Part 16 (2/2)
”No, indeed, I won't mind. I'll be glad to have her go if she'll do it. Lately she won't do anything but sit at that window.” Mrs.
Swink, who had gotten out of her chair with difficulty, turned to her daughter, blinking her little, near-sighted eyes at her as if she were beyond all human understanding; and the fretfulness of her tone she made no effort to control. ”She's that restless and hard to please and hard to interest in anything that she nearly wears me out.
Girls didn't do like that when I was young. If I'd had a hundredth part of what she's got--”
”What's the use of having things you don't want?” Miss Swink's shoulders made resentful movement; then she turned to me, for a moment hesitated.
”Thank you very much for asking me, but I can't go this afternoon. I need exercise. If I don't walk a great deal I--”
”I'd much rather walk. I love to walk.” I must know why she was meeting Tom without her mother's knowledge. ”I'll send the car home and we'll walk together. It isn't often I have an afternoon without something that must be done in it. I'll wait here while you get your hat and coat.”
Into the girl's face came flush that spread slowly to the temples, and uncertainly she looked at me. Steadily my eyes held hers and after half a moment she turned and went out of the room. Coming back, she followed me into the hall and to the elevator, but, eyes on the gloves she was fastening, she said nothing until we reached the street. On the corner opposite us Tom Cressy was standing in the doorway of a cigar-shop, and as he saw the car dismissed, saw us cross the street and come toward him, into his honest, if not handsome, face came puzzled incredulity. Not until in front of him did I give evidence of seeing him; then I stopped.
”Why, Tom Cressy!” I held out my hand and, as he took it, I noticed the one holding his hat was not entirely steady. ”It's ages since I've seen you, Tom. You know Miss Swink, I believe.” I pretended not to see their formal and somewhat frightened bow. ”We're going to walk. Can't you go with us? Come on. We're going to the park.”
Slipping my arm through Madeleine's, I caught step, and on the other side of her Tom did likewise, hands in his pockets, and into both faces came glow that illuminated them and enlightened me. At the end of our walk I would know pretty well what I wanted to know.
For an hour and a half we walked briskly and talked along lines usually self-revealing; and by the time the hotel was again reached I was quite satisfied concerning a complicated situation that needed skilful steering to avoid a dangerous and disastrous smash-up.
”Can't I go home with you, Miss Dandridge?” Tom twisted his hat nervously. ”It's too late for you to go so far by yourself. Please let me go with you.”
”Of course you're going with me. After dark I'm only a baby person and I like a nice, big man with me! Good-by, dear.” I turned to Madeleine. ”Some afternoon, if your mother does not mind, come down and have tea with me in Scarborough Square. Tom can come, too, and bring you home. I'll telephone you one day next week.”
With a nod I walked away, but not before I saw a flash of joy pa.s.s between two faces which were raised to each other, and, guiltily, I wondered if I had again done something I shouldn't. I was always doing it. Hurrying on with Tom, I talked of many things, but at my door I turned to him and held out my hand.
”I haven't any right to ask you, but I'm going to ask you. You care for each other and something is the matter. What is it, Tom?”
”Matter!” Indignation, wrathful and righteous, flared in face and voice, and Tom's clutch of my hand was more fervid than considerate.
”Her mother's the matter. She's batty on the subject of society and position, and first families, and fas.h.i.+on, and rot of that sort--all right in its way, but not her way. I'm not aristocratic enough for her. She doesn't want her daughter to marry me because we haven't any family brush and coats of arms, and don't belong to the inside set, and marrying me wouldn't give Madeleine what she wants her to have. Madeleine don't want it. She wants--”
”You. I understand. Does Mrs. Swink want her to marry some one else?” I hated my pretended ignorance, but I must know just what he knew. Know if Madeleine had told him of her engagement. ”Who is it she wants her to marry?”
”Harrie Thorne. If she knew what others knew of Harrie--” Tom bit his lip. ”I don't want to go into that, however. Not my business.
But if she was told she wouldn't believe. She don't want to believe.
She wants her daughter to marry what Harrie can give her. An honored name which he has dishonored.”
Tom took out his handkerchief and wiped his forehead, in his eyes boyish incomprehension of incomprehensible things. ”Men are wicked, Miss Dandridge, but they wouldn't do what some women do. They've got it in their hands to do a lot they don't do--women have--and if it wasn't for some of them, for those we believe in, the world would go smash in certain ways as far as men are concerned. What's the use of keeping straight and living clean when plenty of women don't seem to care, or certainly don't ask too much about a man if he's got money, or anything else they want for their daughters? Mrs. Swink is determined that Madeleine shall marry Harrie.”
”But has Madeleine no will of her own? If she permits her mother to dispose of her--”
”She's been disposed of since she was a baby, and resistance wears thin after a while, I suppose.” The tips of Tom's right shoe made a small circle on the brick pavement, but presently he looked up at me.
”It's pretty queer for me to be telling things like this, but you always did understand a fellow. I've often wished I could come and see you. Madeleine and I were engaged once.”
”Why aren't you engaged now? Tell me anything you want. What happened?”
”Mother Swink happened!” Tom's words came jerkily. ”She wouldn't even let me talk to her; made a devil of a row, dragged Madeleine all around Europe, wouldn't let her have a letter from me--sent them back herself--and told Madeleine if she married me she would never speak to me.”
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