girl, rather than Reverson’s drinks, who was making him become somehow older, more a man than a boy.
Miss Withers purposely engaged the Honorable Emily in a discussion of the relative merits of the Victoria and Albert and the British museums. The three younger persons drew a little apart.
“Say,” began Andy Todd, in his high tenor voice. But as Candida turned toward him, Reverson spoke quickly in her ear.
“Wouldn’t you let me take you to the Trocadero or somewhere this evening?”
“That’s what I was going to say!” Andy Todd objected. The two young men glared at each other.
There never was a woman who disliked such a scene. Candida by this time had quite lost her hunted look. She smiled happily. “Then why don’t you both take me?”
“Say—” began Todd again. “That’s not so good.”
“I’ve got a better one than that,” said Reverson. “Let’s leave it to chance.” He produced an American quarter from his pocket. “Heads you have the honor, and tails Miss Noring—”
“Candy, please,” said Candida.
“And if it’s tails, Candy goes with me. Bargain?”
“Sure,” said Todd. Reverson sent the coin spinning in the air and caught it neatly on his wrist. He showed it, in obvious triumph, to them both. “Tails!”
Andy Todd looked like a small boy who has been told that he may not go to the circus. “But I wanted to talk to you,” he began to protest to Candida. “I wanted to explain about what happened on the boat…”
Miss Withers was staring over the Honorable Emily’s shoulder and was surprised to see Candida, with a motherly tact which the school teacher had never imagined she possessed, lean towards Todd and touch his lapel. There were understanding and forgiveness in that touch, and in the smile with which she whispered something in his ear that made Andy Todd brighten. He had instantly regained, Miss Withers thought, his air of having swallowed the canary. Buoyed up by some inner secret, he mumbled a farewell to them all and swaggered down the hall.
“Nasty bounder,” was the murmured verdict of the Honorable Emily.
“If I’m going out to dinner with you I shall have to get a gown pressed,” Candida told Leslie. “I’ll rush and dress, and meet you here in an hour.”
The others rose also, and Reverson gave the barman what he thought was a shilling. Miss Withers, who was last to go, saw the man scrutinize it and grin. Leslie took it back, replacing it with another coin, but not before the school teacher had noticed that the quarter dollar bore, surprisingly, the American eagle on both sides.
She nodded to herself. Evidently Leslie Reverson had seen something at the Chicago Fair besides the fan dancer and the Hall of Science.
He hurried on ahead to dress and left his aunt and Miss Withers to stroll together down the long red carpet of the hall. The Honorable Emily suddenly clutched Miss Withers’ elbow.
“Wasn’t there something you wanted to ask me on board ship?”
The school teacher, who had been trying to lead up to an opening during the last half hour, took the plunge.
“There was,” she admitted. Then she felt like hedging. “Oh, I know it isn’t any of my business. Don’t mind me, I’m just a self-appointed busybody. But I’m not as satisfied as the police seem to be with the murder-suicide theory about those deaths on board. And I can’t help wondering…”
“Quite right, too,” said the Honorable Emily. She looked at her wrist watch. “Can you come up to my room for a few minutes? I might have something to show you.”
They crossed the foyer and proceeded silently down the long hall, past the out of order elevators, and finally were lifted to the third floor. The Honorable Emily had a room facing the street, of the same general design as Candida’s. Miss Withers took a chair near the blazing hearth, near where a bright new cage dangled containing the somewhat bedraggled form of the robin. Dicon showed no inclination to sing, and
Miss Withers purposely engaged the Honorable Emily in a discussion of the relative merits of the Victoria and Albert and the British museums. The three younger persons drew a little apart.
“Say,” began Andy Todd, in his high tenor voice. But as Candida turned toward him, Reverson spoke quickly in her ear.
“Wouldn’t you let me take you to the Trocadero or somewhere this evening?”
“That’s what I was going to say!” Andy Todd objected. The two young men glared at each other.
There never was a woman who disliked such a scene. Candida by this time had quite lost her hunted look. She smiled happily. “Then why don’t you both take me?”
“Say—” began Todd again. “That’s not so good.”
“I’ve got a better one than that,” said Reverson. “Let’s leave it to chance.” He produced an American quarter from his pocket. “Heads you have the honor, and tails Miss Noring—”
“Candy, please,” said Candida.
“And if it’s tails, Candy goes with me. Bargain?”
“Sure,” said Todd. Reverson sent the coin spinning in the air and caught it neatly on his wrist. He showed it, in obvious triumph, to them both. “Tails!”
Andy Todd looked like a small boy who has been told that he may not go to the circus. “But I wanted to talk to you,” he began to protest to Candida. “I wanted to explain about what happened on the boat…”
Miss Withers was staring over the Honorable Emily’s shoulder and was surprised to see Candida, with a motherly tact which the school teacher had never imagined she possessed, lean towards Todd and touch his lapel. There were understanding and forgiveness in that touch, and in the smile with which she whispered something in his ear that made Andy Todd brighten. He had instantly regained, Miss Withers thought, his air of having swallowed the canary. Buoyed up by some inner secret, he mumbled a farewell to them all and swaggered down the hall.
“Nasty bounder,” was the murmured verdict of the Honorable Emily.
“If I’m going out to dinner with you I shall have to get a gown pressed,” Candida told Leslie. “I’ll rush and dress, and meet you here in an hour.”
The others rose also, and Reverson gave the barman what he thought was a shilling. Miss Withers, who was last to go, saw the man scrutinize it and grin. Leslie took it back, replacing it with another coin, but not before the school teacher had noticed that the quarter dollar bore, surprisingly, the American eagle on both sides.
She nodded to herself. Evidently Leslie Reverson had seen something at the Chicago Fair besides the fan dancer and the Hall of Science.
He hurried on ahead to dress and left his aunt and Miss Withers to stroll together down the long red carpet of the hall. The Honorable Emily suddenly clutched Miss Withers’ elbow.
“Wasn’t there something you wanted to ask me on board ship?”
The school teacher, who had been trying to lead up to an opening during the last half hour, took the plunge.
“There was,” she admitted. Then she felt like hedging. “Oh, I know it isn’t any of my business. Don’t mind me, I’m just a self-appointed busybody. But I’m not as satisfied as the police seem to be with the murder-suicide theory about those deaths on board. And I can’t help wondering…”
“Quite right, too,” said the Honorable Emily. She looked at her wrist watch. “Can you come up to my room for a few minutes? I might have something to show you.”
They crossed the foyer and proceeded silently down the long hall, past the out of order elevators, and finally were lifted to the third floor. The Honorable Emily had a room facing the street, of the same general design as Candida’s. Miss Withers took a chair near the blazing hearth, near where a bright new cage dangled containing the somewhat bedraggled form of the robin. Dicon showed no inclination to sing, and
Similar Books
