Part 80 (1/2)

”Quite so--yes.”

They walked on in silence for some time. Then Galusha stopped short.

”I have just thought of something,” he said. ”It--it MAY have some influence. She has often said she wished she might see Egypt. We could go together, couldn't we?”

Cousin Gussie roared again. ”Of course you could,” he declared. ”And I only wish I could go along. Loosh, you are more than superb. You are magnificent.”

He telephoned for his car and chauffeur and, soon after dinner, said good-by to his hostess and his cousin and prepared to start for Boston.

The Sunday dinner was a bountiful one, well cooked, and he did justice to it. Galusha, however, ate very little. He seemed to be not quite certain whether he was at the table or somewhere in the clouds.

The chauffeur discovered that he had scarcely oil and gasoline sufficient for his hundred-mile trip and decided to drive to Trumet to obtain more. Cabot, who felt the need of exercise after his hearty meal, took a walk along the bluff edge as far as the point from which he could inspect the property owned by the Development Company.

He was gone almost an hour. On his return he met Galusha walking slowly along the lane. The little man was without his overcoat, his hands were clasped behind him and, although his eyes were open, he seemed to see nothing, for he stumbled and staggered, sometimes in the road and sometimes in the dead weeds and briars beside it. He did not see his cousin, either, until the latter spoke. Then he looked up and nodded recognition.

”Oh!” he observed. ”Yes, of course. Ah--How do you do?”

Cabot was looking him straight in the face.

”Loosh,” he asked, sharply. ”What is it? What is the matter?”

Galusha pa.s.sed his hand across his forehead.

”Oh, nothing, nothing,” he answered.

”Nonsense! You look as if--Well, you can't tell me nothing is wrong.

ISN'T there something wrong?”

The saddest smile in all creation pa.s.sed across Galusha's face.

”Why--why, yes,” he said. ”I suppose everything is wrong. I should have expected it to be, of course. I--I did, but--ah--for a little while I was--ah--foolish and--and hoped. It is quite all right, Cousin Gussie, absolutely so. She said it was--ah--impossible. Of course it is. She is quite right. Oh, quite.”

Cabot caught his meaning. ”Do you mean to say,” he demanded, ”that you asked that--that Phipps woman to marry you and she REFUSED?”

”Eh? Oh, yes, she refused. I told you she would not think of such a thing. That is exactly what she said; it was impossible, she could not think of it.”

”Well, confound her impudence!... Oh, all right, Galusha, all right. I beg your pardon--and hers. But, really--”

Galusha stopped him. ”Cousin Gussie,” he said, ”if you don't mind I think I won't talk about it any more. You will excuse me, won't you?

I shall be all right, quite all right--after I--ah--after a time, you know.”

”Where are you going now?”

”Eh? Oh, I don't know. Just somewhere, that's all. Good-by, Cousin Gussie.”

He turned and walked on again, his hands clasped behind his back and his head bent. Cabot watched him for several minutes, then, entirely upon impulse and without stopping to consider, he began what was, as he said afterwards, either the craziest or the most inspired performance of his life. He walked straight to the Phipps' gate and up the walk to the Phipps' door. His chauffeur called to him that the car was ready, but he did not answer.

Primmie opened the door in answer to his knock. Yes, Miss Martha was in the sitting room, she said. ”But, my savin' soul, what are you doin'

back here, Mr. Cabot? Has the automobile blowed up?”

He did not satisfy her curiosity. Instead, he knocked on the door of the sitting room and, when Miss Phipps called to him to come in, he obeyed, closing the door behind him. She was sitting by the window and her sewing was in her lap. Yet he was almost certain she had not been sewing. Her face was very grave and, although he could not see distinctly, for the afternoon was cloudy and the room rather dark, it seemed to him that there was a peculiar look about her eyes. She, like her maid, was surprised to see him again.