Part 9 (1/2)

”The baby?” we all asked at once.

”Out of any immediate danger, the doctor says. The nurse came an hour ago, but the child had two more of those awful things, and I was able to help her. The mother is no good at all, one of those emotional women whose idea of taking care of a baby is to shriek over it.”

Her voice held no contempt, only a great weariness. I felt a sudden rush of sympathetic liking for this woman, whom I had looked upon as an enemy.

”What can I get you, Mrs. Underwood?” I asked. ”You look so worn out.”

”If Katie has not thrown out that coffee,” she returned practically, ”let us warm it up.”

I felt a foolish little thrill of housewifely pride. A few minutes before her appearance I had gone into the kitchen and made fresh coffee, antic.i.p.ating her return. Katie, of course, I had sent to bed after she had cleared the table and washed the silver. I had told her to pile the dishes for the morning.

”I have fresh coffee all ready,” I said. ”I thought perhaps you might like a cup. Sit still, and I'll bring it in.”

Harry Underwood sprang to his feet. ”I'll carry the tray for you.”

I thought I detected a little quiver of pain on Mrs. Underwood's face.

Her husband had expressed no concern for her, but was offering to carry my tray. Truly, the tables were turning. I had suffered because of the rumors I had heard concerning this woman's regard for d.i.c.ky.

Was I, not meaning it, to cause her annoyance?

”Indeed you will do no such thing,” I spoke playfully to hide my real indignation at the man. ”d.i.c.ky is the only accredited waiter around this house.”

”Card from the waiters' union right in my pocket,” d.i.c.ky grinned, and stretched lazily as he followed me to the kitchen.

We served the coffee, and Lillian and her husband went home. As the door closed behind them d.i.c.ky came over to me and took me in his arms.

”Pretty exciting evening, wasn't it, sweetheart?” he said. ”I'm afraid you are all done out.”

He drew me to our chair and we sat down together. I found myself crying, something I almost never do. d.i.c.ky smoothed my hair tenderly, silently, until I wiped my eyes. Then his clasp tightened around me.

”Tonight has taught me a lesson,” he said. ”Sometimes I have dreamed of a little child of our own, Madge. But I would rather never have a child than go through the suffering those poor devils had tonight. It must be awful to lose a baby.”

I hid my face in his shoulder. Not even to my husband could I confess just then how the touch of the naked, rigid little body of that other woman's child had sent a thrill of longing through me for a baby's hands that should be mine.

IX

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

”Well, we are in plenty of time.”

We were seated, d.i.c.ky and I, in the waiting room of the Long Island railroad a week after my dinner party that had almost ended in tragedy. d.i.c.ky had bought our tickets to Marvin, the little village which was to be the starting point of our country ramble, and we were putting in the time before our train was ready in gazing at the usual morning scene in a railroad station.

There were not many pa.s.sengers going out on the island, but scores of commuters were hurrying through the station on their way to their offices and other places of employment.

”You don't see many of the commuters up here,” d.i.c.ky remarked. ”There's a pa.s.sage direct from the trains to the subway on the lower level, and most of them take that. Some of the women come up to prink a bit in the waiting room, and some of the men come through here to get cigars or papers, but the big crowd is down on the train level.”

I hardly heard him, for I was so interested in a girl who had just come into the waiting room. I had never seen so self-possessed a creature in my life. She was unusually beautiful, with golden hair that was so real the most captious person could not suspect that hair of being dyed. Her eyes were dark, and the unusual combination of eyes and hair fitted a face with regular features and a fair skin. I had seen Christmas and Easter cards with faces like hers. But I had never seen anyone like her in real life, and I am afraid I stared at her as hard as did everyone else in the waiting room.