Part 30 (1/2)

”Leave her here,” said Mr. Elihu Bell. ”We 'll take care of her to-night, and I 'll drive in with her in the morning, bright and early.

That's the best way out, and you people can go back and go to bed.

Grandma 'll be mightily pleased to wake up in the morning and find the little girl here.”

Feeling it the simplest solution of a situation which was involving somebody's sacrifice, whatever she did, s.h.i.+rley accepted the offer.

Brant did not feel altogether pleased over driving away and leaving her standing on the porch beside Peter, but he was decidedly weary with his exercise, and sleepy after two br.i.m.m.i.n.g gla.s.ses of milk, and he resigned his charge with one murmured speech: ”Shows what a fool thing it is for a girl like you to play at holding down a business position. You can't be either one thing or the other with any comfort, and it even gets your friends into trouble.”

This surly farewell was punished by the girl's gay rejoinder:

”I suppose it was the weight of your cares that was too much for the car! I 'm sorry, and I 'll promise not to run away from my work again--with you.”

When the car was off, Peter promptly brought round his bicycle. ”This is n't quite so imposing a conveyance as Hille's automobile,” he said, standing at the foot of the steps and looking up at s.h.i.+rley, ”and I can't invite anybody to share it with me and ride home. But it's very convenient for these little runs out to the farm, and I 'm glad I happened to be here to-night. Somehow, just the sight of you, without any chance to talk, does me good.”

”If that is true, I should think you might take advantage of living so near just a bit oftener than you do. Do you know how long it is since you 've been over?”

”It seems six months to me,” said Peter, smiling.

”It is six weeks. Are you so busy all your evenings?”

”Pretty busy. And I spend what little spare time I can make with father.”

”Of course,” she agreed, gently. ”But I think you need a little more change of scene than you get.”

”I 'd like it. But I can't be bothering a girl like you with entertaining an old chap like me.”

”An old chap!” mused s.h.i.+rley. ”Is that the way you feel?”

”I was feeling forty, at least--till the tire blew up. Then I came down to thirty. When I found the girl under the veil, I dropped off several years more. But when I looked at that boy Hille I became a patriarch again.”

”I wish he could hear you call him a boy! Suppose I give you a special invitation, and run the risk of your bothering me, will you accept it?”

”In a hurry!”

”Your first spare evening then?”

”You tempt me to cut everything and come to-morrow night. No--I 'll wait a decent interval, to let you get caught up after this midnight dissipation. May I come early?”

”The earlier the better.”

”And you won't invite anybody else to help make it jolly for me? The last time I ventured over you had a roomful.”

”I 'll invite n.o.body. Come, Peter Bell--do you know I 'm being much nicer to you than I ordinarily am to anybody? I let mother and Olive do the inviting, and I just look demure, as if I did n't care.”

”You do care, then, this time?”

”It's time you were off, is n't it?” and she retreated, laughing, to the open door.

Peter looked back at her, an alluring figure, with the lamplight falling over the dull red silk of her frock, and wished he need not go at all.

But Grandfather Bell's tall form appeared just behind s.h.i.+rley's. This was an unheard-of hour for Grandfather Bell. So, with a friendly good night and a warm feeling at his heart, Peter bestrode his wheel and was off down the moonlit road toward home.