Part 74 (1/2)
”It must be old f.a.n.n.y!” said Miss Van Tuyn, with a touch of irritation.
”n.o.body else would know I was here. But I stupidly told f.a.n.n.y.”
She took the receiver out of his hand.
”I'm here! Who is it? Do make haste. I'm in a hurry.”
She was thinking of Craven. It was nearly five o'clock, and she did not want to be late in Glebe Place, though she dreaded the encounter she expected there.
”Oh, Beryl, there's bad news!”
”Bad news! What news?”
”I can't tell you like this.”
”Nonsense! Tell me at once!”
”I can't! I simply cannot. Oh, my dear, get into a taxi and come back at once.”
”I insist on your telling me what is the matter!” said Miss Van Tuyn sharply.
Her nerves were already on edge, and something in the sound of the voice through the telephone frightened her.
”Tell me at once what it is! Now speak plainly!”
There was a pause; then the agitated voice said:
”A cable has come from the Bahamas.”
”The Bahamas! Well? Well?”
”Your poor father has--”
The voice failed.
”Oh, do tell me! For Heaven's sake, what is it?”
”Your poor father is dead. Oh, Beryl!”
Miss Van Tuyn stood quite still for a moment.
”My father--dead!” she thought.
She felt surprised. She felt shocked. But she was not conscious of any real sorrow. She very seldom saw her father. Since he had married again--he had married a woman with whom he was very much in love--his strongly independent daughter had faded into the background of his life.
Beryl had not set her eyes upon him during the last eighteen months. It was impossible that she could miss him much, a father with whom she had spent for years so little of her time. She knew that she would not miss him. Yet she had had a shock. After an instant she said:
”Thank you, f.a.n.n.y. I shall be home very soon. Of course, I shall leave the studio at once. Good-bye.”
She hung up the receiver and went upstairs slowly. And as she went she resolved not to say anything about what had happened to d.i.c.k Garstin.
He was incapable of expressing conventional sympathy, and would probably say something bizarre which would jar on her nerves if she told him.