Part 32 (1/2)

interrupted Claire, her eyes sparkling. ”You wouldn't come to Merrycliffe, so you see I had to bring him here.”

Nancy was so happy that she could even turn to greet the despised ”lion” with a radiant smile. Claire's brother, who, forgotten by the others in their joyous reunion, had been busying himself with the engine of his car, now turned and removed from a dust-stained face the goggles that had almost completely hidden it.

”Pe-ter. You----” and Nancy, her face crimson, put her two hands behind her back.

CHAPTER XXIX

BARRY

Nancy presented such a picture of bewilderment and unbelief that the others all laughed--except Peter; his face was very grave.

”You see I thought the only way I could get you--to forgive me--was by bringing them all back with me.”

But Nancy had no intention of forgiving--at least, at once--the trick that had been played upon her. She lifted her chin with meaning disdain and turned to the others.

”Let's go up to the house. My aunts will be so glad to see you all,”

and slipping one hand through her father's arm and another into Anne's she turned up the path, leaving Claire and her brother to follow.

Miss Sabrina had seen the car stop at the gate and had come to the door. She knew at once that this was Nancy's father. A color swept her cheeks and faded. She tried to say some word of welcome but her trembling lips could not frame a single syllable. But almost instantly her fears were set at rest, for Eugene Leavitt took her two hands in his clasp and lightly kissed her cheek in a cheery way that put aside forever the trouble that had separated them.

In the hub-bub and chatter that followed, Nancy did not realize that Peter Hyde had slipped away; not until Aunt Sabrina had carried her father off to Aunt Milly's room and B'lindy, radiant, had gone back to the kitchen to prepare a supper ”fit for folks,” leaving the three chums together. Claire gave her friend an affectionate shake.

”Now, Nancy Leavitt, don't be silly and stay cross at Barry. It's my fault. I knew he was here and that you were here, and that he knew you and you knew him, and neither of you----”

”Please, please Claire,” begged Nancy, trying to stop her friend. Her face turned scarlet. Of course she could not be offended at his deception, had she not, herself, been masquerading? But burning in her mind was the recollection of that afternoon when she had opened her heart to Peter and had told him how she despised Barry Wallace and his kind. And he had let her talk--she could not forgive that, ever.

”After you'd been here a few weeks,” Claire went on, ”Barry wrote to me. I suppose he'd gotten to the point where he simply had to confide in someone. You can imagine, I nearly dropped when I saw the postmark and knew what he was doing, but picture how I felt when he wrote that he'd met the 'best girl ever--no frills and fropperies like mother's crowd, but a regular girl.' Of course I knew he meant you. I let him write a few more letters--I don't think Barry ever wrote so often to me before--and then, I told him everything.”

”You did?” exclaimed Nancy. ”Then----” she stopped short. Now she understood why he had refused to accept her answer as final--that last evening they had been together.

”And I made him promise on his honor not to tell you that I had told.

So don't be cross at him,” Claire pleaded, a little worried at Nancy's expression. ”He has gone back to Judson's and he said--he asked me to ask you if you would go out to Bird's-Nest--after supper--and----”

Claire, failing in words, threw her arms around Nancy's neck and kissed her. Anne, who had been impatiently waiting for an opportunity, took up her part of the story.

”Goodness, Nancy, you can be thankful you've been up here and not at the apartment--it's unbearably stuffy and hot. Although it ought to have seemed like paradise after my quarters in London,” snapping her lips together. Poor Anne, her dream of service was now only a bitter recollection. ”I was sitting there as forlorn as could be when in blew--no other word could describe it--Claire's brother. You wouldn't have dreamed from the way he acted that he'd never laid eyes on me before. He told me about the confession you'd written him and he said he knew you were unhappy up here because of your false position and that I ought to come back up here with him and get you out of it. He didn't want me to lose a moment. Then, while we were talking, your letter came with its astonis.h.i.+ng news. Isn't it all like some nightmare--all the aunts and things mixed up the way they were? We had to read your letter over and over to understand it. Then when we finally got it through our heads, we decided we'd get Claire and start the next day for North Hero.”

”But Dad?” asked Nancy.

”We were all ready to go when a taxi drove up to the door and out jumped your father. Of course he had to hear the whole story way back to the letter Noah brought to our room. Barry didn't give him a chance to even wash his face, he bundled him straight into the automobile as though it were a matter of life and death. And here we are. And this place looks like Heaven,” Anne finished.

It was a merry party that gathered around Miss Sabrina's table.

B'lindy wanting to express all that was in her heart, had spread a supper fit for the G.o.ds. Nancy's father had carried Miss Milly downstairs and sat between her and Nancy. Every now and then Nancy slipped her hand into his, under the tablecloth. Miss Sabrina, at the head of the table, beamed down upon them all in a pathetic ecstasy of happiness. From the kitchen came the insistent ”goo's” of the smallest Hopworth, to the accompaniment of a silver spoon beating against a silver mug.

Through all the light chatter in the room there was an undertone of deep happiness and contentment. Only occasionally Claire's eyes flashed a worried, pleading message to Nancy that Nancy wilfully ignored. But when, after supper, the others all went to the Hollyhock porch and Nancy slipped away, the watchful Claire drew a sigh of relief and proceeded to feel riotously happy.

As Nancy walked slowly down the path to the orchard she felt her heart grow inexplainably, foolishly light. She was so glad that Peter Hyde had come back.

The gladness shone in her eyes as she let him clasp her two hands. He did not even ask her if she would forgive him; they both laughed joyously, like two children.