CHAPTER XIII
"Hester, 'we have arrived,' as they say in France. This has been amomentous month. We've sent out our cards and bought our first groceriesat wholesale." Julie leaned her elbows on the kitchen table and gazedwith a rapt meditative air at their first barrel of sugar.
Bridget stood in the doorway openly admiring. "It's like old times, MissJulie dear, to be seein' things come in quantities agen." She hadsecretly harbored a grudge against the miserable little paper bags.
Peter Snooks sniffed at the unfamiliar barrel and then sat down besideit with a comical air of importance, but Hester did not leave him longundisturbed, for in wild exuberance of spirits she executed a war-dancein which he joined, at the end of which she mounted the barrel and witharms extended made a speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen (the gentlemen's _you_, Snooks);
"This is the proudest moment of my life!"
Having delivered herself of this burst of eloquence she paused a momentdramatically, then plunged into such a torrent of nonsense that Bridgetburied her head in her apron to stifle her laughter, Peter Snooks barkedfrantically in a fit of delight and Julie pulled the young orator downignominiously.
"Come into the other room," she said. "Daddy is asleep and I don't wantyou to wake him."
Instantly subdued, Hester tip-toed down the hall, following her sister.
"Are we going to discuss affairs of state?" she whispered.
"No, but we must come to some decision about Mrs. Lennox's invitationfor Thursday night. I think we ought to go."
"Well, I don't. I object to being patronized."
"Oh! my dear, don't look at it like that; it is not kind of you. Youregard Mrs. Lennox as a friend, do you not?"
"A business friend, yes; the kindest and best we have, but that is notknowing her socially."
"No, dear, but she wants to know us socially or she would not haveinvited us to her house. Don't you see that is what it means, Hester? Itis not patronizing us, but placing us on an equal footing--"
"Where we belong," interrupted Hester, "though I don't think we needfeel overwhelmed by Radnor's recognition of the fact." She spokebitterly in a tone that cut her sister.
"Hester dear, it does hurt to be utterly ignored by the people who usedto know us when we were children, but there are enough outside of Radnorwho have stood by us loyally and we will make headway here eventuallywhen people get a little more used to us."
"Do you suppose I care a snap of my finger about these Radnor girls,"said Hester savagely. "They're a narrow snobbish lot and I'm glad I'veescaped knowing them! Just yesterday, as I was delivering that great boxof sandwiches at Mrs. Crane's I met Jessie Davis on the steps--she'dbeen calling there. Don't you remember how we always played togetherwhen we were little tots at school? Well, of course I knew herimmediately--she hasn't changed a bit, and she knew me, but it wassurprising how absorbed she suddenly became in looking for her carriagewhich was standing right under her nose! Think how disgraced she wouldhave been before her footman if I--nothing better than a parcel-deliverygirl--had spoken to her! She needn't have been afraid," scornfully,giving full vent to her smothered wrath, "I wouldn't have spoken to herto have saved her life!"
"She is not worth getting angry about, dear. You ought to pity her fornot knowing any better."
"She knows better, well enough," said the irate Hester, who rather likedto nurse her wrath. "She's a nasty little snob!"
"Well, she is," agreed Julie, "but I can't help pitying her for all shehas missed in not knowing you."
Hester smiled. "It is wicked of me to spit out at you, Julie dear. Youdid not make snobs and you have to encounter them just as much as I do.I dare say if we go to Mrs. Lennox's we shall run up against some, but aparty does sound pleasant, doesn't it?"
"I think, dear," said Julie with that quiet little matronly air sheunconsciously assumed when she was trying to win over her sister, "Ithink that even though parties are not at all in our line these days, weshould go. It is not a party, really, only an informal little musicale.It will freshen us up tremendously to get into a different atmosphereand it will please Mrs. Lennox, who has gone out of her way to be kind."She looked at her sister entreatingly.
"Julie, you are a saint! Sometimes you talk just like Daddy!"
Julie's eyes moistened. "I am not a saint," she protested. "Think whatMiss Ware will say when she hears of it?"
Hester's eyes gleamed. "That settles it--I am going, and if you want toknow my honest opinion, I love Mrs. Lennox for asking us."
There were many orders that week and their working capacity was taxed toits utmost to meet the demand. Had it not been for their systematicarrangement of everything it would have been impossible to accomplish somuch. They had learned that the early hours of the morning are the bestand got to work by six, continuing on through the day as long as therewas anything to do. They had laid down stringent rules for work hoursand strenuously endeavored to live by them.
By Thursday they were absorbed in the largest order they had yetreceived, embracing as it did croquettes, patties and other elaboratethings which in an unguarded moment they had agreed to send hot to someclub-rooms in the neighborhood. Hester thought they could do this bypacking the things in a big steamer they had recently purchased. Thesteamer was a large tin affair built in sections of trays and would packto great advantage, besides holding a considerable amount of boilingwater at the bottom whereby the things could be kept hot. They hadengaged an expressman to deliver this promptly at quarter past eight andit was with anxious hearts and nervous fingers they made the finalpreparations for packing. The cooking of all these elaborate things hadbeen in itself no light achievement, but even that was as nothing totheir fear lest the steamer should not reach its destination safely.They had been at work since five that morning and wrapped and boxed andpacked securely was the last thing when the clock struck eight thatevening. Five minutes past eight and no expressman! Quarter after, andtwo excited girls stared at each other across the steamer! Then Hesterfled to the basement. The janitor was out but she pounced upon theengineer and got him upstairs before he realized what it was all about."You're to go on an errand," was all she had vouchsafed him, leavingJulie to explain the rest.
The man when he reached their kitchen eyed the big steamer curiously andsaid he could carry it. Whereupon Julie wanted to fall upon his neckwith joy, but showed him the address tied to the cover instead.
"Be'gorra miss," he said in evident embarrassment, "I ain't been in thecity a week. Not the name of a street am I after knowin' entirely."
Here was a dilemma.
"I'll go with him," said Bridget.
"You'll do nothing of the sort," said Julie, "you have been half deadwith rheumatism for two days and it is pouring in torrents. We'll go,Hester and I--we can get there in fifteen minutes. Hustle, Hester!"
It was an incongruous little procession that went out into the storm,the girls leading, the man keeping close to his guides, who encouragedhim by a word now and then. He walked firmly and with head erect, notbecause this was his habitual gait, but because he had been warned thatany undue motion of his body would bring showers of scalding water downhis back. An admonition like this was not to be disregarded and hepicked his way gingerly to the basement door of the club where the girlsrang the bell and the supper was safely left in the hands of thehousekeeper. Then having lavishly rewarded their cavalier twolight-hearted girls rushed home through the night to Bridget.
She welcomed them as if they had returned from some great peril, pettedand scolded them because of their wet things and fussed about like a henwhose goslings have swam safely back to shore.
"I've made you a pot of coffee to warm your blessed selves," she said."It's a wonder you don't kill yourselves entirely."
"You Bridget!" said Julie affectionately as she kicked off her wetshoes, "won't you put me to bed just as if I were a little bit of agirl?" With those tired eyes and that pathetic droop to her mouth shedid not look much of anything else as she said it
.
"Julie Dale! are you crazy! Mrs. Lennox's carriage is coming at nineo'clock to take us to the musicale! You've ten minutes to dress!" Hestermade this announcement with a high tragedy air.
Julie jumped as if she had been shot. "I had completely forgotten it,Hester. Oh! my dear, I am so dead tired I don't feel as if I couldmove."
"Well, you've got to," remarked Hester, who, having made up her mind todo a thing, was not easily turned from her purpose; "you got me intothis thing and we'll go if it kills us! I know I just about struck itwhen I called this place 'The Hustle'" she ruminated. "I am sure I don'tfeel as if I'd drawn a long breath since we came here!"
"What shall we wear?" asked Julie who scrambled after her sister,shedding her wet things as she went.
"I got out your light silks, dearie," came from Bridget.
"Do you suppose we ought to wear hats?" This from Hester, who waswishing they had planned their costumes the night before.
"Perhaps we ought," ruefully. "Good gracious! I haven't any--not a smallone, Hester."
"A trifle inconvenient, isn't it? I might lend you the rose toque Ibought in Paris."
"Indeed you won't, it exactly matches your gown and you look dear in it.I'll wear a bow in my hair or something." A bow, to Julie, always filledany discrepancy.
Hester arrested her in the act of trying this effect before the mirrorand sat her down brusquely in a chair.
"Give me that bow," she commanded, "and keep still. _I'll make a hat onyour head!_ Bridget, you get down her picture hat quick, and rip off thetips and the band of jet and some lace and we'll fix her up in a jiffy!"
It was a wonderful creation--just a bit of lace and jet and ribbon withnever a stitch in it, all fastened with hairpins to Julie's curly head.Two white ostrich tips stood up saucily at the side, a few violets werecoquettishly stuck in the back and the effect was immensely modish andbecoming.
"Hold your head high all the evening and don't toss it about for yourlife!" warned Hester. "If you do, the whole thing will fall to pieces."
"That's a cheerful prospect," commented Julie, surveying herself in theglass. "Can't you put in more hairpins?"
"You've got about a million now." Hester's imagination never failed her.
"Shure you look beautiful, Miss Julie, dear," said Bridget, "and itain't goin' to come to pieces--Miss Hester's only teasin' yer."
Five minutes later they were rolling through the storm in Mrs. Lennox'sbrougham.
"Hester," whispered Julie from the depths of her luxurious corner, "_I_never tramped out in the wet to-night to deliver a club supper, didyou?"
"Certainly not," squeezing her hand hard, "who ever heard of such athing!"
Something very like a tremor of nervous excitement pervaded the girls astheir names were announced on the threshold of Mrs. Lennox'sdrawing-room. Their entrance attracted immediate attention. Mrs. Lennoxreceived them as Mrs. Lennox would, with most charming cordiality, yetnot too pronounced lest they be made to feel that their coming was not amatter of common occurrence. She made a mental note of the fact that herproteges had never looked prettier and was immensely pleased with theirpoise and perfect self-possession under what she knew must be for themsomething of an ordeal. If she could have looked into Julie's heart shewould have discovered a shyness in coming among these people thatamounted to positive pain; but who would ever have suspected it fromthat smiling exterior and that proud tilt of the head?
As for Hester, from the moment a woman who was one of their customersbowed to her in a puzzled sort of way and then whispered so loud thatevery one about her could hear, "Why it's those Dale girls!"--from thatmoment Hester's spirit of deviltry awoke and she determined to outshineevery girl in the room.
Mrs. Lennox immediately presented half a dozen men who formed a littlegroup about them and presently she steered them all toward some chairspreparatory to settling down to hear the music. As they crossed the roomseveral women with whom they had had business dealings, bowed to themcordially. In a corner on a tete-a-tete seat sat Jessie Davis withKenneth Landor. Both looked up as the party approached and Landor gave ahalf-stifled exclamation. Hester's luminous eyes swept by the girl andinto the man's face with such a distracting smile that he was on hisfeet in a second.
"How do you do?" she said sweetly, just the suspicion of a smile stilllurking about the corners of her mouth while she extended her handcordially.
The man took it in an eager clasp and blessed the Fates for thispropitious moment. "This is charming," he said. "It is a great pleasureto see you."
"Yes, is it not?" naively. "Julie, here is Mr. Landor," bringing himinto the circle quite as if he were an old friend.
Genuinely glad to see him, Julie showed it unreservedly. All the menknew him and envied him his luck as the little party found seatstogether.
"You must not let us break up your tete-a-tete," remonstrated the wickedHester with a glance in the direction of the divan where Miss Davis satdeserted.
Miss Davis, gazing into space, heard and bit her lip with vexation. Shethought the airs the little upstart gave herself were intolerable. Whatcould Mrs. Lennox be thinking of to bring those Dale girls into society?
But Landor did not go back to her. Man fashion, he pleased himself bybecoming Hester's shadow during the remainder of the evening, though hewas not allowed to monopolize her--far from it. He had to contenthimself with scraps of conversation, for every man in the room wanted tobe presented and each found her so diverting and original that there wasconstantly a little crowd about her, while in the intervals of the musicpeals of merry laughter came from her corner of the room.
Julie, who was holding a little court of her own, could hear her andrejoice, and she was especially glad that this should be so when laterin the evening Miss Ware, escorted by her brother, entered the room. Sherecognized the girls and was conscious of their success five minutesafter her arrival and there was within her something like envy of Mrs.Lennox who had been the first to take into the elect these socialrenegades.
As for Dr. Ware, he threw himself with enthusiasm into the gayety ofHester's corner, vying with the younger men in jests and laughter. Laterhe sauntered down the room, stopping on the way to chat with this personand that, and sought out Julie, who, though she greeted him so smilinglyseemed to him suddenly remote. It was as if she had slipped away into ayounger world than his and an indefinable sensation awoke within him,filling him with unrest. Partly because of this and partly because thepleasure in her evident pleasure was so great, he lingered near her,giving her that quiet, unobtrusive attention which his old friendshipwarranted. And Julie liked to have him near. She was glad that he smiledso approvingly upon her, happy that this little frivolity was given theadditional delight of his presence. For it was all delightfullyfrivolous and gay, though Julie's excitement and animation werenaturally somewhat tempered by her headgear, especially as every now andthen when she forgot herself and nodded her head emphatically oversomething, Hester would give her a warning glance. Poor Julie! the"proud and haughty" tilt became very trying, but it _was_ distinguishedand caused Mr. Lennox, who was most critical, likewise somewhat horsey,to confide to his wife afterward that she was a thoroughbred.
"I hope you'll have them often," he said, when the last guest haddeparted and they had settled down before the library fire to talk itover. "After the cut-and-dried young people one usually meets they areperfectly refreshing. I had a long talk with the blonde one--is sheJulie?--during supper about Arizona. Found myself telling her all aboutmy irrigation schemes out there. Fancy finding a young girl whounderstands such things! She knows that country well and gave me an ideaor two worth considering."
"I should like to have them often, John, but they won't come. Their workengrosses them to the exclusion of everything; it has to be so--theyneed all their strength to get through the days. I understand itperfectly. Did you notice how people were all in a flutter about them? Ifancy I have given Radnor something to talk about!"
"Oh! well, that is not unusual. Do
you mean to say people have cut them?It seems incredible in these enlightened days."
"It is true, nevertheless, though Julie told me the other day that theircustomers were showing the kindest possible interest in their work andencouraging them by renewed orders; that every one showed them courtesyand consideration in a business way, but I happen to know, though shedid not say so, that there it stops. The line is distinctly drawn. Noneof the daughters of those women show any inclination to renew theiracquaintance with the girls, though many of them were their playfellowsyears ago."
"Well, they're a disgrace to their sex, that is all I've got tosay--I've no patience with that sort of thing!" Mr. Lennox put down ahalf-smoked cigar and pushed back his chair. "They were the success ofthe evening, Mabel, and I am proud to know them. It strikes me," slyly,"there were others who succumbed to their fascinations. Landor, forinstance, and Dr. Ware--"
"Oh, he is their father's oldest friend."
"And Renshawe, who displayed surprising interest in Arizona when hefound us talking about it. Have you ever known him to care a hang aboutArizona before?"
"No," laughed his wife, "but Sidney Renshawe always rises to theoccasion when he is interested. Principally it is Virginia he talksabout now. By the way, he is expecting Monsieur Gremond back fromCalifornia any day. Did you know?"
"I was glad to have a chance to speak to her of her father, too," saidMr. Lennox, who apparently had not heeded his wife's last remarks. "Iknew Mr. Dale somewhat at the club and regretted his collapse as we alldid. She had such a pretty proud look when I spoke of him, as if Icouldn't say too much. I felt as if I would like to take her off to somequiet corner and talk to her by the hour together."
"So you shall, my dear. Together we will lay siege and capture themagain. I should like to give a dinner for them soon.
"Oh! ask them informally when we are not entertaining," remonstrated herhusband who evidently desired to monopolize them.
"Very well, dear, and if it pleases you to watch Julie's eloquentface--and I assure you Hester's is equally so--Mr. Dale shall be thechief topic of conversation. I never knew him, but it is a great deal toknow his daughters, John."
Which sentiment being shared by the master of the house the mistresscalled the midnight session off and they went upstairs.