Part 49 (1/2)
”Three thousand dollars. I've already paid off three hundred.”
”There ought to be enough for that,” said Peter soberly.
”Oh, Mr. Nichols. I hope you don't think I'm an awful fool talkin' this way.”
”Not unless you think _I_ am.”
”But it _is_ nice to dream of things sometimes.”
”Yes. I do that too. What do you dream of, Beth?”
”Oh, of bein' a great singer, mostly--standin' on a stage with people lookin' up and clappin' their hands at me.”
”What else?”
”Oh,” she laughed gayly, ”I used to dream of marryin' a prince--all girls do. But there ain't any princes now to marry.”
”No, that's true,” he a.s.sented. ”The old world hasn't any use for princes now.” And then, ”But why did you want to marry a prince?” he asked.
”Oh, I don't know. It's just fairy tales. Haven't you ever lived in a fairy tale and loved a princess?”
”Yes, I've lived in a fairy tale, but I've never loved a princess.”
”I guess if everybody knew,” said Beth with conviction, ”the princes in Europe are a pretty bad lot.”
”Yes,” said Peter slowly, ”I guess they are.”
She paused a moment, looking into the fire. And then, ”Were you ever acquainted with any princes in Europe, Mr. Nichols?”
Peter smiled. ”Yes, Beth. I did know one prince rather intimately--rather too intimately.”
”Oh. You didn't like him?”
”No, not much. He was an awful rotter. The worst of it was that he had good instincts and when he went wrong, he went wrong in spite of 'em.
You see--he was temperamental.”
”What's temperamental?”
”Having the devil and G.o.d in you both at the same time,” muttered Peter after a moment.
”I know,” she said. ”Satan and G.o.d, with G.o.d just sittin' back a little to see how far Satan will go.”
He smiled at her. ”You don't mean that you have temptations too, Beth?”
She ignored his question, her face sober, and went back to her subject.
”I guess your prince wasn't any better or any worse than a lot of other people. Maybe he didn't give G.o.d a chance?”
”No. Maybe not,” said Peter.