Part 38 (1/2)

It was a far more enthusiastic greeting than he had dared let himself expect he would have. He returned her many soft kisses with one very vigorous osculation that landed near one eyebrow as she bobbed up and down beside him, and which was immediately rubbed off with the back of Arethusa's glove.

”You're always so awfully rough. But.... _Oh, Timothy!_”

She grabbed him firmly by one arm, as if she really feared he might escape her and the Party even now, though actually in Lewisburg, and led him to where Clay waited for them with the big red automobile. To Clay, she introduced her charge with the simple announcement, ”He really came, Clay.” But no other was needed, for the chauffeur knew who it was with Arethusa, and all about him. Timothy's fame had gone before him; Arethusa had not made a single warm friend since she had left the Farm who had not at least heard of Timothy.

She pushed him into the car and banged the door. Then she seated herself close to him, and bounced up and down on the cus.h.i.+ons happily.

”Say right away what a wonderful automobile you think this is, Timothy!”

Timothy was perfectly obedient.

”I can run it, all by myself. You don't believe it, but I can. I'll show you some day, maybe to-morrow. Oh, Timothy, I'm so awfully, awfully glad you came! How is Aunt 'Senath and all of them? How is Miss Johnson? Oh, I would never forgive you if you hadn't! That's a new suit you have on!” suddenly leaning forward to pounce on the portion of the trouser leg that showed from under his overcoat, ”And it's a new overcoat, too! Why, Timothy!”

Timothy pleaded guilty to both accusations.

”You look awfully nice!” Arethusa gave him a very violent hug most unexpectedly. ”Oh, but it was so dear of you to come! And, Timothy, we're going to have a perfectly wonderful Party!”

Timothy longed to give Arethusa a hug in return for this one, but he really did not dare. She would probably have called him rough again, for his way of hugging. He looked at her a trifle sadly. She seemed to Timothy such a far-away Arethusa, in spite of all this enthusiasm. And after that look, he felt her more unapproachable than at first. He could not tell exactly what it was; perhaps, her clothes.

Arethusa caught his glance at her furs and saucy little hat, with its fly-away feather, and preened herself just a bit.

”How do you like me? My new things? Aren't they darling?”

”Yes,” replied Timothy, but there was not very much warmth in his tone.

”And I like you in anything; but I believe I like you better in what Miss 't.i.tia makes you.”

”In what Aunt 't.i.tia makes me!” she exclaimed, horrified at Timothy's poor taste. ”Of course you don't! You can't!” But she added, quickly, for her loyal heart felt that something was not quite right about the sound of that speech. ”Aunt 't.i.tia's clothes look better at home, on the Farm! They wouldn't do at all for town! But she's a Dear to make them for me, and I love them! They're perfectly all right in the country!”

”That's where I like you better,” replied Timothy decidedly, and very briskly and warmly this time. ”On the Farm! And in the country!”

”Oh, Timothy, don't begin and gloom now! Please don't! That's a dear!”

Arethusa clasped her hands imploringly. ”Please, please, don't gloom!

I'm not going to fuss with you once while you're here, not once! I promise, honest! So there!”

This should have been very cheering news. But Timothy merely remarked with calmness that she shouldn't have time to do much fussing, anyway, since he was going home on the morning train.

”Why, Timothy Jarvis!”

Yes, he repeated, the early morning train was the train he fully intended to take.

”No, you're not!”

Arethusa was very firm about it, but then so was he. And a quarrel seemed most imminent, in spite of Arethusa's earnest promise, had they not very fortunately arrived at the house in Lenox Avenue just in time to prevent the disagreement from becoming disagreeable.

Ross liked Timothy immensely. He liked his bigness, and his honest youngness, and his clean-heartedness, written all over him. Elinor liked him too. And the boy had not been in the house five minutes before Ross and Elinor both had read his story in his blue eyes. Those blue eyes never once left Arethusa.

Arethusa's tongue certainly seemed swung in the middle during the rest of this day. But then there were two whole months and over to make up.

They came within really dangerous hailing distance of an affray several times, sad to relate, when Timothy planted himself in one position, immovable, and she firmly entrenched herself in another. He did not seem to be able to approve of a single thing she had to tell him about the various and sundry occupations with which she filled her days in Lewisburg. But a person in so supremely felicitous a mood as Arethusa was in at the prospect of her very own Party, could not actually quarrel with anybody, however obstinate he might be; so the hours sped happily by, and the pitfalls were somehow avoided.

”Doesn't Timothy look just perfectly heavenly when he has on a dress suit?”