Part 28 (2/2)
”Of course. We 'll take you right up in a jiffy.” And Brant led the way to the elevator, his soul filled with satisfaction.
The green car was shortly _chug-chugging_ in front of the Townsend house, while s.h.i.+rley ran up to exchange her office clothes for the pretty dull red silk frock which seemed to her to fit the November evening.
A sense of exhilaration took possession of her as she pulled on her long driving-coat, and pinned in place the close hat and swathing gray veil which made her ready for the swift drive in the autumn air. To be really a working girl, and yet not to be shut out from an occasional taste of this sort of pleasure--it was certainly a pleasant combination.
And s.h.i.+rley had accomplished one of the best day's works that she had yet done, and felt as if she had earned whatever of jollity the evening might have in store for her.
”Well, I'm certainly thankful to see you acting like one of us again, if only for a few hours,” a.s.serted ”Marie Anne,” as they whirled away.
”s.h.i.+rley Townsend in a blue serge at four o'clock in the afternoon is an extraordinary sight. Now you look like yourself again. What have you got on? That Indian-red silk? When you like a thing you like it forever, don't you? I wonder how many times you came down to dinner last winter at Miss c.o.c.kburn's in that red silk!”
”Don't be brutal, Marian!” called her brother, over his shoulder. ”As if it made any difference what she wears as long as she comes with us!
Besides, I haven't seen the red silk.”
But s.h.i.+rley was only smiling at Marian's comments on her attire. She had not summered and wintered Miss Hille as a room-mate for two years in the English school not to have become inured to her style of intimate criticism. Besides, she knew perfectly that that Indian-red silk frock had been her friend's envy for the first six weeks of its existence, on account of its beauty and the way it became s.h.i.+rley's colouring.
It does not take long for a motor-car of high horse-power driven by a young man with the usual dash of daring in his composition to cover eighteen miles of smooth roadway, and it was not yet six o'clock when the car shot up to the entrance of the Hildreth's country place. Half a dozen young people, returning from the golf links, hurried up to welcome s.h.i.+rley Townsend back to the ranks of the pleasure-seekers, and she was borne into the house on a little wave of good-fellows.h.i.+p and merriment which she could not help decidedly enjoying.
”It's a shame to think of that girl throwing herself away on the sort of fad she 's taken up!” growled Somers Hildreth to Brant Hille, as the two came in, after dressing for dinner, to find s.h.i.+rley Townsend the centre of a gay group before the great fireplace, which was the heart of the country house.
”I wonder what fault Marian had to find with that dress,” Brant was thinking, as he caught its gleam in the firelight and saw the sparkling eyes and warm-tinted cheeks above it. ”If she is n't by long odds the finest girl in that crowd I 'll go without my dinner.” But aloud he responded, calmly, ”It does n't seem to have dulled her charms. She never looked more as if she found things worth while, did she?”
”That's reaction,” declared the other young man. ”Shut any girl up in a cage, and she'll stretch her wings when she gets out. It will tell on her after a while, though, if she keeps it up. But she won't. That goes without saying.”
”Don't you fool yourself!” muttered Brant, adopting Murray Townsend's view of the matter.
s.h.i.+rley, indeed, did not look like a girl who was accustomed to adopt courses, only to abandon them when weary. Whatever her views of the ”things worth while,” she certainly enjoyed that evening. Those who had sent for her congratulated themselves on their foresight.
Without making herself in any way a conspicuous figure, or appearing to take the lead, s.h.i.+rley's very presence seemed somehow to bring about that result most desirable to a hostess, the making things ”go.” The young people had been together for five successive evenings, and had about exhausted their resources and those of their entertainers in the way of diversion. But with s.h.i.+rley Townsend's softly brilliant eyes looking on, her spirited mouth curving into mischief or merriment, her appreciative comments spurring them, the young men of the party at least found themselves stimulated to their best achievement, and exerted themselves to bring the response of her pleasure.
As for the girls, they all liked her, although not without here and there a touch of envy at the success of a style so free from affectation that n.o.body could accuse its possessor of not being genuine.
”You can't say you 're not having a good time,” urged Hille, cornering s.h.i.+rley as the evening went on.
”There 's no reason why I should want to say it. I 'm having a delightful time.”
”I thought it was part of your code, from now on, to enjoy nothing but hard labour.”
Her laugh rang out softly.
”You did n't believe anything of the sort. If all work and no play make Jack a dull boy, what would they do to Jill? She would be unendurable.”
”She would. But anybody would have taken alarm at sight of you to-day, over your typewriter. You looked as if you were nothing short of carried away with it. You did n't so much as notice I was in the room.”
”I 'm not supposed to notice people who come into Murray's office. I learned that at once, by watching Miss Henley. While I 'm there I 'm to be merely an intelligent machine.”
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