Part 6 (1/2)
Chester entered the stable and looked curiously around. Presently his eye lighted on a tall, rangy bay horse that was being groomed in a wide stall near the door-way.
”That's Mr. Jerrold's Roderick, isn't it?”
”Yes, sir. He's fresh as a daisy, too,--hasn't been out for three days,--and Mr. Jerrold's going to drive the dog-cart this morning.”
Chester turned away.
”Sloat,” said he, as they left the stable, ”if Mr. Jerrold was away from the post last night,--and you heard me say he was out of his quarters,--could he have gone any way except afoot, after what you heard Parks say?”
”Gone in the Suttons' outfit, I suppose,” was Sloat's cautious answer.
”In which event he would have been seen by the sentry at the bridge, would he not?”
”Ought to have been, certainly.”
”Then we'll go back to the guard-house.” And, wonderingly and uncomfortably, Sloat followed. He had long since begun to wish he had held his peace and said nothing about the confounded roll-call. He hated rows of any kind. He didn't like Jerrold, but he would have crawled _ventre a terre_ across the wide parade sooner than see a scandal in the regiment he loved; and it was becoming apparent to his sluggish faculties that it was no mere matter of absence from quarters that was involving Jerrold. Chester was all aflame over that picture-business, he remembered, and the whole drift of his present investigation was to prove that Jerrold was _not_ absent from the post, but absent only from his quarters. If so, where had he spent his time until nearly four?
Sloat's heart was heavy with vague apprehension. He knew that Jerrold had borne Alice Renwick away from the party at an unusually early hour for such things to break up. He knew that he and others had protested against such desertion, but she declared it could not be helped. He remembered another thing,--a matter that he thought of at the time, only from another point of view. It now seemed to have significance bearing on this very matter; for Chester suddenly asked,--
”Wasn't it rather odd that Miss Beaubien was not here at the dance? She has never missed one, seems to me, since Jerrold began spooning with her last year.”
”Why, she _was_ here.”
”She was? Are you sure? Rollins never spoke of it; and we had been talking of her. I inferred from what he said that she was not there at all. And I saw her drive homeward with her mother right after parade: so it didn't occur to me that she could have come out again, all that distance, in time for the dance. Singular! Why shouldn't Rollins have told me?”
Sloat grinned: a dreary sort of smile it was, too. ”You go into society so seldom you don't see these things. I've more than half suspected Rollins of being quite ready to admire Miss Beaubien himself; and since Jerrold dropped her he has had plenty of opportunity.”
”Great guns! I never thought of it! If I'd known she was to be there I'd have gone myself last night. How did she behave to Miss Renwick?”
”Why, sweet and smiling, and chipper as you please. If anything, I think Miss Renwick was cold and distant to her. I couldn't make it out at all.”
”And did Jerrold dance with her?”
”Once, I think, and they had a talk out on the piazza,--just a minute. I happened to be at the door, and couldn't help seeing it; and what got me was this: Mr. Hall came out with Miss Renwick on his arm; they were chatting and laughing as they pa.s.sed me, but the moment she caught sight of Jerrold and Miss Beaubien she stopped, and said, 'I think I won't stay out here; it's too chilly,' or something like it, and went right in; and then Jerrold dropped Miss Beaubien and went after her. He just handed the young lady over to me, saying he was engaged for next dance, and skipped.”
”How did she like that? Wasn't she furious?”
”No. That's another thing that got me. She smiled after him, all sweetness, and--well, she _did_ say, 'I count upon you,--you'll be there,' and he nodded. Oh, she was bright as a b.u.t.ton after that.”
”What did she mean?--be 'where,' do you suppose? Sloat, this all means more to me, and to us all, than I can explain.”
”I don't know. I can't imagine.”
”Was it to see her again that night?”
”I don't know at all. If it was, he fooled her, for he never went near her again. Rollins put her in the carriage.”
”Whose? Did she come out with the Suttons?”
”Why, certainly. I thought you knew that.”