The Man in Lonely Land
Page 9
IX
DOROTHEA ASKS QUESTIONS
At the library window Dorothea drew the curtains aside and looked upand down the street. Presently she blew softly upon the pane andwith her finger made on it four large letters, then rubbed them outand went back to the mantel, before whose mirror, on tiptoe, shesurveyed the bow on her hair and straightened it with care.
"I don't see why they don't come," she said, aggrievedly, smoothingdown her skirt. "It's time, and I'm going to ring for tea, anyhow.Mother said I could pour it, and I'll play lady all by myself ifnobody comes to play it with. I believe"--she turned her head--"Ibelieve they're coming now."
Again she went to the window, then rang for tea. "Quick, Timkins;please hurry and bring it in before they come," she said. "They'llbe frozen." And as Timkins disappeared she put a fresh log on thefire, drew the table closer to it, and seated herself at it.
"I'm a chaperone lady. I'm chaperoning my Uncle Winthrop and myCousin Claudia!" In gleeful delight she rocked backward and forwardand twisted her hands together tightly. "I'm sorry mother has aheadache, but I certainly am glad I can pour tea for them. I don'tknow why anybody wants to go horseback-riding on a day like this,though; I'd freeze." She straightened the embroidered cloth on thetable as Timkins put the tray on it, and lighted the lamp under thekettle, and, taking up the tea-caddy, she measured out a generousamount of its contents.
"I'll be careful and not get burnt up." She waved Timkins out."They're coming right in. It's the funniest thing about UncleWinthrop," she went on, as if to the tea-cups she was arranging. "Hedidn't want to come and see Cousin Claudia, and now he comes hereevery day. Wouldn't it be funny if he wanted her for asweetheart--and wouldn't it be grand!" Her arms were thrown out andthen hugged rapturously to her bosom; but instantly her face sobered."He can't have her, though, because she's somebody else's. I wonderif he knows? He ought to, for Miss Robin says when he wants anythinghe never gives up until he gets it, and he can't get her if she'sgotten. Mother says he just comes here and takes her out and sendsher flowers and things because she asked him to be nice to her; but Idon't believe it's just for kindness. Gentler men aren't kind toladies if they don't like them. I believe-- Heigho, CousinClaudia!" She waved her hand from behind the table. "Have you had anice ride? Where's Uncle Winthrop?"
"Coming."
Drawing off his gloves, Laine came in the library, and as he reachedthe table he took from Dorothea's hands the cup of tea just pouredand handed it to Claudia.
"Are you frozen?" His voice was slightly worried. "We shouldn'thave gone--I did not know how very cold it was."
"It wasn't a bit too cold. I love it." Claudia shook her head. "Idon't want any tea until my hands can hold the cup, though. They_are_ cold." With her foot on the fender, she held out first onehand and then the other to the blazing fire and laughed in Dorothea'swide-opened eyes. "What is it, Madam Hostess? Is anything thematter with me?"
"Your cheeks look like they're painted. They didn't when you wentout."
"Do they?" Claudia put her hands to her face. "The wind did it."Taking off her hat, she laid it on the table, loosened the hair onher temples, and sat down on the tapestried footstool near thehearth. "I'll have some tea now, please. Are there any sandwiches?I'm starving. Where's your mother, Dorothea?"
"Sick. Got a headache. I'm to pour tea, unless you'd rather." Shegot up reluctantly. "Would you?"
"Indeed I wouldn't." Claudia waved her back. "You suit that tablebeautifully. When you're a real grown-up lady you won't leave outanything; but this time you forgot the sugar."
"Did I? I was thinking of something else, I guess." Two lumps wereput in the cup Laine handed her. "Where did you all go thisafternoon?"
Claudia looked at Laine. "I don't know the names of the placesaround here. Where did we go?"
"We went--" Laine put his cup on the table and, drawing a chaircloser to the fire, sat down. "I've forgotten the name of the road."
"Forgotten!" Dorothea stopped the rattling of the spoons. "You toldme once you knew all the roads within twenty miles of New York in thepitch-dark. I think it's very funny you don't know where you'vebeen. You couldn't have been looking much."
"We didn't look at all. It was too cold--" Laine put another log onthe fire--"the roads were frozen, and to keep the horses fromslipping was all we could attend to."
"Couldn't you talk?"
"Not a great deal. Miss Keith insists upon keeping her horse aheadof mine. It is snowing! Did you know it?"
Dorothea jumped up and ran to the window. "It wasn't just now when Ilooked out. Yes, it is." She peered through the pane, pressing hernose close to it. "It hasn't snowed since that first week you came,Cousin Claudia, and that's nearly a month ago. I hope it will snowfifty feet deep, so the cars can't run, and that the river willfreeze so the boats can't go down it, and then you will have to stay;and so would we, and we could all be together Christmas. Don't youwish so, too, Uncle Winthrop?" She came back and leaned against heruncle's chair. "Did you know Cousin Claudia was going home nextweek?"
"She told me so this afternoon."
"I certainly am." Elbows on her knees and chin in her hands, Claudialooked straight into the fire. "If your wish comes true, Dorothea,I'll get an air-ship. I expected to stay three weeks, and will havestayed five before I get back. I ought to be home this minute."
"I don't think five weeks is long. I think it's very short."Dorothea took a seat on a stool at her uncle's feet, and looked up inhis face. "Father says he thinks it's downright mean in her to gobefore we do. Don't you think she might stay, Uncle Winthrop?"
"I do." Laine changed his position and looked away from Dorothea'seyes. "Is there nothing we can do to make her change her mind?"
"Is there?" Dorothea fumed to Claudia. "I think you ought to, formother says Uncle Winthrop is just beginning to act like a Christianin coming to see her regularly, and when you go he might stop actingthat way. Are you going to stay to dinner to-night?" She tookLaine's hand and intertwined her fingers in his. "Please do."
"In these clothes?"
Dorothea hesitated. "Mother wouldn't like them, but--" She jumpedup and clapped her hands in excited delight. "Mother's got aheadache and isn't coming down to-night, and if you will stay I thinkshe will let me take dinner with you. I hate foolishness aboutclothes, and these are the becomingest ones you wear; and, besides,at the Hunt Club you eat in them, and why can't you do it here justonce? Wouldn't it be magnificent if I could sit up?" Dorotheawhirled round and round. "Father is out of town, and Channing has atiny bit of cold and can't leave his room, and I'm so lonesome. Oh,please, Uncle Winthrop, please stay!"
"Ask Miss Keith if I can stay. She may have other engagements."
"Have you?" Dorothea was on her knees by Claudia, hands on hershoulders. "And may he stay? You won't have to change your clothes,either. You look precious in those riding things, and, when you takethe coat off, anybody who didn't know would think you were a littlegirl, the skirt is so short and skimpy; and your hair with a bow inthe back looks like me. Can't he stay, Cousin Claudia?"
"If he wants to, of course. I'm sorry your mother is sick. Shedidn't tell me at lunch."
"It's just a headache, and as father is away and there was nothing togo to, I think she thought she'd take a rest and read something. Areyou going out to-night?"
Claudia got up. "No, I'm not going out; but I have a letter towrite. Will you stay to dinner, Mr. Laine?"
"I will. Thank you very much, Miss Warrick. The invitation wasforced from Miss Keith, but I accept it notwithstanding." Laine, whohad risen, put his hand on Dorothea's shoulder. "I think we willhave a very nice dinner-party."
"I'll chaperone it!" Dorothea rose to full height and balancedherself on her toes. "Miss Robin French said she couldn't go on sometrip the other day because there was no chaperone; and if a lady witha mole on her chin and nearly forty has to have a chaperone, I guessyou all wi
ll. Please don't stay long, Cousin Claudia. If you don'twant to see mother, Uncle Winthrop, I'll talk to you, for afterdinner I will have to go right straight to bed, being abrought-up-on-a-book child, and then you and Cousin Claudia will beall by yourselves. Maybe if you asked mother, though, she might letme sit up just this once. Shall I go and tell her you say so?"
Laine held the curtains for Claudia to pass out. "We wouldn't be socruel as to keep her up, would we?" he asked, and smiled in the eyesturned quickly from his. "You will not be gone long, and you won'tchange your dress?"
"I will be back in time for dinner--and I won't change my dress.Tell Dorothea about the birds we saw this afternoon."
During the hour that passed before Claudia came back Dorothea had achance that seldom came for uninterrupted conversation, and that heruncle said little was not noticed for some time. Presently shelooked up,
"I don't believe you've opened your lips since Cousin Claudia wentup-stairs," she said. "I don't wonder you don't know where you wentthis afternoon if you didn't see any more than you're hearing now.You don't know a thing I've been talking about."
Laine raised his head with a start. "Oh yes, I do. You weresaying--saying--"
"I told you so! You didn't even know where you were! You were wayoff somewhere." Dorothea's voice was triumphant. "I want to ask yousomething, Uncle Winthrop. I won't tell anybody." She settledherself more comfortably on the stool at his feet, and crossed herarms on his knees. "Don't you think my Cousin Claudia is nice?"
"Very nice." Laine took out his handkerchief, wiped his glasses, andheld them to the light.
"And don't you think she has a lovely mouth? When she talks I watchher like I haven't got a bit of sense." Dorothea scanned her uncle'sface critically. "Your eyes are dark; and hers are light, with darkrims around the seeing part, and she just comes to your shoulder; butyou look so nice together. I hope you feel sorry about the thingsyou said about her before she came."
"What things?"
"That maybe her face was red and her hair was red and her hands werered, or if they weren't, maybe they were blue. Aren't you sorry?"
"Very sorry, Dorothea. I was rude and tired and worried thatevening. Let's forget it."
"I never have told her, but I supposed you must have changed yourmind, for you've been here so much lately, and gone to so many placeswith her that you don't like to go to, that I thought--"
"Thought what, Dorothea?"
"That maybe--" Dorothea stroked Laine's fingers one by one--"maybeyou liked her a little bit. Don't you remember I asked you please tolike her, and you didn't seem to think you would. But you do, don'tyou? I won't tell anybody. Don't you like her, Uncle Winthrop?"
"I like her very much, Dorothea." Into Laine's clear-cut face thecolor crept to his temples, "She is very different from any oneI've--"
"I knew you would." Dorothea's hands came together excitedly. "Iknew it the minute I saw her, for she isn't a bit frilly, and youdon't like frills any more than I do, and she doesn't, either. She'ssees through people like they were glass, and she tells us thegrandest, shiveringest, funniest stories you ever heard. I bet she'stelling Channing one this minute. She loves children. I'm so gladyou like her, Uncle Winthrop. I knew you would if you saw her, but Ididn't know you'd see her so much."
"How could I help it if I saw her once? The trouble has been to gether to see me. Perhaps she thinks I am too old to--"
"Oh, she knows you aren't the sweetheart kind--Miss Robin French toldher so, and mother and everybody says you are too set in your ways toget married, and that's why I think she likes you, because you aren'tthat sort. She hates flum talk, and you talk sense and things. Shetold father so. Here she is now. Please stay with Uncle Winthrop,Cousin Claudia, while I ask mother if I may take dinner with you."Dorothea got up. "You took off your riding boots, didn't you?"
Claudia looked at her slippers. "I surely did. I never wear highshoes in the house. Your mother says you may take dinner with us,but she wants to see you as soon as it is over. Her headache isbetter, but she doesn't feel like coming down to-night."