第55章

He watched and was still more astonished to see the young man get his coat and hat from the attendant and walk out of the hotel.He saw him stride away along the drive and down the moonlit road.He was, apparently, going home--going home alone.

He got his own coat and hat and, before putting them on, stepped back for a final look at the ballroom.As he stood by the cloakroom door someone touched his arm.Turning he saw Helen.

"Why--why, Helen!" he exclaimed, in surprise.

"Are you going home?" she asked, in a low tone.

"Yes, I--"

"And you are going alone?"

"Yes."

"Would you mind--would it trouble you too much to walk with me as far as our house?""Why--why of course not.I shall be delighted.But I thought you--I thought Ed Raymond--"

"No, I'm alone.Wait here; I will be ready in just a minute."She hurried away.He gazed after her in bewilderment.She and he had scarcely exchanged a word during the evening, and now, when the evening was almost over, she came and asked him to be her escort.

What in the wide world--?

The minute she had specified had hardly elapsed when she reappeared, ready for out of doors.She took his arm and they walked down the steps of the hotel, past the group of lights at the head of the drive and along the road, with the moon shining down upon it and the damp, salt breeze from the ocean blowing across it.They walked for the first few minutes in silence.There were a dozen questions he would have liked to ask, but his jealous resentment had not entirely vanished and his pride forbade.It was she who spoke first.

"Albert," she said, "you must think this very odd."He knew what she meant, but he did not choose to admit it.

"What?" he asked.

"Why, my asking you to walk home with me, after--after our trouble.

It is strange, I suppose, particularly as you had not spoken before this whole evening.""_I_--spoken to YOU? Why, you bowed to me when I came into the room and that was the only sign of recognition you gave me until just now.Not a dance--not one.""Did you expect me to look you up and beg you to dance with me?""Did you expect me to trot at that fellow's heels and wait my chance to get a word with you, to take what he left? I should say not! By George, Helen, I--"She interrupted him."Hush, hush!" she pleaded."This is all so silly, so childish.And we mustn't quarrel any more.I have made up my mind to that.We mustn't.""Humph! All right, _I_ had no thought of quarreling in the beginning.But there are some things a self-respecting chap can't stand.I have SOME pride, I hope."She caught her breath quickly."Do you think," she asked, "that it was no sacrifice to my pride to beg you to walk home with me?

After--after the things you said the other evening? Oh, Albert, how could you say them!""Well--" he hesitated, and then added, "I told you I was sorry.""Yes, but you weren't really sorry.You must have believed the things that hateful Issachar Price said or you wouldn't have repeated them....Oh, but never mind that now, I didn't mean to speak of it at all.I asked you to walk home with me because Iwanted to make up our quarrel.Yes, that was it.I didn't want to go away and feel that you and I were not as good friends as ever.

So, you see, I put all MY pride to one side--and asked."One phrase in one sentence of this speech caught and held the young man's attention.He forgot the others.

"You are going away?" he repeated."What do you mean? Where are you going?""I am going to Cambridge to study.I am going to take some courses at Radcliffe.You know I told you I hoped to some day.Well, it has been arranged.I am to live with my cousin, father's half sister in Somerville.Father is well enough to leave now and Ihave engaged a capable woman, Mrs.Peters, to help Maria with the housework.I am going Friday morning, the day after to-morrow."He stopped short to stare at her.

"You are going away?" he asked, again."You are going to do that and--and-- Why didn't you tell me before?"It was a characteristic return to his attitude of outraged royalty.

She had made all these plans, had arranged to do this thing, and he had not been informed.At another time Helen might have laughed at him; she generally did when he became what she called the "Grand Bashaw." She did not laugh now, however, but answered quietly.

"I didn't know I was going to do it until a little more than a week ago," she said."And I have not seen you since then.""No, you've been too busy seeing someone else."She lost patience for the instant."Oh, don't, don't, don't!" she cried."I know who you mean, of course.You mean Ed Raymond.

Don't you know why he has been at the house so much of late? Why he and I have been so much together? Don't you really know?""What?...No, I don't--except that you and he wanted to be together.""And it didn't occur to you that there might be some other reason?