morning not to hurry with that, because she wasn"t going to the dance."
"Was she going to wear it?"
"Well, no. But she telephoned Madame just the same--I don"t know why she did," Susan smiled. "But what"s the difference?" she ended cheerfully.
"Quite a Flora McFlimsey!" said Mrs. Saunders, with her nervous, shrill little laugh, adding eagerly to the now thoroughly aroused Ella. "You know Baby doesn"t really go about much, Totty; she hasn"t as many gowns as you, dear!"
"Now, look here, Mama," Ella said, levelly, "if we can manage to get Susan something to wear, well and good; but--if that rotten, selfish, nasty kid has really spoiled this whole thing, she"ll be sorry! That"s all. I"d try to get a dress in town, if it wasn"t so late! As it is I"ll telephone Madame about the Persian--"
"Oh, honestly, I couldn"t! If Emily didn"t want me to!" Susan began, scarlet-cheeked.
"I think you"re all in a conspiracy to drive me crazy!" Ella said angrily. "Emily shall ask you just as nicely as she knows how, to wear--"
"Totty, she"s SICK!" pleaded Emily"s mother.
"Sick! She"s chock-full of poison because she never knows when to stop eating," said Kenneth, with fraternal gallantry. He returned to his own thoughts, presently adding, "Why don"t you borrow a dress from Isabel?"
"Isabel?" Ella considered it, brightened. "Isabel Wallace," she said, in sudden approval. "That"s exactly what I"ll do!" And she swept magnificently to the little telephone niche near the dining-room door.
"Isabel," said she, a moment later, "this is Mike--"
So Susan went to the dance. Miss Isabel Wallace sent over a great box of gowns from which she might choose the most effective, and Emily, with a sort of timid sullenness, urged her to go. Ella and her charge went into town in the afternoon, and loitered into the club for tea.
Susan, whose color was already burning high, and whose eyes were dancing, fretted inwardly at Ella"s leisurely enjoyment of a second and a third sup. It was nearly six o"clock, it was after six! Ella seemed willing to delay indefinitely, waiting on the stairs of the club for a long chat with a pa.s.sing woman, and lingering with various friends in the foyer of the great hotel.
But finally they were in the big bedrooms, with Clemence, Ella"s maid, in eager and interested attendance. Clemence had laid Susan"s delicious frills and laces out upon the bed; Susan"s little wrapper was waiting her; there was nothing to do now but plunge into the joy of dressing. A large, placid person known to Susan vaguely as the Mrs. Keith, who had been twice divorced, had the room next to Ella, and pretty Mary Peac.o.c.k, her daughter, shared Susan"s room. The older ladies, a.s.suming loose wrappers, sat gossiping over c.o.c.ktails and smoking cigarettes, and Mary and Susan seized the opportunity to monopolize Clemence.
Clemence arranged Susan"s hair, pulling, twisting, flinging hot ma.s.ses over the girl"s face, inserting pins firmly, loosening strands with her hard little French fingers. Susan had only occasional blinded glimpses of her face, one temple bare and bald, the other eclipsed like a gipsy"s.
"Look here, Clemence, if I don"t like it, out it comes!" she said.
"Mais, certainement, ca va sans dire!" Clemence agreed serenely. Mary Peac.o.c.k, full of amused interest, watched as she rubbed her face and throat with cold cream.
"I wish I had your neck and shoulders, Miss Brown," said Miss Peac.o.c.k.
"I get so sick of high-necked gowns that I"d almost rather stay home!"
"Why, you"re fatter than I am!" Susan exclaimed. "You"ve got lovely shoulders!"
"Yes, darling!" Mary said, gushingly. "And I"ve got the sort of blood that breaks out, in a hot room," she added after a moment, "don"t look so scared, it"s nothing serious! But I daren"t ever take the risk of wearing a low gown!"
"But how did you get it?" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Susan. "Are you taking something for it?"
"No, love," Mary continued, in the same, amused, ironic strain, "because I"ve been traveling about, half my life, to get it cured, Germany and France, everywhere! And there ain"t no such animal! Isn"t it lovely?"
"But how did you get it?" Susan innocently persisted. Mary gave her a look half exasperated and half warning; but, when Clemence had stepped into the next room for a moment, she said:
"Don"t be an utter fool! Where do you THINK I got it?
"The worst of it is," she went on pleasantly, as Clemence came back, "that my father"s married again, you know, to the sweetest little thing you ever saw. An only girl, with four or five big brothers, and her father a minister! Well--"
"Voici!" exclaimed the maid. And Susan faced herself in the mirror, and could not resist a shamed, admiring smile. But if the smooth rolls and the cunning sweeps and twists of bright hair made her prettier than usual, Susan was hardly recognizable when the maid touched lips and cheeks with color and eyebrows with her clever pencil. She had thought her eyes bright before; now they had a starry glitter that even their owner thought effective; her cheeks glowed softly--
"Here, stop flirting with yourself, and put on your gown, it"s after eight!" Mary said, and Clemence slipped the fragrant beauty of silk and lace over Susan"s head, and knelt down to hook it, and pushed it down over the hips, and tied the little cord that held the low bodice so charmingly in place. Clemence said nothing when she had finished, nor did Mary, nor did Ella when they presently joined Ella to go downstairs, but Susan was satisfied. It is an unfortunate girl indeed who does not think herself a beauty for one night at least in her life; Susan thought herself beautiful tonight.
They joined the men in the Lounge, and Susan had to go out to dinner, if not quite "on a man"s arm," as in her old favorite books, at least with her own partner, feeling very awkward, and conscious of shoulders and hips as she did so. But she presently felt the influence of the lights and music, and of the heating food and wine, and talked and laughed quite at her ease, feeling delightfully like a great lady and a great beauty. Her dinner partner presently asked her for the "second"
and the supper dance, and Susan, hoping that she concealed indecent rapture, gladly consented. By just so much was she relieved of the evening"s awful responsibility. She did not particularly admire this nice, fat young man, but to be saved from visible unpopularity, she would gladly have danced with the waiter.
It was nearer eleven than ten o"clock when they sauntered through various wide hallways to the palm-decorated flight of stairs that led down to the ballroom. Susan gave one dismayed glance at the brilliant sweep of floor as they descended.
"They"re dancing!" she e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed,--late, and a stranger, what chance had she!
"Gosh, you"re crazy about it, aren"t you?" grinned her partner, Mr.