Part 7 (1/2)
Broadway was already alight; the cool spring air met them like tonic.
Like an exuberant lad, Mr. Chase led her to the curb. A huge, mahogany-colored touring-car, caparisoned in nickel and upholstered in a darker red, vibrated and snorted alongside. A chauffeur, with a striped rug across his knees, reached back respectfully and flung open the door.
Like an automaton Gertrude placed her small foot upon the step and paused, her dumfounded gaze confronting the equally stunned eyes of the chauffeur. Mr. Chase aided and encouraged at her elbow.
”It's all right, dearest, it's all right; this is your surprise.”
”Why,” she gasped, her eyes never leaving the steel-blue shaved face of the chauffeur--”why--I--”
Mr. Chase regarded her in some anxiety. ”What a surprised little girl you are! I shouldn't have taken you so unawares.” He almost lifted her in.
”This machine is yours, Mr. Chase?”
”Yes, dear, this machine is _ours_.”
”You never told me anything.”
”There is little to tell, Gertrude. I have not used my cars to amount to anything since I'm back from Egypt. I've been pretty busy with affairs.”
”Back from Egypt!”
”Do not look so helpless, dear. I'm only back three months from a trip round the world, and I've been putting up with hotel life meanwhile.
Then I happened to meet you, and as long as you had me all sized up I just let it go--that's all, dear.”
”You're not the Mr. Adam Chase who's had the rose suite on the tenth floor all winter?”
”That's me,” he laughed.
Her slowly comprehending eyes did not leave his face.
”Why, I thought--I--you--”
”It was my use of the private elevator on the east side of the building that gave you the Sixth Avenue idea, and it was too good a joke on me to spoil, dearie.”
She regarded him through blurry eyes.
”What must you think of me?”
He felt for her hand underneath the lap-robe.
”Among other things,” he said, ”I think that your eyes exactly match the violets I motored out to get for you this morning at my place ten miles up the Hudson.”
”When did you go, dear?”
”Before you were up. We were back before ten, in spite of a spark-plug that gave us some trouble.”
”Oh,” she said.