CHAPTER XXV
It was a wonderful day of June skies and roses. Maxwell had sent a note by special messenger to Cornelia to say that two world-tennis champions were to play at the Cricket Grounds that afternoon and would she like to go? If so he would call for her at two o’clock.
So Cornelia had baked macaroni and cheese, roasted some apples and made a chocolate cornstarch pudding. There was cold meat in the refrigerator, and she wrote a note to Louise in case she should be late.
She looked very pretty and slim in her dark blue crêpe de chene made over with an odd little idea in pockets to cover where it had to be pieced. She resurrected an old dark blue hat with a becoming brim, re-dyed it and wreathed it with a row of little pale pink velvet roses. Nobody would ever have guessed that the roses were old ones that had been cleaned and retouched with the paint brush till they glowed like new ones. She added a string of queer Chinese beads that one of the girls at college had given her, and looked as chic and pretty as any girl could desire when Maxwell called for her. His eyes showed their admiration as he came up the steps and found her ready, waiting for him, her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, her eyes starry, little rings of brown hair blowing out here and there about her face.
“That’s a nice hat,” he said contentedly, his eyes taking in her whole harmonious costume, “New one isn’t it? Atleast I never saw it before.” He noted with pleasure that her complexion was not applied.
“A real girl!” he was saying to himself in a kind of inner triumph! “Arealgirl! What a fool I used to be!”
The day was wonderful, and there was a big box of chocolates in the car. Cornelia listening to her happy heart found it singing.
They made long strides in friendship as they drove through the city and out to the Cricket Club grounds, and Cornelia’s cheeks grew pinker with joy. It seemed as though life were very good indeed to her today.
They drove the car into the grounds, found a good place to park it and were just about to go to their seats on the grand stand when a young, gimlet-eyed flapper with bobbed hair rushed up crying:
“Oh, Arthur Maxwell, won’t you please go over to the gym dressing rooms and find Tommy Fergus for me. He promised to meet me here half an hour ago, and I’m nearly dead standing in this sun. I’d go in and sit down but he has the tickets and he promised on his honor not to be late. I knew it would be just like this if he tried to play a set before the tournament.”
There was nothing for Maxwell to do but introduce the curious-eyed maiden to Cornelia and go on the mission, and the young woman climbed up beside Cornelia and began to chatter.
It appeared that her name was Dotty Chapman, that she was a sort of cousin of Maxwell’s, and that she knew everybody and everything that had to do with the CricketClub. She chattered on like a magpie, telling Cornelia who all the people were that by this time were coming in a stream through the arched gateway. Cornelia found it rather interesting.
“That’s Senator Brown’s daughter. She won the blue ribbon at the Horse Show last winter. That’s her brother—no, not the fat one, the man on the right. He’s the famous polo player. And that’s Harry Harlow, yes, the tall one. He’s anut! You’d die laughing to hear him. There, that girl’s the woman champion in tennis this year, and the man with her is Mrs. Carter Rounds’ first husband, you remember. They say he’s gone on another woman now. There goes Jason Casper’s fiancee. Isn’t she ugly? I don’t see what he sees in her, but she’s got stacks of money, so I suppose he doesn’t care. Say, do you know Arthur Maxwell’s fiancee? I’m dying to meet her. They say she issimply stunning. I saw her in the distance dancing at the Roof Garden the other night, but it was only for a second. Somebody pointed her out, I’m not sure I’d know her. They say she is very foreign in her appearance. Have you met her yet? Isn’t that she now, just getting out of that big blue car with Bob Channing? I believe it is. Look! Did you ever see such a slim figure? And that frock is the darlingest. They say all her clothes come from abroad and are designed especially for her. The engagement isn’t announced yet you know, but it will be I suppose as soon as Mrs. Maxwell gets home again. Miss Chantry doesn’t wish it spoken of even among her most intimate friends until then, she doesn’t think itis courteous to her future mother-in-law, that’s why she goes around with other men so much. She told my cousin Lucia so. But everybody knows it of course. You, I suppose you know all about it too? There he comes! They’re going to meet! I wonder how they’ll act. Isn’t it thrilling. My goodness! Don’t they carry it off well, he’s hardly stopping to speak. I don’t believe she likes it, I wouldn’t, would you? Isn’t that white crêpe with the scarlet trimmings just entrancing? But where on earth is Tommy! He didn’t bring him. Oh—whyTommy! Is that you? Where on earth have you been? Didn’t Mr. Maxwell find you? He’s been after you, there he is coming now! What made you keep me waiting so long? I’ve stood here an hour and simply cooked! What? You meant theothergate? Well, what’s the difference? Why didn’t you say so? Oh, well, don’t fuss so, let’s go find our seats. What? Oh, yes, this is Miss—Copedid you say? Copley? Oh yes! Miss Copley, Mr. Fergus. Thank you so much, Cousin Arthur. Good-bye.”
She was gone, vanishing behind the neighboring grand stand, but so was the glory of the day.
Cornelia’s face looked strangely white and tired as Maxwell helped her down, and she found her feet unsteady as she walked beside him silently to their seats. There was something queer the matter with her heart. It kept stopping suddenly and then turning over with a jerk. The sun seemed to have darkened about her and her feet seemed weighted.
“That girl is a perfect pest,” he said frowning as hehelped Cornelia to her seat. “I was just afraid she was going to wish herself on us for the afternoon. She has a habit of doing that and I didn’t mean to have it this time. I was prepared to hire a substitute for the lost Tommy if he didn’t materialize. Her mother is a second or third cousin of my grandmother’s aunt or something like that and she is always asking favors.”
Cornelia tried to smile and murmur something pleasant, but her lips seemed stiff, and when she looked up she noticed that he was hurriedly scanning the benches on the other side of the rectangle. Following his glance her eyes caught a glimpse of white set off by vivid scarlet. Ah! Then it was true! Her sinking heart put her to sudden shame and revealed herself to herself.
This then had been the secret of her great happiness and of the brightness of the day. She had been presuming on the kindness of this stranger and actually jumping to the conclusion that he was paying her special attention. What folly had been hers! How she had always despised girls who gave their hearts before they were asked, who took too much for granted from a few pleasant little attentions.
Mr. Maxwell had done nothing that any gentleman might not have done for a casual friend of his mother’s. When she began to sift the past few weeks in her thoughts, his attentions had mainly been spent on her brothers. A few roses, and this invitation this afternoon. Nothing that any sensible girl would think a thing of. She was a fool, that was all there was of it, an everlasting fool, and now she must rouse herself somehow from this ghastlysinking feeling that had come over her and keep him from reading her very thoughts. He must never suspect her unwomanliness. He must never know how she had misconstrued his kindness. Oh, if she could only get away into the cool and dark for a minute and lie down and close her eyes, she could get hold of herself. But that was out of the question. She must sit here and smile in the sun with the gleam of scarlet across the courts and never, never let him suspect. He was all right, of course he was, all right and fine, and he doubtless thought that she too knew all about his fiancee, only he could not speak about it now because the lady had placed her commands upon him for his mother’s sake. How nice to honor his mother!
A breath of a sigh escaped her and she straightened up and tried to look bright and interesting.
“Youaretired!” he said turning to look into her eyes. “I don’t believe this is going to be a restful thing for you at all. Wouldn’t you rather get out of here and just take a ride or something—in the Park perhaps?”
“Oh, noindeed!” said Cornelia quickly sitting up very straight and trying to shake off the effects of the shock she had suffered, “I’ve always wanted to see a great tournament, and I’ve never had the opportunity. Now tell me all the things I need to know please to be an intelligent witness.”
He began telling her about the two world famous men who were to play, about their good points and their weak ones, and to give a scientific treatise on certain kinds of services and returns, and she gave strict attention and asked intelligent questions, and was getting on very well,keeping her own private thoughts utterly in the background, when suddenly he said:
“Do you see that lady in white just directly opposite us? White with scarlet trimmings. I wish you would look at her a moment. Here, take the field glasses. Sometime I am going to tell you about her.”
Cornelia tried to steady her hand as she adjusted the glasses to her eyes, and to steady her lips for a question:
“Is she—a—friend?”
“I hardly think you’d call it that—any more!” he answered in a curiously hard tone. But Cornelia was too preoccupied to notice.
“Shall we—meet her?” she asked after studying the exquisite doll face across the distance, and wondering if it really were as wonderfully perfect close at hand. Wondering too why she seemed to suddenly feel disappointed in the man beside her if this was his choice of a wife.
“I thinknot,” he said decidedly, and then as a sudden clapping arose, growing, like a swift moving shower, “There, there they are! The players. That’s the Englishman, that big chap, and this man, this is our man. See how supple he is. He has a great reach. Watch him now.”
After that there was no more opportunity to talk personalities and Cornelia was glad that she could just sit still and watch, although with her preoccupied mind she might as well have been at home cooking dinner for all she knew about that tournament. The players came and went like little puppets in a show, the ball flew back and forth, and games and sets were played, but she knew no moreabout it than if she had not been there. Now and then her eyes furtively stole a glance across the way at the scarlet line on the white.
Maxwell had glanced at her curiously several times. Her attitude was one of deep attention. She smiled just as pleasantly when he spoke, but somehow her voice had lost the spring out of it and he could not help thinking she was weary.
“Let’s get out of here before the crowd begins to push,” he whispered, as the last set was finished and the antagonists shook hands under fire of the heavy rounds of applause.
He guided her out to the car so quickly that they almost escaped the rush, but just within a few paces of the car they came suddenly upon the voluble Dotty and her escort.
“Oh, Cousin Artie!” cried Dotty eagerly, “I’ve just been telling Tommy that I knew you would take us over to Overbrook if we could catch you in time. You see we both have a dinner engagement out to Aunt Myra’s and we’ve missed the only train that would get us there in time. You won’t mind will you Miss Cope, Copley, I mean. It isn’t far and you know how cross Aunt Myra gets when any of us are late to an engagement with her, don’t you Artie?”
“Not at all!” answered Cornelia coolly as soon as there was opportunity to speak, “my home is right on the way.”
Maxwell accepted the situation with what grace he could. Dotty climbed into the front seat when he opened the door for Cornelia.
“You can sit back there with Miss Copley, Tommy,” she laughed back at the other two. “I choose front seat. I justloveto watch Cousin Arthur drive.”
Arthur Maxwell scarcely spoke a word during the whole drive and Cousin Dotty chattered on in an uninterrupted flow of nothings. Cornelia found herself discussing the game and various plays with a technique newly acquired, and being thankful that she did not have to ride alone with Maxwell—not now—not until she had got herself in hand. It was all right of course, and he was perfectly splendid but she had been a silly little fool and she had to get things set straight again before she cared to meet him as a friend. Oh, it would be all right, she assured herself minute by minute, only she must just get used to it. She hadn’t at all realized how she had been thinking of him and she was glad that the romance of this afternoon had been destroyed, so that she would not find herself in future weakness lingering over any pleasant phrases or little nothings that would link her soul to disappointment. She wanted to be just plain, matter of fact. A respectable girl going out for an afternoon with a respectable man who was soon to be married to another woman who understood all about it. There was nothing whatever the matter with that situation and that was the way she must look at it of course. She must get used to it and gradually make her family understand too. Not that they had thought anything else yet—of course, but it would be well for them to understand from the start that there was no nonsense about her friendship with Maxwell, and that they need not appropriate him in suchwholesome manner as they had begun to do. She was a business woman, meant to be a business woman all her life, and she would probably have lots of nice friendships like this one.
Thus she reasoned in undertone with herself, the while she discussed tennis with the bored Tommy, and came finally to her own door realizing suddenly that Arthur Maxwell would perhaps not care to have his elegant cousin know from what lowly neighborhoods he selected his friends. But she held her head high as she stood on the pavement to bid them good-bye, and not by the quiver of an eyelash on her flushed cheek did she let them see that she did not like her surroundings.
Arthur Maxwell stepped up to the door with her in spite of his cousin’s petulant protest, “Artie, we’ll belateto Aunt Myra’s” and said in a low tone:
“This whole afternoon has been spoiled by that poor little idiot, but I’m going to make up for it soon, see if I don’t. I’m sorry I have a director’s meeting this evening or I’d ask if I might return to dinner, but I’m going to be late as it is when I get those two poor fools to their destination, so I’ll have to forego, but suppose I come over tomorrow evening and go to church with you? May I? Then afterwards perhaps we’ll have a little chance to talk.”
Cornelia smiled and assented, and hurried up to dash cold water over her hot cheeks and burning eyes, and then down to the kitchen where Louise was bustling happily about putting the final touches to the evening meal.
“Oh, Nellie!” she greeted her sister, “Have you gotback already? I thought perhaps he’d take you somewhere to dinner. They do, you know. I’ve read about it. But wasn’t helovelyto take you to that game. All the boys at school were talking about it and one of the girls had a ticket to go with her brother. I think it was justwonderful. I’m sogladyou had that nice time! You are sodear! Now tell me about it.”
And Cornelia told, all she could remember about the day and the ride and the wonderful game, told things she had not known she noticed by the wayside, told about Dotty and Tommy, and even gave a hint of a wonderful friend of Mr. Maxwell’s who wore a white, soft, silk dress lined with scarlet and carried a gold mesh bag, till Louise’s eyes grew large with wonder, though she looked a little grave when she heard about the lady. Cornelia hid her heavy heart under smiles and words and was gayer than usual, and very very tired when she crept at last to bed, where she might not even weep lest the little sister should know the secret of her foolish heart.
Saturday morning dawned with all its burden and responsibility, a new day full of new cares, and the gladness of yesterday gone into graver tints. But Cornelia would not own to herself that she was unhappy. There was work to do and she would immerse herself in it and forget. There was no need being a fool always when once one had found out one was. And anyway she meant to live for her family—Her dear family!