Part 38 (1/2)
She leaned from the cab. Her face looked ethereally beautiful in the faint light. I knew she meant to make d.i.c.ky regret that he could not accompany her.
”Good night,” she said sweetly. ”I am so sorry you do not feel well. I sincerely hope you will be better in the morning.”
But as the taxi rolled away, my heart beating a triumphant accompaniment to the roll of its wheels, I knew she was wis.h.i.+ng me every malevolent thing possible.
I was glad she could not guess the bitter taste in my cup of victory.
Long after d.i.c.ky was asleep, I lay on my porch bed looking out at the stars and debating over and over the question:
”Did d.i.c.ky refuse to accompany Grace Draper to her home because of consideration for me, or because he was afraid to trust himself alone with her?”
XXVI
A VOICE THAT CARRIED FAR
”Ah! Mrs. Graham, this is an unexpected pleasure.”
Dr. Pett.i.t's eyes looked down into my own with an expression that emphasized the words he had just uttered. His outstretched hand clasped mine warmly, his impressive greeting embarra.s.sed me a bit, and I turned instinctively toward d.i.c.ky to see if he had noticed the young physician's extraordinarily cordial greeting.
But this I had no opportunity to discover, for as I turned, a taxi drew up to the curb where the Underwoods--who had come down to spend the promised week with us--d.i.c.ky and I were waiting for the little Crest Haven Beach trolley and d.i.c.ky sprang to meet Grace Draper and the Durkees--Alfred Durkee and his mother, who completed our party for the motor boat trip.
”I am very glad to see you, Dr. Pett.i.t,” I murmured conventionally, then hurriedly: ”Pardon me a moment, I must greet these guests. I will be back.”
When I turned again to him after welcoming Grace Draper with forced friendliness, and the Durkees with the real warmth of liking I felt for them, I found him talking to Lillian.
Dr. Pett.i.t, it appeared, was waiting for the same car we wished to take, and no one looking at our friendly chatting group would have known that he did not belong to the party.
It was when we were all seated comfortably in the trolley, bowling merrily along over the gra.s.s-strewn track, that Lillian voiced a suggestion which had sprung into my own mind, but to which I did not quite know how to give utterance.
”Look here,” she said brusquely, ”I'm not the hostess of this party, but I'm practically one of the family, so I feel free to issue an invitation if I wish. Dr. Pett.i.t, what's the matter with you joining our party for the day? d.i.c.ky here has been howling for another man to help lug the grub all morning. Unless you are set on a solitary day that man 'might as well be you'”--she punctuated the parody with a mocking little moue.
I had a sneaking little notion that d.i.c.ky would have been glad of the opportunity to box Lillian's ears for her suggestion. I do not think he enjoyed the idea of adding Dr. Pett.i.t to the party, but, of course, in view of what she had said there was nothing for him to do but to pretend a cordial acquiescence in her suggestion.
”That's the very thing,” he said, with a heartiness which only I, and possibly Lillian, could dream was a.s.sumed. ”Lil, you do occasionally have a gleam of human intelligence, don't you?
”I do hope that you have no plan that will interfere with coming with us,” he said to the physician. ”We have a big boat chartered down here at the beach, and we're going to loaf along out to one of the 'desert islands' and camp for the day.”
”That sounds like a most interesting program,” said the young physician. His voice held a note of hesitation, and he looked swiftly, inquiringly, at me and back again. It was so carelessly done that I do not think any one noticed it, but I realized that he was waiting for me to join my voice to the invitation.
”Well, Dr. Pett.i.t,” d.i.c.ky came up at this juncture, ”out for the day?”
His tone was cordial enough, but I, who knew every inflection of d.i.c.ky's voice, realized that he did not relish the appearance of Dr.
Pett.i.t upon the scene.
”Yes, I'm going down to the sh.o.r.e for a dip,” the young physician returned. And then without the stiff dignity which I had seen in his professional manner, he acknowledged the introductions which I gave him to Grace Draper and the Durkees.
”I trust you will think it interesting enough to make it worth your while to join us,” I said demurely, lifting my eyes to his and catching a swift flash of something which might be either relief or triumph in his steely gray ones.