CHAPTER XVII
Before the appearance of old Peter Simmons proved the truth of what hadsent Granny into a panic, that the sonorous trumpet was a part of him,Granny had disappeared.
"Where's your grandmother?" old Peter demanded of young Peter at once,but young Peter couldn't tell him.
And when Rebecca Mary went in search of Granny she had to come backalone for her knock on Granny's door brought no answer. There was not asound from Granny's room.
"Perhaps she is asleep," Rebecca Mary suggested, but she stammered forshe was quite sure Granny was not asleep. Why, it was not five minutessince she had been on the terrace.
Old Peter Simmons looked at her from under the grizzled eyebrows whichhe drew together in a frown so deep that Rebecca Mary almost thought hewas going to dash up the stairs and make Granny open the door.
"H-m," he said slowly, "I hope she is asleep. She has had a hard timethe last few years; all women have. I'm glad she had sense enough tocome here away from people and things and get a little rest. We musthumor her." He looked at wide-eyed Rebecca Mary for a second and thenturned to young Peter. "If your grandmother has gone to bed we might aswell get to work at once. I want to see just what you men have done.We'll go right out to the shop. Martingale is already there. Take goodcare of my wife!" He stopped in front of Rebecca Mary and spoke in thetone of a man who was obeyed.
"Yes, sir, I shall," stuttered bewildered Rebecca Mary as she staredfrom him to young Peter and back again to him. Young Peter Simmons hadexactly the same forehead, the same bright blue eyes, the same, oh, thevery same square jaw. Rebecca Mary was positive as she looked from himto his grandfather that when young Peter had been married fifty yearsless a few days he would look exactly like old Peter Simmons, andprobably be exactly like old Peter Simmons, too. Rebecca Mary caught astartled, a frightened, breath. She was glad to remember that there hadbeen a twinkle in old Peter Simmons' eye when he had asked for Granny.She went slowly up the stairs and Joan, like a small ghost in her whitenightie, met her in the hall.
"Who is it?" she asked eagerly. "Is it Santa Claus or Uncle Sam? Grannywon't tell me. I asked her through the keyhole, but she never said aword. I looked out of the window and I could see a man as tall as UncleSam but he didn't wear Uncle Sam's pretty striped clothes. He was as bigaround as Santa Claus but he didn't have Santa Claus' bushy whiskers. Ishould think, Miss Wyman, dear, you would tell me who he is?" shefinished fretfully.
"I shan't tell you anything unless you are in bed before I count ten,"Rebecca Mary said sternly.
But when Joan was in bed before Rebecca Mary had counted six she lookedso small and helpless that Rebecca Mary was ashamed of her impatienceand told her quickly that it was not Uncle Sam nor yet Santa Claus whohad arrived with such a flourish of trumpets, but old Mr. Simmons,Granny's husband and young Peter's grandfather.
"Shut your eyes, Joan, and go to sleep or it will be morning before youknow it."
"Oh!" Joan had seldom been more disappointed. "I don't think that's veryinteresting, do you? Perhaps it is to Granny," she added with tardypoliteness, "but it isn't to me. I'll shut my eyes, Miss Wyman, but Ican't seem to shut my mind to-night, and so I can't go to sleep. I haveto think of Uncle Sam and Santa Claus and the big Mr. Simmons. It won'tbe my fault if it is morning before I know it!" she wailed.
Altogether it took some time as well as two songs before Joan could shuther mind as well as her eyes. Rebecca Mary straightened the counterpaneand looked at the flushed little face on the pillow. When she was asleepJoan looked like an angel. Rebecca Mary could scarcely believe that shewould ever be as irritating as a mosquito as she patted the black headbefore she went to her own room.
She crossed to the window and looked down on the garden. A dullpuff-puff, the foolish chatter of a gasoline engine, was the only soundwhich broke the fragrant silence, and Rebecca Mary knew that it camefrom the shop where old Peter Simmons was being shown what had beendone. Now that she had time to think of it, Rebecca Mary could notunderstand how old Peter Simmons could come trumpeting into Riversidewhen no one was allowed to enter Riverside. It was shut off from theworld and protected by a guard. But old Peter Simmons had managed topass the guard, and he had come as a general in command. Was thatbecause he was the head of a large manufacturing plant or was itbecause--because---- It couldn't be possible that old Peter Simmons wasthe Big Boss of whom the men spoke with such respect! But if he wasn'tthe Big Boss why had the men treated him so deferentially and taken himat once to the forbidden shop? And he had not been at all surprised tohear that Granny was at Riverside. He had asked for her at once. RebeccaMary had to giggle as she stood there in the fragrant silence andthought what it meant if old Peter Simmons really was the Big Boss ofthe Riverside experiment.
She was interrupted in the very middle of another giggle for the doorinto Granny's room opened suddenly and there stood Granny, a muchperplexed but determined Granny. She wore her hat and motor coat andcarried a bag in one hand and an umbrella in the other. Rebecca Marywondered where she had found the umbrella and why she carried it as shestared at her.
"Aren't you ready, Rebecca Mary?" asked Granny in a stage whisper.
"Ready for what?" Rebecca Mary had to laugh even though Granny did wearsuch a perplexed face for she had to remember that other night whenGranny had come to her in her hat and motor coat.
Granny frowned. "I told you this morning that we would not stay here anylonger. And now that old Peter Simmons has come I simply must leave atonce. You have no idea, Rebecca Mary, what a tease that man can be. Henever would let me forget that I started for Seven Pines and landed aprisoner at Riverside. If you had been teased for almost fifty years bya man like old Peter Simmons you'd understand how I feel. And he wouldbe sure to ask me what I wanted for my golden wedding present. I've toldyou how I feel about that question. If I should hear it again I shouldscream. What is old Peter Simmons here for anyway? I didn't ask him tocome for me. I never told him I was here. There must have been a leak,just what Major Martingale was afraid of."
But when Rebecca Mary told Granny her suspicions Granny looked at her inhorrified surprise before she nodded her gray head. "I believe you areright," she said slowly. "That explains a lot of things I haven't beenable to understand. No wonder young Peter was so sure he could get aletter to his grandfather. But that makes it just impossible for me tostay another minute, Rebecca Mary. Imagine what old Peter will say whenhe hears that I ran away from him only to run right to him. I haven'tthe nerves I used to have. The situation is too ridiculous. Come, we'lljust slip away."
"I'm afraid they will hear me take the car out." Rebecca Mary did notthink it would be as easy to slip away as Granny evidently did.
"We won't take the car. We each have two feet. We can climb the fenceand once in the road some one is sure to pick us up. I declare I don'tsee why we didn't go before. If I had known that old Peter Simmons wasthe Big Boss I shouldn't have stayed a minute. We'll go--anywhere!"Granny flung out her hands, the umbrella and the bag, too, as if shedidn't care a picayune where they went so long as they left Riverside."If we stay here old Peter Simmons will be sure to talk to me. He's soresourceful and determined, and he does have such a way with him. Idon't know why I feel like this, Rebecca Mary!" Her revolt was such asurprise to her that she had to speak of it whenever the golden weddingwas mentioned. "I suppose this is just the last straw. I've been patientwith old Peter Simmons for almost fifty years, but I can't be patientover my golden wedding present. And I can't be teased, so we must runaway again."
"Poor little Granny!" Rebecca Mary slipped an arm around her and huggedher. Even if she wasn't perfectly contented at Riverside, Rebecca Marywasn't sure that she wanted to run away again. She had heard that a birdin the hand is worth a lot more than one in the bush. If she ran awaywith Granny she would leave behind her young Peter and Wallie and Georgeand--and Count Ernach de Befort. She might never see one of them again.
Then she straightened her spine and her eyes flashed. If she didn't seethem ag
ain it would be because they didn't care to see her. They couldfind her if they really wished to find her. They had been wonderful toher, and it had been splendid to be a popular girl, but perhaps they hadgiven her so much devotion and so much attention just because she wasthe only girl at Riverside. She had spent a great many minutes wonderingwhich of them she liked the best. It might be as interesting to learnwhich of them liked her the best, to prove if there was anything in theadmiration they had expressed so freely. Which would find her first?Yes, she would run away with Granny and put them to the test, shedecided just as Granny caught her arm between her fingers and herumbrella and shook her.
"Come, come, Rebecca Mary! Wake up. We must slip away before the mencome back from the shop."
"Joan!" exclaimed Rebecca Mary, hesitating, although she had made up hermind.
"We'll leave Joan with her father. That is where a child should be, withher parents. Come, Rebecca Mary, or I'll go alone." And she crossed theroom alone.
Rebecca Mary did not feel exactly comfortable to leave Joan with herfather although she knew that Granny was right when she said a childbelonged with her parents, but she ran after Granny and took the bagfrom her. She couldn't let Granny run away alone.
The lights were out in the hall, and they felt their way down thestairs. There was something fearsome in the slow descent for Granny'shand gripped her hard, and Granny's breath came in short quick gasps.There was no doubt in Rebecca Mary's mind that Granny really did notwant to be teased by old Peter Simmons.
The front door stood wide open so that the moonlight made a brightsplash between the dark walls. Rebecca Mary and Granny reached thethreshold in safety. It only remained to dash across the lawn, climbthe fence and turn up their noses at the authority of fat MajorMartingale who had said no one could leave Riverside. The shrubberywould conceal them for more than half the way. Granny's hand relaxed,and she stopped breathing like a spent porpoise.
"I do believe we'll make it," she whispered excitedly.
And then she gave a little scream, for out of the shadow made by a whitelilac emerged a short fat figure, and a curt voice asked them where theywere going.
"Oh, Major Martingale!" Granny's voice quavered. "I thought you were atthe shop with the other men. Whoever would have expected to meet youhere!"
"Evidently you didn't." The Major was all grim suspicion. "May I askwhere you are going?"
Granny pinched Rebecca Mary's arm. "It was so warm upstairs that we camedown for a breath of air," she explained with a little sniff ofdefiance, as though she dared him to object to their desire for air.
"I'm glad you put on your hats and brought your baggage," remarked theMajor coldly, and he glanced significantly at the umbrella and the bag."Night air is so deceptive, you can't tell when you will need anumbrella." He looked at the cloudless sky. "Or extra clothing." He wipedthe perspiration from his hot forehead.
"Yes, isn't it!" Granny emulated Moses and was as meek as meek, butterwould not have melted in her mouth just then. "Come, Rebecca Mary.Good-night, Major Martingale." And with Rebecca Mary's hand in hers sheturned to the terrace as if she really had come down all hatted andcoated for a walk in the moonlight.
"If it is so warm upstairs I shan't go to bed yet." Major Martingalefell in at her other hand. "I'll walk with you."