CHAPTER VIII
At the breakfast-table Pen found at her plate a little bunch of flowers,clumsily arranged and tied.
"From Jo," informed Betty--"The Bulletin," as her father was wont to callher. "He came just after Uncle Kurt started for town."
Pen smiled as she took up the little stiff nosegay. She held it lightlyfor a moment, looking down at the blossoms. There was a mute appeal in thelittle messengers from the boyish lover. Something infinitely tenderstirred in her heart for a second, bringing a tear to her eye, as shemused upon his boyish faith in love.
She put the flowers in the glass of water beside her plate, and gave herattention to the prattle of the children.
After breakfast she pinned the little nosegay to her middy and went downto the pergola.
Jo saw her coming and hurried forward to meet her, his eyes brighteningwhen he saw the flowers.
"Thank you, Jo. They are very pretty."
"Thank you for wearing them."
"I asked you to come here this morning, Jo, so you would do me a favor."
"You know I would."
"Will you mail this letter for me? I wrote it last night after you left,and you are the only one I can trust. And--Jo--will you please not readthe address?"
He put the letter in his pocket.
"You can trust me."
"You had better go, because I hear the rattle that can be made only byKurt's car. He must have come back for something. You can go around thebend here."
"Say, Penny Ante, I don't like this deceiving him--"
"Just a bit longer, Jo," she said persuasively. "Mrs. Kingdon said to waituntil her return."
He followed her instructions, and she returned to the house.
"It's a great possession," she thought musingly, "the big love of a trueand simple heart like his. It would probably be idyllic to live a life oflove up here in these hills with the man of one's choice, I suppose, but ahappiness too tame for me. To be sure, there would be the excitement oftrying to ruffle the love-feathers, but that, too, in time would pall. Iwonder how much longer I shall stay hidden up here before my past finds meout. Any minute something is sure to drop and I will be called back--backto my other life that is less enticing now I have had a taste ofdomesticity.
"But," she reflected, "domesticity doesn't satisfy long. Thissemi-security is getting on my nerves. Hebby isn't so good a trailer as Ifeared he would be, or he'd have tracked me up here."
Her meditations were diverted by a tattoo upon her door which she hadlocked so that the ever-present, ever-prying Betty and the all-wiseFrancis could not intrude.
"Aunt Penny, let us in!" came in aggrieved chorus.
"I've a message for you, Aunt Pen. Open the door," came Francis' insistentvoice.
The pounding and the voices forced a capitulation. She admitted the trio.
"Mrs. Merlin is going to take us to her house for the rest of the day,"informed Francis, "and we will have a picnic dinner there. She would haveasked you, too, only Uncle Kurt came back and wants you to ride with him.He didn't have to go 'way to town, 'cause he met the man he wanted to seeon the way here."
"Now what has come over the spirit of _his_ dreams?" Pen asked herselfwonderingly as she got into her riding things. "Well, there is always therefuge of fast riding. That is the only time I can make my tongue behave.I'll give him no chance to preach, that's sure!"
When they set out on their ride, she was careful not to let the brisk pacefalter. They stopped for luncheon at a ranch-house where there were manypeople at the table; but on the way home, when nearing the big bend, Kurtrode up to her; his detaining hand on the bridle slackened the speed shewas striving to maintain.
"I want to say something to you," he began stiffly. "You mustn't thinkbecause I say nothing, that I am unmindful of what you haveovercome--I--"
She stole a side glance at him. His eyes were as sombre and impenetrableas ever, but his chin worked nervously.
"You mean that I deserve a credit mark for not having lifted thechildren's banks, or helped myself to the family silver and jewels. It'ssweet in you to put such trust in me and commend me for such heroicresistance!"
She jerked her bridle from his grasp and rode furiously on to the house,and had dismounted and escaped to her room before he could overtake her.