Part 30 (1/2)
”I--I am a little late, am I not, Joanne?” he asked
”You are, sir If you have taken all this ti fifteen ized ”Joanne----”
”You mustn't, John!” she expostulated in a whisper ”My face is afire now!
You ain--until after supper----”
”Only once,” he pleaded
”If you will proasped:
”Five ti as I live!”
They went down to the Blacktons, and Peggy and Paul, ere busy over so-rooruous appearance of total oblivion to everything that had happened It lasted less than ten seconds Joanne's lips quivered Aldous saw the two little di to keep they Blackton could stand it no longer, and grinned broadly
”For goodness sake go to it, Peggy!” he laughed ”If you don't you'll explode!”
The next y and Joanne were in each other's ar hands
”We know just how you feel,” Blackton tried to explain ”We felt just like you do, only we had to face twenty people instead of two And you're not hungry I'll wager that I'll bet you don't feel like sing a y?”
”And I--I aly as they took their places at the table ”There really did seehed and coughed and coughed before all those people until I wanted to die right there! And I' to choke, too?” sry as a bear!”
And now she did look glorious and self-possessed to Aldous as she sat opposite him at that small round table, which was just fitted for four He told her so when thethe Blacktons into the front roo the line of a certain scheative nod fronified that he was to wait a while, he pulled out his watch, and said:
”It isn't at all surprising if you people have forgotten that to-ht shopping, and if you don't o to town We won't be gone more than an hour”
A few minutes later, when the door had closed behind them, Aldous led Joanne to a divan, and sat down beside her
”I couldn't have arranged it betterhow I could have you alone for a few minutes, and tell you what is on ht I'm afraid you will be displeased with ot to”
A moment's uneasiness ca
”You don't mean, John--there'slike that,” he laughed, as though amused at the absurdity of her question ”Old Donald tells me they have skipped the country, Joanne It's not that It's you I' of, and what you iven ot to keep that proo into the North with him”
She had drawn one of his hands into her lap and was fondling it with her own soft palers
”Of course, you o--soon,” he added