CHAPTER XXII
IN WHICH PAUL GRESHAM PROPOSES A VERY PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENT
"Mr. Gresham is calling," announced Aunt Pattie Boyden with sometrepidation; for Constance, besides being ill, had not been in the bestof humor during the last two weeks.
"Paul?" commented Constance with a pleased smile, which both delightedand surprised Aunt Pattie. "I didn't expect him for half an hour," andshe completed her toilet by adorning herself with a choice collectionof Johnny Gamble's roses.
"You are looking your best, I must say," admired Aunt Pattie after acritical survey, for she was particularly anxious about this visit ofPaul Gresham's.
"She ought to," interjected Polly, busy at the telephone; "that's thethird gown she's tried on. She's expecting particular company."
"Any one besides Paul?" inquired Aunt Pattie, elevating her eyebrows.
"Lots of people," returned Constance with a gaiety she had notexhibited for many days. "Mr. Gamble for one."
Aunt Pattie's countenance underwent an instant change, and it was not achange for the better.
"Mr. Gamble!" she exclaimed, quite properly shocked. "I shouldn't thinkhe'd feel in the humor for social calls just now. He's lost all hismoney."
"You wouldn't believe it if you had heard him laugh over the 'phonejust now when I told him to bring his straw hat," declared Polly.
"Who told you the news?" asked Constance, feeling sure of the answer.
"Mr. Gresham," hesitated Aunt Pattie.
"I bet he couldn't keep his face straight," Polly vindictively charged.
"You do Mr. Gresham an injustice, Polly," protested Aunt Pattieseverely.
"It isn't possible," insisted Polly. "If it were not giving him toomuch credit for brains I'd swear he'd helped break Johnny."
"I'm afraid you don't give him quite enough credit for brains," saidConstance, and giving her roses a deft parting turn she wentdown-stairs to meet Paul Gresham.
If Aunt Pattie had been pleased by the change in Constance, Gresham wasdelighted. This was the first time she had really beamed on him sinceshe had met Johnny Gamble.
"You are always charming," he observed, taking pleasure in his owngallantry, "but to-day you seem unusually so."
"That's pretty," dimpled Constance. "I wanted to look nice to-day."
Mr. Gresham's self-esteem arose several degrees. He smiled his thanksof her compliment to the appointment he had made with her.
"My call to-day is rather a formal one," he told her, smiling, andapproaching the important subject-matter in hand directly but quiteeasily, he thought. "It is in relation to the will of your AuntGertrude, which has been the cause of some embarrassment to us both,and to you particularly, I fear."
"Naturally," she assented, still smiling, however.
This was easy sailing. Gresham walked over and took the chair nearesther.
"It is, of course, unnecessary to discuss the provisions made by yourAunt Gertrude," he stated. "Even had such a will never been written, Iam quite sure that the result would have been the same, and thatto-day, after the long friendship which I have enjoyed with you, Ishould be asking you, as I am now, to become my wife," and taking herhand in his, he very gracefully kissed it.
Constance as gracefully drew it away.
"You have done your duty very nicely, Mr. Gresham," she said. "It musthave been as awkward for you to be compelled to make this proposal asit is for me to be compelled to refuse it. It would be wicked for us tomarry."
"You are very harsh," he managed to protest. "I am sure that I shouldnot feel wicked in marrying you."
"Perhaps you haven't my sort of conscience," answered Constance,laughing to conceal her intense hatred and contempt of him.
Gresham, adopting also the light manner of small talk, laughed with her.
"Really it wouldn't be so bad," he urged. "We would make a very faircouple when we were averaged. You are beautiful and accomplished enoughto make up for all the deficiencies I may have."
"You do say nice things to me," acknowledged Constance, "but there isone deficiency you have overlooked. We do not love each other, and thatis fatal to Aunt Gertrude's rather impertinent plans. It renders even adiscussion of the matter impossible. I can not marry you ever."
Gresham's lips turned dry.
"I believe you really mean that," he stumbled, unable quite tocomprehend it.
"Certainly I do," she assured him.
"But you don't understand," he protested. "You can't understand or youwould at least take time for more serious consideration. You arerelinquishing your entire fortune!"
"Making myself a penniless pauper," she mocked with a light-heartedfeeling that some one--description mentally evaded--would make afortune unnecessary.
"It is a million dollars," he insisted.
"A million--that sounds familiar!" and she laughed in remembrance ofher tilt with Polly.
Gresham swallowed three separate and very distinct times.
"A half-interest in that million is mine," he complained. "You can notturn over your share to an absurd charity without also throwing mineaway. It is not fair."
"Fair?" repeated Constance. For an instant she felt her temper surging,then caught herself and took refuge in burlesque. "The only fair thingabout it is that my Aunt Gertrude's will gave her orphaned niece thechoice between a title with riches and poverty with freedom," andraising her eyes and hand toward heaven she started to sweep from theroom with queenly grace, stifling a giggle as she went.
"Wait just a minute," begged Gresham, suppressing his anger. "We shouldarrange in some way to keep the money. We can, at least, be practical."
Constance, whose faculties were not so concentrated as his, heard arustle on the stairs and glancing out through the portieres into thehall, saw Polly, without her hat, hurrying to the front door. The bellhad not rung, and she divined that Polly, out of the boudoir window,had seen some particular company approaching.
"It seems impossible," she returned, and waited.
"Not quite," Gresham assured her with a smile. "There is one way wecould carry out the provisions of your aunt's will and still force norepugnant companionship upon you."
"I think I see," replied Constance--"you mean that we part at thealtar," and in spite of all her efforts to keep her face straight shefinally laughed.
"Well, I didn't intend to put it quite in that melodramatic way,"resented Gresham.
"Polly wins," declared Constance. "She bet me a five-pound box ofchocolates that you would make that proposal, but I didn't really thinkyou would do it."
"This is too serious a matter for flippancy," and Gresham bit his lip."The plan I suggest is thoroughly sensible."
"That's why I reject it," stated Constance.
Gresham bent his frowning brows on the floor. Constance, through theportieres, saw Polly and Johnny Gamble.
"I think we shall consider the incident as closed," she added hastily,with a wicked desire to have him go out and meet Johnny in the hall.
"You are making a horrible mistake," Gresham told her, losing hisrestraint and raising his voice. "I think I know the reason for yourrelinquishing your Aunt Gertrude's million so lightly. You expect toshare the million Mr. Gamble is supposed to have made!"
Constance paled and froze. Despite her low opinion of Gresham she hadnot expected this crudity.
"You may as well dismiss that hope," he roughly continued--"Mr. Gamblehas no million to give you!"
Mr. Gamble at that moment bulged through the portieres, with PollyParsons hanging to his coat tails. He laid an extremely heavy hand onGresham's shoulder and turned him round.
"I want to see you outside!" declared Johnny, husky with rage.
Polly, at the risk of life and limb, placed her ample weight betweenthem. "Don't, Johnny!" she implored. "Don't! Constance doesn't want anydoor-step drama, with all the neighbors for audience. Wait till you gethim down an alley and then give him an extra one for me!"
Gresham had retired behind a chair.
"Th
is is no place for a personal encounter," he urged.
Johnny turned to Constance, pitifully afraid that he should be deniedhis rights.
"Can't I put him out?" he begged.
Constance had been panic-stricken, but on this she smiled easily.
"Only gently, Johnny," she granted.
"Remember there are ladies present," urged Polly.
"I won't hurt Paul," promised Johnny, responding to her smile with asuddenly relieved grin, and, taking Gresham daintily by the coat sleevewith his thumb and forefinger, he led the unresisting cousin of LordYawpingham to the front door. Polly opened it for him, and, grabbingGresham's silk hat, put it hastily askew and hindside before upon hisbewildered head.
Johnny did not strike him or shove him, but the graceful andself-possessed Gresham, attempting desperately to recover thosequalities and to leave with dignity, stumbled over the door-mat andscrambled wildly down the stone steps, struggling to retain his balance.
Colonel Bouncer, just starting up the steps with Loring, Sammy Chirp,Winnie, Val Russel and Mrs. Follison, hastily and automatically gavehim a helping shove on the shoulder which sent him sprawling to thewalk, where he completed his interesting exhibition by turning a backsomersault.
"Glimmering gosh, Colonel!" protested Val, as he hurried to pick upGresham, laughing, however, as did the others, on account of theneighbors. "Why did you do that?"
"I thought Johnny Gamble pushed him," humbly apologized the colonel.
Bruce Townley and the Courtney girls arrived, and in the gay scramblefor wraps Johnny had a moment with Constance.
"Well, I lose," he said regretfully. "There isn't much chance to makethat million between now and four o'clock to-morrow afternoon."
"What's the difference?" inquired Constance, smiling contentedly intohis eyes.
Only the presence of so many people prevented her fichu from beingmussed.
"There's a lot of difference," he asserted with a suddenly renewedimpulse, the world being greatly changed since she had refused Gresham."I set out to get it, and I won't give it up until four o'clockto-morrow afternoon."
"If you want it so very badly I hope that you get it then," she gentlyassured him.
Her shoulder happened to touch his arm and he pressed against it ashard as he could. She resisted him.
"Ready, Constance?" called Polly.
"In just a minute," Johnny took it on himself to reply. "How does thescore board look by this time?"
Constance hesitated, then she blushed and drew from a drawer of thelibrary table the score board. The neatly ruled pasteboard had beenroughly torn into seven pieces--but it had been carefully pastedtogether again!