"You don"t understand, George," said f.a.n.n.y after she had given him a private frown. Susie"s gaze was on the tablecloth. "I can"t permit Sam to come here to see Susie."
Ruth"s eyes were down also. About her lips was a twitching that meant a struggle to hide a pleased smile.
"I"ve no objection to Susie"s having boys of her own age come to see her," continued Mrs. Warham in the same precise, restrained manner. "But Sam is too old."
"Now, mother----"
Mrs. Warham met his eyes steadily. "I must protect my sister"s child, George," she said. At last she had found what she felt was a just reason for keeping Sam away from Susan, so her tone was honest and strong.
Warham lowered his gaze. He understood. "Oh--as you think best, Fan; I didn"t mean to interfere," said he awkwardly. He turned on Susan with his affection in his eyes. "Well, Brownie, it looks like chess with your old uncle, doesn"t it?"
Susan"s bosom was swelling, her lip trembling. "I--I----" she began. She choked back the sobs, faltered out: "I don"t think I could, Uncle," and rushed from the room.
There was an uncomfortable pause. Then Warham said, "I must say, Fan, I think--if you had to do it--you might have spared the girl"s feelings."
Mrs. Warham felt miserable about it also. "Susie took me by surprise," she apologized. Then, defiantly, "And what else can I do? You know he doesn"t come for any good."
Warham stared in amazement. "Now, what does _that_ mean?" he demanded.
"You know very well what it means," retorted his wife.
Her tone made him understand. He reddened, and with too bl.u.s.tering anger brought his fist down on the table.
"Susan"s our daughter. She"s Ruth"s sister."
Ruth pushed back her chair and stood up. Her expression made her look much older than she was. "I wish you could induce the rest of the town to think that, papa," said she. "It"d make my position less painful." And she, too, left the room.
"What"s she talking about?" asked Warham.
"It"s true, George," replied f.a.n.n.y with trembling lip. "It"s all my fault--insisting on keeping her. I might have known!"
"I think you and Ruth must be crazy. I"ve seen no sign."
"Have you seen any of the boys calling on Susan since she shot up from a child to a girl? Haven"t you noticed she isn"t invited any more except when it can"t be avoided?"
Warham"s face was fiery with rage. He looked helplessly, furiously about. But he said nothing. To fight public sentiment would be like trying to thrust back with one"s fists an oncreeping fog. Finally he cried, "It"s too outrageous to talk about."
"If I only knew what to do!" moaned f.a.n.n.y.
A long silence, while Warham was grasping the fullness of the meaning, the frightful meaning, in these revelations so astounding to him. At last he said:
"Does _she_ realize?"
"I guess so . . . I don"t know . . . I don"t believe she does.
She"s the most innocent child that ever grew up."
"If I had a chance, I"d sell out and move away."
"Where?" said his wife. "Where would people accept--her?"
Warham became suddenly angry again. "I don"t believe it!" he cried, his look and tone contradicting his words. "You"ve been making a mountain out of a molehill."
And he strode from the room, flung on his hat and went for a walk. As Mrs. Warham came from the dining-room a few minutes later, Ruth appeared in the side veranda doorway. "I think I"ll telephone Arthur to come tomorrow evening instead," said she.
"He"d not like it, with Sam here too."
"That would be better," a.s.sented her mother. "Yes, I"d telephone him if I were you."
Thus it came about that Susan, descending the stairs to the library to get a book, heard Ruth say into the telephone in her sweetest voice, "Yes--tomorrow evening, Arthur. Some others are coming--the Wrights. You"d have to talk to Lottie . . . I don"t blame you. . . . Tomorrow evening, then. So sorry. Good-by."
The girl on the stairway stopped short, shrank against the wall.
A moment, and she hastily reascended, entered her room, closed the door. Love had awakened the woman; and the woman was not so unsuspecting, so easily deceived as the child had been. She understood what her cousin and her aunt were about; they were trying to take her lover from her! She understood her aunt"s looks and tones, her cousin"s temper and hysteria. She sat down upon the floor and cried with a breaking heart. The injustice of it! The meanness of it! The wickedness of a world where even her sweet cousin, even her loving aunt were wicked! She sat there on the floor a long time, abandoned to the misery of a first shattered illusion, a misery the more cruel because never before had either cousin or aunt said or done anything to cause her real pain. The sound of voices coming through the open window from below made her start up and go out on the balcony. She leaned over the rail. She could not see the veranda for the ma.s.ses of creeper, but the voices were now quite plain in the stillness. Ruth"s voice gay and incessant. Presently a man"s voice _his_--and laughing! Then his voice speaking--then the two voices mingled--both talking at once, so eager were they! Her lover--and Ruth was stealing him from her! Oh, the baseness, the treachery! And her aunt was helping!. . . Sore of heart, utterly forlorn, she sat in the balcony hammock, aching with love and jealousy. Every now and then she ran in and looked at the clock. He was staying on and on, though he must have learned she was not coming down. She heard her uncle and aunt come up to bed. Now the piano in the parlor was going. First it was Ruth singing one of her pretty love songs in that clear small voice of hers. Then Sam played and sang--how his voice thrilled her!
Again it was Ruthie singing--"Sweet Dream Faces"--Susan began to sob afresh. She could see Ruth at the piano, how beautiful she looked--and that song--it would be impossible for him not to be impressed. She felt the jealousy of despair. . . . Ten o"clock--half-past--eleven o"clock! She heard them at the edge of the veranda--so, at last he was going. She was able to hear their words now:
"You"ll be up for the tennis in the morning?" he was saying.
"At ten," replied Ruth.
"Of course Susie"s asked, too," he said--and his voice sounded careless, not at all earnest.
"Certainly," was her cousin"s reply. "But I"m not sure she can come."
It was all the girl at the balcony rail could do to refrain from crying out a protest. But Sam was saying to Ruth:
"Well--good night. Haven"t had so much fun in a long time. May I come again?"
"If you don"t, I"ll think you were bored."
"Bored!" He laughed. "That"s too ridiculous. See you in the morning. Good night. . . . Give my love to Susie, and tell her I was sorry not to see her."
Susan was all in a glow as her cousin answered, "I"ll tell her."
doubtless Sam didn"t note it, but Susan heard the constraint, the hypocrisy in that sweet voice.
She watched him stroll down to the gate under the arch of boughs dimly lit by the moon. She stretched her arms pa.s.sionately toward him. Then she went in to go to bed. But at the sound of Ruth humming gayly in the next room, she realized that she could not sleep with her heart full of evil thoughts. She must have it out with her cousin. She knocked on the still bolted door.
"What is it?" asked Ruth coldly.
"Let me in," answered Susan. "I"ve got to see you."
"Go to bed, Susie. It"s late."
"You must let me in."
The bolt shot back. "All right. And please unhook my dress--there"s a dear."
Susan opened the door, stood on the threshold, all her dark pa.s.sion in her face. "Ruth!" she cried.
Ruth had turned her back, in readiness for the service the need of which had alone caused her to unbolt the door. At that swift, fierce e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n she started, wheeled round. At sight of that wild anger she paled. "Why, Susie!" she gasped.
"I"ve found you out!" raged Susan. "You"re trying to steal him from me--you and Aunt f.a.n.n.y. It isn"t fair! I"ll not stand it!"