our fault!” while Leslie vainly tried to explain: “A gentleman, a stranger, brought us here and paid our cab fare. I want a dollar, Dad, to refund him.”
But, for once, the doting father was deaf to his son’s words. He did not even pause in his rapid stride along the corridor, fairly dragging Dorothy off her feet in his unconscious haste, and finally depositing her in an empty chair beside Aunt Betty’s, with the remark:
“Here’s your ‘bad penny’ again! She – they all – will learn some lessons up at San Leon, this summer, or I’m a mistaken man. The one thing nobody should dare lose is – time!”
Mrs. Calvert gave him a surprised look but she had also been hurt by Dorothy’s absence during the brief space that remained to them together, and she hastened to deliver the many last charges and bits of advice that seemed needful before their parting.
A waiter placed their dinner before the three young folks and Alfy and Leslie fell to work upon it with hungry zeal, but Dorothy could not eat. Her eye had discovered a clock on the wall, with the hands pointing five minutes to three. At ten minutes past that hour the “Eastern Limited” would roll out of the station and she be left behind. In a sudden impulse, she threw her arms about Aunt Betty’s neck, begging:
“Take me with you! Please take me with you! I – I love you best of all the world, so why shouldn’t we keep together?”
If there were tears in Mrs. Calvert’s bright, dark eyes, she did not allow them to fall. Unclasping her darling’s arms and gently laying them down, she silently signalled to Mrs. Ford and almost as silently left the room.
The “Gray Lady” followed and Aunt Betty whispered:
“I’m getting too old for good-bys. I’m going to slip away in the hotel stage and don’t let Dolly follow me, please, till it’s too late. She’ll be all right again, directly, and – and so shall I. Good-by to you, though, and – that’s all.”
Dolly dropped her head on the edge of the table, as Aunt Betty loosened her arms. She was bravely trying to overcome the sudden loneliness which possessed her and in this was helped by Alfy’s warning:
“Dolly Doodles! Take your head out of your soup plate! Are you crazy? There goes your ribbon right into the mess!”
The head was lifted so suddenly that the ribbon flew off and fell into the dish and its owner’s tears ended in a giggle. Then her face flushed at thought of her own awkwardness and she looked down expecting a reprimand from Mrs. Calvert. When none came she lifted her eyes and found the next chair empty. This was a relief. She’d hide the ribbon before her aunt discovered it! But already the waiter had whisked that plate away and was supplying her with another.
Funny! Where Aunt Betty had gone! But, of course she’d merely left the room for a minute and would be back to say good-by. Then she picked at her food for a moment, wondering why Mr. Ford had also disappeared, and at the eagerness with which Leslie and Alfaretta enjoyed the good things served to them.
Gray Lady slipped back to her own place between the other two young people and began to ask them about the adventure which had delayed them. Presently they were all talking together, even Dorothy adding her comments and forgetting to look again at that warning clock.
Besides, she was listening to the grumbles of Leslie who, for once, was angry against his father and was explaining to his mother:
“I never felt so ashamed of myself. The idea of letting that stranger, and the proprietor of a rival hotel, pay our cab fare! I wish you’d hand me the cash and I’ll send a boy to hunt him up and settle. I – ”
Mrs. Ford stopped his further complaints by a nod of her head and the odd remark:
“They must have arrived by this time and the others must be gone. Yes, they ought to be here. I hope they’ll not delay us, too, as you did. Money? No, dear, I can’t give you that. Not in this case when your father has denied it. Ah! Fifteen minutes after three! Then our friends must be well out of the city by now.”
Lady Gray, as her son still loved to call her, now took her eyes from the clock she had been studying and cast a tender look upon the face of Dorothy. The girl had sprung up from her chair and had fixed her own gaze upon the time-piece while the color left her cheeks and she trembled violently. But Mrs. Ford’s arm was about the slender waist and her voice was comforting:
“Your Aunt Betty thought it was the best. She shrank from the good-bys for both your sakes. She’s a wonderful woman and thinks of everything that will make people happier. She said she’d just postpone the farewells till you meet again. She went away as cheerfully as possible and you must follow her example. Ah! hark!”
Dorothy’s bent head lifted slightly. There was a sound of merry, youthful voices in the corridor, the genial tones of Mr. Ford mingling with them, and presently the portieres were parted and the opening was filled by a group of faces matching the voices and belonging to – Could it be? Could it!
“Molly Breckenridge! Helena! Oh! Oh! Jim – you dears!” cried the astonished Dolly, rubbing her eyes that had been so dimmed by tears, and gazing at the faces in the doorway as if she couldn’t believe her own sight.
There, too, was Alfaretta, clasping the hands of all the newcomers, fairly dancing up and down in her excitement, “hail-fellow-well-met” with them all, forgetful for once of the difference in their social positions which had used to make her shy and restrained.
“Be I awake or asleep? How in my senses have you all got away out here to this jumpin’ off place of all creation? Jim Barlow, you darlin’ old Jim! How’s Ma Babcock? How’s Pa? How’s every single one the precious folks up-mounting? Oh! I could just squeeze the life out of you, I’m so terrible glad to see you!” almost screamed the girl, as she now for a moment forsook the “’ristocratics” of the party to hug and kiss James Barlow.
He, poor fellow, rid himself of her clasping arms as soon as possible, reddening yet laughing, and casting an appealing look upon the lady who had risen from the table and stood smiling her welcome to them all.
“Don’t mind Alfy, ma’am; she always did have to be the middle of things,” begged the lad, overcoming his own shyness rather than have that beautiful lady think he was a “softie” who liked kissing girls. Also, he was thankful that Dorothy had contented herself with merely holding tight to his hand and simply looking her affection.
“Oh! that’s all right. We love Alfy; and this, I see, is that wonderful ‘Jim’ of whom I’ve been told so much. I – we – are delighted that you were able to take your holiday with us; and though we are not there yet, I bid you hearty welcome to San Leon,” said Lady Gray, now moving forward and warmly shaking the hand of the “work boy” as Dorothy released it.
“Isn’t it splendid? Is it a surprise? Didn’t you know a thing about it, Dolly Doodles?” demanded pretty Molly, hugging her friend, then standing back to hold her at arm’s length and study the changes which a few months’ separation had made in the beloved face.
Helena Montaigne, too, was trying to clasp her in equally tender arms, and Molly reluctantly released Dorothy, while she let Mr. Ford lead her to his wife, introducing her as:
“The daughter of my old friend, Judge Breckenridge. He and I were classmates once, and come here, Leslie boy! I’ve heard this little lady spoken of as ‘Jolly Molly,’ and you must make it your business that not one day of her coming summer with us shall be anything save ‘jolly.’ Ah! Erminie, young people on a ranch!”
Evidently, Leslie
