Mrs. Burke Denby drew in her breath convulsively, and lifted a hurried hand to brush the tears from her eyes. The next moment she smiled, tremulously, but adorably. She looked very lovely as she stepped from the car a little later; and Burke Denby"s heart swelled with love and pride as he watched her. If underneath the love and pride there was a vague something not so pleasant, the man told himself it was only a natural regret at having said anything to cast the slightest shadow on the home-coming of this dear girl whom he had asked to share his life.
Whatever this vague something was, anyway, Burke resolutely put it behind him, and devoted himself all the more ardently to the comfort of his young wife.
In spite of himself, Burke could not help looking for his father"s face at the station. Never before had he come home (when not with his father), and not been welcomed by that father"s eager smile and outstretched hand. He missed them both now. Otherwise he was relieved to see few people he knew, as he stepped to the platform, though he fully realized, from the sly winks and covert glances, that every one knew who he was, and who also was the lady at his side.
With only an occasional perfunctory greeting, and no introductions, therefore, the somewhat embarra.s.sed and irritated bridegroom hurried his bride into a public carriage, and gave the order to drive to the Hanc.o.c.k Hotel.
All the way there he talked very fast and very tenderly of the new home that was soon to be theirs.
""Twill be only for a little--the hotel, dear," he plunged in at once.
"And you won"t mind it, for a little, while we"re planning, will you, darling? I"m going to rent one of the Reddington apartments. You remember them--on Reddington Avenue; white stone with dandy little balconies between the big bay windows. They were just being finished when you were here. They"re brand-new, you see. And we"ll be so happy, there, dearie,--just us two!"
"Us two! But, Burke, there"ll be three. There"ll have to be the hired girl, too, you know," fluttered the new wife, in quick panic. "Surely you aren"t going to make me do without a hired girl!"
"Oh, no--no, indeed," a.s.serted the man, all the more hurriedly, because he never had thought of a "hired girl," and because he was rather fearfully wondering how much his father paid for the maids, anyway.
There would have to be one, of course; but he wondered if his allowance would cover it, with all the rest. Still, he _could_ smoke a cigar or two less a day, he supposed, if it came to a pinch, and--but Helen was speaking.
"Dear, dear, but you did give me a turn, Burke! You see, there"ll just have to be a hired girl--that is, if you want anything to eat, sir," she laughed, showing all her dimples. (And Burke loved her dimples!) "I can"t cook a little bit. I never did at home, you know, and I should hate it, I"m sure. It"s so messy--sticky dough and dishes, and all that!" Again she laughed and showed all her dimples, looking so altogether bewitching that Burke almost--but not quite--stole a kiss. He decided, too, on the spot, that he would rather never smoke another cigar than to subject this adorable little thing at his side to any task that had to do with the hated "messy dough and sticky dishes." Indeed he would!
Something of this must have shown in his face, for the little bride beamed anew, and the remainder of the drive was a blissfully happy duet of fascinating plans regarding this new little nest of a home.
All this was at four o"clock. At eight o"clock Burke Denby came into their room at the hotel with a white face and tense lips.
"Well, Helen, we"re in for it," he flung out, dropping himself into the nearest chair.
"What do you mean?"
"Father has cut off my allowance."
"But you--you"ve gone to work. There"s your wages!"
"Oh, yes, there are my--wages."
Something in his tone sent a swift suspicion to her eyes.
"Do you mean--they aren"t so big as your allowance?"
"I certainly do."
"How perfectly horrid! Just as if it wasn"t mean enough for him not to let us live there, without--"
"Helen!" Burke Denby pulled himself up in his chair. "See here, dear, I shan"t let even you say things like that about dad. Now, for heaven"s sake, don"t let us quarrel about it," he pleaded impatiently, as he saw the dreaded quivering coming to the pouting lips opposite.
"But I--I--"
"Helen, dearest, don"t cry, please don"t! Crying won"t help; and I tell you it"s serious business--this is."
"But are you sure--do you know it"s true?" faltered the young wife, too thoroughly frightened now to be angry. "Did you see--your father?"
"No; I saw Brett."
"Who"s he? Maybe he doesn"t know."
"Oh, yes, he does," returned Burke, with grim emphasis. "He knows everything. They say at the Works that he knows what father"s going to have for breakfast before the cook does."
"But who is he?"
"He"s the head manager of the Denby Iron Works and father"s right-hand man. He came here to-night to see me--by dad"s orders, I suspect."
"Is your father so awfully angry, then?" Her eyes had grown a bit wistful.
"I"m afraid he is. He says I"ve made my bed and now I must lie in it.
He"s cut off my allowance entirely. He"s raised my wages--a little, and he says it"s up to me now to make good--with my wages."
There was a minute"s silence. The man"s eyes were gloomily fixed on the opposite wall. His whole att.i.tude spelled disillusion and despair. The woman"s eyes, questioning, fearful, were fixed on the man.
Plainly some new, hidden force was at work within Helen Denby"s heart.
Scorn and anger had left her countenance. Grief and dismay had come in their place.
"Burke, _why_ has your father objected so to--to me?" she asked at last, timidly.
Abstractedly, as if scarcely conscious of what he was saying, the man shrugged:--
"Oh, the usual thing. He said you weren"t suited to me; you wouldn"t make me happy."
The wife recoiled visibly. She gave a piteous little cry. It was too low, apparently, to reach her husband"s ears. At all events, he did not turn. For fully half a minute she watched him, and in her shrinking eyes was mirrored each eloquent detail of his appearance, the la.s.situde, the gloom, the hopelessness. Then, suddenly, to her whole self there came an electric change. As if throwing off bonds that held her she flung out her arms and sprang toward him.
"Burke, it isn"t true, it isn"t true," she flamed. "I"m going to make you happy! You just wait and see. And we"ll show him. We"ll show him we can do it! He told you to make good; and you must, Burke! I won"t have him and everybody else saying I dragged you down. I won"t! _I won"t!_ I WON"T!"
Burke Denby"s first response was to wince involuntarily at the shrill crescendo of his wife"s voice. His next was to shrug his shoulders irritably as the meaning of her words came to him.
"Nonsense, Helen, don"t be a goose!" he scowled.
"I"m not a goose. I"m your wife," choked Helen, still swayed by the exaltation that had mastered her. "And I"m going to help you win--_win_, I say! Do you hear me, Burke?"
"Of course I hear you, Helen; and--so"ll everybody else, if you don"t look out. _Please_ speak lower, Helen!"
She was too intent and absorbed to be hurt or vexed. Obediently she dropped her voice almost to a whisper.
"Yes, yes, I know, Burke; and I will, I will, dear." She fell on her knees at his side. "But it seems as if I must shout it to the world. I want to go out on the street here and scream it at the top of my voice, till your father in his great big useless house on the hill just has to hear me."
"Helen, Helen!" shivered her husband.
But she hurried on feverishly.
"Burke, listen! You"re going to make good. Do you hear? We"ll show them.
We"ll never let them say they--beat us!"
"But--but--"