by surprise, and rather intrigued by having such a good-looking young escort, was silent for the first few minutes, studying the young man’s profile in the shadows of the car. She was planning just how she should open the conversation with him so that she would have his influence on her side, and perhaps force him to take her back to the house where she so greatly desired to be tonight. She had nursed her desires until she was thoroughly convinced that she was slighted by not having had an invitation to this wedding. What she wanted to do was to get it back on the Hollises for the shabby way in which they had treated her, bringing it out into the open that she was not of the wedding party. But the trouble was she did not know this young man. He had not been with the rest of the crowd on the few occasions when she had been with them, and she was not sure just what approach would be best to use. So for the first few seconds she was quiet.
But before she had decided what to say, Link spoke himself.
“Just what did you hope to gain by pulling off a stunt like that, Miss Lazarelle?” he said. “Surely you know that no one admires what you have done. All our crowd love and admire the Hollises, and not one of us likes to see them humiliated. I scarcely see how Sydney can ever bear to look at you again. As for the rest of us, we all feel that you have committed an outrage. Not one of the fellows could ever admire you even though you are all made up in that outlandish style. You don’t know how a decent fellow despises a girl who would carry on the way you have been doing. Why don’t you snap out of this and try to behave like a regular human being? I can’t see what possible fun you could get out of a stunt like this. You’re not drunk, are you?”
In utmost astonishment Minnie listened. She was shaken beyond anything at hearing an estimate of her appearance and character that nobody had ever dared give her before, certainly no interesting young man. Suddenly shame came to her. Shame was almost a stranger to her. She had been doing as she pleased, saying what she pleased, all her life. And she had always reacted in such unexpected ways when anyone dared to call her down that her victims were left speechless with rage.
And so when shame touched her her anger boiled to fury’s heat and she opened her mouth to give a choice answer. But instead, shameful angry tears stung her eyes, and dulled the sharpness of the words she would have uttered, and she sat there dumb.
So, this was McRae Silverthorn’s adored brother! The man who had selected that nifty dress for his sister. The man whom all the crowd admired! And he was talking to her like this!
As the car drew up at the curb and stopped she ventured a trembling protest:
“I don’t see what I’ve done that was so awful! I had a perfect right in——”
“Oh, yes, you do! You know exactly how you have behaved! You planned to do it. You thought perhaps if you succeeded in getting your way and being at that dinner, and the other festivities, that you would have a good time and some pleasant friends. But you wouldn’t! Not a soul of the crowd would have wanted to have anything to do with you. Don’t you know that? You wouldn’t have been good company either, and you wouldn’t have been admired by anyone. You know it isn’t necessary for you to be like this. You wouldn’t be bad looking if you’d wash all that tawdry makeup off, and fix your hair neatly, and stop wearing flimsy finery. You’d have to change your line, but you probably could learn to behave like a lady! Why don’t you try it?”
Suddenly Minnie took refuge in tears.
“I’ve never really had half a chance!” she sobbed. “I never had a nice home like other girls. And I never got invited to nice parties, not had nice boy friends. I always had to get in anywhere I went by my wits. Nobody wants me.”
“I don’t doubt it,” said Link severely. “Not if you’ve always acted the way you have been doing tonight. But you mustn’t blame it on fate or your environment or anything like that. It’s all your own fault and you know it! Now, will you get out? This is the house, and you can see perfectly well that there’s no movie-thriller going on inside or out. Get out, please! I haven’t much time.”
He got out, and went around to the other side of the car. He helped her out, keeping a firm hold of her arm, and so propelled her up the curb, across the sidewalk, and up the walk to the door, not lingering on the way in spite of the drag of Minnie’s reluctant feet.
But even as he reached to touch the doorbell Minnie started back sharply.
“Don’t!” she said in a low tearful tone. “I can ring my own bell. You go on back. I can let myself in.”
“No you don’t!” said Link firmly. “I agreed to see you safely inside, and I mean to do it. You aren’t going to have any more chances to pull a stunt like that tonight. And by the way, remember what I said. If you try any more monkey shines to worry my friends I personally will see that you get your come-uppance, and I don’t mean maybe. Do I have you word of honor or haven’t you any honor?”
He looked sternly down at her in the starlight.
“Yes!” she gasped, struggling to fight back the unaccustomed tears.
And just then the door swung open and Mrs. Fremont stood there in the bright light. Link put forward his ward and introduced her, pleasantly enough, but with a look on his nice firm lips that meant business.
“This is Miss Lazarelle, Mrs. Fremont. Mr. Hollis asked me to bring her over to be sure she found the way. He said to tell you it was very kind of you to take care of her tonight and they will be telling you so themselves later.”
“Why, we’re delighted,” said Mrs. Fremont, possessing herself of the reluctant hand of the unwilling guest, and smiling warmly upon her and the young man, including them both in that smile, as if Link and the girl were friends. That inclusive smile did something soothing to the overwrought nerves of the girl, and Minnie looked up almost gratefully.
“Now,” said Mrs. Fremont with welcome in her eyes, “you’ll come in, Link, and have dinner with us, won’t you? We’re just about to sit down and I’m sure it will make Miss Lazarelle feel a lot more at home if you stay.”
“That’s very kind of you,” said Link warmly, “but I’m being waited for, and I can’t possibly stay tonight.”
Minnie lifted wistful eyes toward the young man as he backed away toward the door. Would a young man like that ever bring her to a place and stay there because he wanted to be with her, she wondered?
And then she suddenly roused to the moment. Something was due him from her, some thanks. Could he drag the words from her bitter lips after the drubbing he had given her?
“Thanks awfully for showing me the way,” she murmured, lifting her miserable eyes to his face with a swift glance, hoping he didn’t know how deep he had gone into her soul with his scathing words.
“So sorry you can’t stay, Link,” murmured Mrs. Fremont with a kindly hand on the girl’s arm. “We’ll try to take good care of this young woman.”
If that detaining hand had not been possessively on her arm when the door opened to let Link out, she felt she would have bolted straight out too and vanished into the night. Only, she reflected as she was ushered upstairs to a pleasant guest room to take off her wrap, that it wouldn’t be so easy to disappear into the night from a young man like that. He was capable of handling any girl who tried to get away from him, and of course under the present circumstances he wouldn’t hesitate to call in the police if it became necessary. Then she winced as she remembered his tone while he was berating her, his keen sarcasm, his strong frank words that left no room for doubt of what he meant. The unbidden tears sprang
