Part 33 (1/2)

”O Dr. Major,” cried her mother from the window, ”Don't go! We want you to stay to supper of course!”

But he had other calls to make, he said, and went away, his big hands clasped behind him; his head bent, smiling one minute and shaking his head the next.

Diantha leaned against a pearly eucalyptus trunk and watched him. She would miss Dr. Major. But who was this approaching? Her heart sank miserably. Mrs. Warden--and _all_ the girls.

She went to meet them--perforce. Mrs. Warden had always been kind and courteous to her; the girls she had not seen very much of, but they had the sweet Southern manner, were always polite. Ross's mother she must love. Ross's sisters too--if she could. Why did the bottom drop out of her courage at sight of them?

”You dear child!” said Mrs. Warden, kissing her. ”I know just how you feel! You want to help my boy! That's your secret! But this won't do it, my dear!”

”You've no idea how badly Ross feels!” said Madeline. ”Mrs. Delafield dropped in just now and told us. You ought to have seen him!”

”He didn't believe it of course,” Adeline put in. ”And he wouldn't say a thing--not a thing to blame you.”

”We said we'd come over right off--and tried to bring him--but he said he'd got to go back to the store,” Coraline explained.

”He was mad though!” said Dora--”_I_ know.”

Diantha looked from one to the other helplessly.

”Come in! Come in!” said Mrs. Bell hospitably. ”Have this rocker, Mrs.

Warden--wouldn't you like some cool drink? Diantha?”

”No indeed!” Mrs. Warden protested. ”Don't get a thing. We're going right back, it's near supper time. No, we can't think of staying, of course not, no indeed!--But we had to come over and hear about this dear child's idea!--Now tell us all about it, Diantha!”

There they sat--five pairs of curious eyes--and her mother's sad ones--all kind--all utterly incapable of understanding.

She moistened her lips and plunged desperately. ”It is nothing dreadful, Mrs. Warden. Plenty of girls go away to earn their livings nowadays. That is all I'm doing.”

”But why go away?”

”I thought you were earning your living before!”

”Isn't teaching earning your living?”

”What _are_ you going to do?” the girls protested variously, and Mrs.

Warden, with a motherly smile, suggested--

”That doesn't explain your wanting to leave Ross, my dear--and your mother!”

”I don't want to leave them,” protested Diantha, trying to keep her voice steady. ”It is simply that I have made up my mind I can do better elsewhere.”

”Do what better?” asked Mrs. Warden with sweet patience, which reduced Diantha to the bald statement, ”Earn more money in less time.”

”And is that better than staying with your mother and your lover?”

pursued the gentle inquisitor; while the girls tried, ”What do you want to earn more money for?” and ”I thought you earned a lot before.”

Now Diantha did not wish to state in so many words that she wanted more money in order to marry sooner--she had hardly put it to herself that way. She could not make them see in a few moments that her plan was to do far more for her mother than she would otherwise ever be able to.

And as to making them understand the larger principles at stake--the range and depth of her full purpose--that would be physically impossible.

”I am sorry!” she said with trembling lips. ”I am extremely sorry.