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As he drew nearer, the young man’s air of assurance was replaced by an expression of mildly humorous surprise.
“Well—this is white of you. Undine!” he said, taking her lifeless fingers into his dapperly gloved hand.
Through her veil she formed the words: “I said I’d come.”
He laughed. “That’s so. And you see I believed you. Though I might not have—”
“I don’t see the use of beginning like this,” she interrupted nervously.
“That’s so too. Suppose we walk along a little ways? It’s rather chilly standing round.”
He turned down the path that descended toward the Ramble and the girl moved on beside him with her long flowing steps.
When they had reached the comparative shelter of the interlacing trees Moffatt paused again to say: “If we’re going to talk I’d like to see you. Undine;” and after a first moment of reluctance she submissively threw back her veil.
He let his eyes rest on her in silence; then he said judicially: “You’ve filled out some; but you’re paler.” After another appreciative scrutiny he added: “There’s mighty few women as well worth looking at, and I’m obliged to you for letting me have the chance again.”
Undine’s brows drew together, but she softened her frown to a quivering smile.
“I’m glad to see you too, Elmer—I am, REALLY!”
He returned her smile while his glance continued to study her humorously. “You didn’t betray the fact last night. Miss Spragg.”
“I was so taken aback. I thought you were out in Alaska somewhere.”
The young man shaped his lips into the mute whistle by which he habitually vented his surprise. “You DID? Didn’t Abner E. Spragg tell you he’d seen me down town?”
Undine gave him a startled glance. “Father? Why, have you seen him? He never said a word about it!”
Her companion’s whistle became audible. “He’s running yet!” he said gaily. “I wish I could scare some people as easy as I can your father.”
The girl hesitated. “I never felt toward you the way father did,” she hazarded at length; and he gave her another long look in return.
“Well, if they’d left you alone I don’t believe you’d ever have acted mean to me,” was the conclusion he drew from it.
“I didn’t mean to, Elmer … I give you my word—but I was so young … I didn’t know anything….”
His eyes had a twinkle of reminiscent pleasantry. “No—I don’t suppose it WOULD teach a girl much to be engaged two years to a stiff like Millard Binch; and that was about all that had happened to you before I came along.”
Undine flushed to the forehead. “Oh, Elmer—I was only a child when I was engaged to Millard—”
“That’s a fact. And you went on being one a good while afterward. The Apex Eagle always headlined you ‘The child-bride’—”
“I can’t see what’s the use—now—.”
“That ruled out of court too? See here. Undine—what CAN we talk about? I understood that was what we were here for.”
“Of course.” She made an effort at recovery. “I only meant to say—what’s the use of raking up things that are over?”
“Rake up? That’s the idea, is it? Was that why you tried to cut me last night?”
“I—oh, Elmer! I didn’t mean to; only, you see, I’m engaged.”
“Oh, I saw that fast enough. I’d have seen it even if I didn’t read the papers.” He gave a short laugh. “He was feeling pretty good, sitting there alongside of you, wasn’t he? I don’t wonder he was. I remember. But I don’t see that that was a reason for cold-shouldering me. I’m a respectable member of society now—I’m one of Harmon B. Driscoll’s private secretaries.” He brought out the fact with mock solemnity.
But to Undine, though undoubtedly impressive, the statement did not immediately present itself as a subject for pleasantry.
“Elmer Moffatt—you ARE?”
He laughed again. “Guess you’d have remembered me last night if you’d known it.”
She was following her own train of thought with a look of pale intensity. “You’re LIVING in New York, then—you’re going to live here right along?”
“Well, it looks that way; as long as I can hang on to this job. Great men always gravitate to the metropolis. And I gravitated here just as Uncle Harmon B. was looking round for somebody who could give him an inside tip on the Eubaw mine deal—you know the Driscolls are pretty deep in Eubaw. I happened to go out there after our little unpleasantness at Apex, and it was just the time the deal went through. So in one way your folks did me a good turn when they made Apex too hot for me: funny to think of, ain’t it?”
Undine, recovering herself, held out her hand impulsively.
“I’m real glad of it—I mean I’m real glad you’ve had such a stroke of luck!”
“Much obliged,” he returned. “By the way, you might mention the fact to Abner E. Spragg next time you run across him.”
“Father’ll be real glad too, Elmer.” She hesitated, and then went on: “You must see now that it was natural father and mother should have felt the way they did—”
“Oh, the only thing that struck me as unnatural was their making you feel so too. But I’m free to admit I wasn’t a promising case in those days.” His glance played over her for a moment. “Say, Undine—it was good while it lasted, though, wasn’t it?”
She shrank back with a burning face and eyes of misery.
“Why, what’s the matter? That ruled out too? Oh, all right. Look at here, Undine, suppose you let me know what you ARE here to talk about, anyhow.”
She cast a helpless glance down the windings of the wooded glen in which they had halted.
“Just to ask you—to beg you—not to say anything of this kind again—EVER—”
“Anything about you and me?”
She nodded mutely.
“Why, what’s wrong? Anybody been saying anything against me?”
“Oh, no. It’s not that!”
“What on earth is it, then—except that you’re ashamed of me, one way or another?” She made no answer, and he stood digging the tip of his walking-stick into a СКАЧАТЬ