The Camp Fire Girls in After Years

  CHAPTER IX

  BACK IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

  BETTY was driving alone through one of the less crowded parts ofConcord. She had been into the country and was now on her way homeagain. Not very often did she go out alone, but she had not felt in amood for company and had purposely gotten away by herself.

  A week had passed since her midnight talk with Anthony and there wasstill a coldness between them. Each day Betty had expected her husbandto declare that he had changed his mind in regard to finding a positionfor John Everett and would do as she asked. Yet so far he had not evenreferred to the subject.

  On her way home Betty considered that she had better stop and tell Meghow she had failed in influence with her husband, notwithstanding shecould not decide just what she should do or say. Meg would notunderstand and might believe that she had made no real effort forJohn's sake. Yet she could not be such a coward as to leave her oldfriends in suspense. Since Anthony would do nothing to help, it wasbetter that John Everett should know, so that he might find anotheroccupation.

  They were passing through a quiet street shaded by magnificent old mapletrees that were now bare except for a few clustering brown leaves, whenMrs. Graham leaned over to speak to her coachman and the man drew in hishorses. The next moment her attention was attracted by seeing some oneon the sidewalk pause and lift his hat to her. Betty had returned thebow before she actually recognized John Everett. Then he took two orthree steps forward and held out his hand.

  "I was just going to see Meg," Betty explained, blushing and wishingthat she could escape the confession that lay before her. If John shouldquestion her now she felt she might have a sudden panic ofembarrassment. Of course she could think up some excuse for Anthony'sunkindness; she might even offer the same excuse he had made to her. Yetthe fact that he had declined to do what she so much desired wouldremain the same.

  But John Everett was smiling in the most ordinary fashion.

  "I wonder, Mrs. Graham, if you will not let me ride along with you, ifyou are going to Meg's. I am on the way home myself."

  Then in a short while Betty had forgotten her worry and was having thesame agreeable talk of old times that she had enjoyed the week before.Moreover, it was John Everett who relieved her from her chagrin.

  "By the way," he began, just as they were about to arrive at Mrs. JackEmmet's house, "please don't worry, Mrs. Graham, or Betty, if I may callyou by the old name, about asking your husband to fix me up with aposition in his office. I know the new Governor is being overwhelmedwith office seekers. I have been lucky enough to secure something to dowith my brother-in-law, Jack Emmet, and ex-Governor Peyton. They have anew business scheme on hand in which they think I may be useful."

  Of course, Betty could not utter her thanksgiving aloud, although sherepeated it very fervently to herself. So, after all, she need notconfess to other people Anthony's lack of consideration. It was enoughthat she should be carrying the hurt feeling about inside her own heart.Instead, she merely murmured something or other that was not clear,about the Governor's having been so very busy recently and having somespecial annoyance in his affairs. She was by no means certain of justwhat she said at the moment nor how she explained the situation, butfortunately John Everett did not appear to be particularly interested inthe subject.

  Meg was not at home when they arrived, but instead of saying good-bye,John suggested that he should drive back to her own home with Betty. Ithad been years since they had seen each other, except the other evening,and there was so much to talk about.

  Then John explained that he had taken a small house in Concord and thathis father was soon coming to live with him. Bumps would continue withhis course at Cornell for this winter anyhow. So, after all, there wereuses in this world even for old bachelors, he ended smilingly.

  It was Betty, however, who suggested that they should go and see thishouse, although John told her it was a good deal out of her way. Yet itwas a beautiful warm November afternoon and would not be dark foranother hour. Somehow Betty did not feel that she wanted to go home atonce. Faith had gone for a walk with Kenneth Helm, Angel had a halfholiday and was spending the afternoon with the children. She andBettina had a wonderful secret game that they played together in a roomby themselves, where no one else had ever been allowed to come. Therewas no prospect of Anthony's returning home for some time, so theGovernor's splendid mansion would seem big and empty to the Governor'swife for an hour or so more at any rate.

  There was a caretaker in the little white house with green shutters, whowas anxious to show Mrs. Graham and Mr. Everett every detail of it. Thehouse was to be let furnished and yet it seemed to have been peculiarlyfitted for old Professor Everett's needs. It was pleasant for Betty toimagine the sweet-tempered, learned old man here with John and near hisdaughter Meg. He had been living alone in Woodford ever since hisyounger son, Horace, departed for college. Somehow Betty felt that itwould be pleasant for her also to have the old gentleman living so nearby. He had been a devoted friend of Mr. Ashton's, whom she had certainlyloved even more than an own father.

  "I shall be running in here very often to see Professor Everett and tellhim the things that trouble me, just as Meg and I used to do when wewere little girls," Betty remarked to her companion. "He was the oneperson who never by any possible chance believed that Meg or I couldever be in fault."

  "I'm sure he will always be overjoyed to see you," John Everett replied."Only it is a little difficult for me to imagine Mrs. Anthony Grahamever having anything to trouble her."

  As the November evenings grew dark so soon, it was almost dusk whenBetty at length entered her own home after saying good-bye to herfriend, who had insisted on walking back to his sister's house insteadof allowing the coachman to drive him.

  Going into her private sitting room, Betty was surprised to find thatAnthony had come home and was sitting there pretending to read. But mostundeniably he looked cross.

  "I thought we were going to have a drive and tea together, Betty," heremarked reproachfully. "Where in the world have you been? No one seemedto know. I should think you would leave word where you are going, sothat if anything happened to the children or to me the servants wouldknow where to find you."

  Actually Anthony was reproaching her in a perfectly unreasonablefashion! Betty could hardly believe her ears, it was so unlike him. Washe going to turn into the dictatorial type of husband after all theseyears of married life when he had been so altogether different?

  Usually Betty's temper was gracious and sweet. Possibly if Anthony hadapproached her in his usual fashion at this moment they might havegotten over the feeling of estrangement that had come between them forthe first time since their wedding. Moreover, the room was not brightlylighted, so that Betty did not notice how tired and worried Anthonylooked. Of course, fatigue and worry explain almost any temporaryunreasonableness on the part of human beings.

  Quite casually Betty began to draw off her long gray suede gloves. Shewore a beautiful gray coat and skirt and chinchilla furs and a hat witha single blue feather.

  "Don't talk as if we lived in England and you were a kind of domestictyrant, please, Anthony," she said lightly. "I am sorry, but I had nopossible way of knowing that you were coming home from your office somuch earlier than usual. You should have had some one telephone me. Ihave been having a very agreeable drive with John Everett. And, by theway, it was not worth while for me to have annoyed you by asking you todo me the favor of giving John something to do. He tells me he is goinginto business with Jack Emmet and ex-Governor Peyton." Then as she movedtoward her own bedroom Betty was surprised and annoyed by anotherspeech from her husband.

  "I don't like the combination very well," he remarked quietly. "NeitherEmmet nor Peyton have very good business reputations. They are going totry and get a shaky bill through the Legislature in the next month orso, I hear. But I suppose Everett knows his own affairs best."

  As Betty had now disappeared, she did not hear Anthony's closing speech.

  "I am sorry
to have talked like a bear, dear. Won't you forgive me andlet us be friends? I wish I could have fixed up things for Everett foryour sake, but I could not feel that I had the right."

  Moreover, the young Governor's back was unfortunately turned, so he didnot appreciate that Betty had not heard him. He was under the impressionthat she had simply refused to pay any attention to his apology.

  Well, he was too tired to discuss the matter any further for thepresent. He had several important decisions that must be made beforemorning and he and Betty and Faith and Kenneth Helm were to go to somebig reception later in the evening.