sohigh--and--shall we say--so elusive?" proceeded the director smoothly."It is so difficult--so well-nigh impossible--to satisfy him. Onedevotes one's energies--I may say one slaves night and day--to winsome slight mark of approval; and just as one is about to reap thewell-earned reward--a smile, a word of appreciation--all is forfeited!It is hard indeed! Would you suggest the rearrangement of the Roomsunder Mr. Waters's direction? Thompson is at his service--"
"Oh, Mr. Welles!" she sighed hopelessly. "It isn't only that! It's notalone the room, though Mrs. Underwood wonders that I should think shewould be able to conduct the Band of Hope in here, and Mrs. Rider saysthat after what her husband told her she should no more think of sittinghere for a mothers' meeting than anything in the world. It's the wholething. Why did you treat them all to lemonade the first day? Surely youknew that our one aim is to prevent miscellaneous charity. And Tom saysyou smoked in here--he smelt it."
"I smelt him, too," remarked the director calmly. "That was one reasonwhy I smoked."
"And--and having Kitty and Annabel here all the time! The Girls' Clubare so j---- Well, the Girls' Club like the old rooms better, they say,and it's so difficult to get them to work together at best. And now weshall have to work so hard--
"And the men think it's just a joke, the lemonade and everything, andthe room gave them such a wrong impression, and they don't seem to wantit, anyway. Tom Waters says he can't abide sarsaparilla--"
"Great heavens!" the director broke in, "is it possible? A point onwhich Mr. Waters's opinion coincides with mine? I have not lived invain! But this is too much; I have not deserved--"
"Oh, don't!" she begged. "There is more. When I corrected Annabel forwhat I had heard about her--her impertinent behavior, she said thatMrs. Underwood had never approved of the whole thing, and that if I hadconsulted her she would never have given her consent to your being here,and that I was dictatorial--I!"
Her lodger coughed and ejaculated, "You, indeed!"
"And when I said that their ingratitude actually made me wonder why Iworked so hard for them, she said--oh, dear! It is all dreadful! I don'tknow what to do!"
"I do!" returned her lodger promptly. "Go away and leave 'em! Theyaren't fit to trouble you any more. Besides, they're really not sobad, after all, you know. There has to be just about so much lazinessand--and that sort of thing, don't you see. Look at me, for instance!Think of how much misdirected energy I balance! And it gives otherpeople something to do.... Go away and leave it all for a while!" herepeated smilingly.
"Go away! But where? Why should I? What do you mean?" she stammered,confused at something in his eyes, which never left her face.
"To England--you said you'd like to see it. With me--for I certainlycouldn't stay here alone. Why do you suppose I stay, dear lady? I usedto wonder myself. No, sit still, don't get up! I am about to make you anoffer of marriage; indeed, I am serious, Miss Gould!
"I don't see that it's ridiculous at all. I see every practical reasonin favor of it. In the first place, if they are gossiping--oh, yes,Thompson told me, and I wonder that they hadn't before: these villagesare dreadful places--I couldn't very well stay, you see; and then whereshould I put all my things? In the second place, I have so much stuff,and there's no house fit for it but--but ours; and if we were married Icould have just twice as much room for it--and I'm getting far too muchfor my side. In the third place, I find that I can't look forward withany pleasure to travelling about alone, because, in the fourth place,I've grown so tremendously fond of you, dear Miss Gould! I think youdon't dislike me?"
She plucked the guitar strings nervously with her white, strong fingers.The rich, vibrating tones of it filled the room and confused her stillmore.
"People will say that I--that we--" He caught her hand: it had neverbeen kissed before. "Would you rather I went away and then there wouldbe nothing left for them to say?" he asked softly.
She caught her breath.
"I'm too--"
"You are too charming not to have some one who appreciates the fact asthoroughly as I do," he interrupted gallantly. "I think you do me somuch good, you know," he added, still holding her hand. She looked athim directly for the first time.
"Do I really? Is that true?" she demanded, with a return of her oldmanner so complete and sudden as to startle him. "If I thought that--"
"You would?" he asked with a smile. "I thought so! Here is a villagethat scorns your efforts and a respectful suitor who implores them. Canyou hesitate?"
His smile was irresistible, and she returned it half reprovingly. "Willyou never be serious?" she said. "I wonder that I can--" She stopped.
"That you can--" he repeated, watching her blush, but she would notfinish.
"You must not think that I can give up my work--my real work--soeasily," she said, rising and looking down on him with a return of hersimple impressive seriousness. "I shall have to consider. I have beenvery much disturbed by their conduct. I will see you after supper," andwith a gesture that told him to remain, she left the room, her headhigh as she caught Annabel's voice from outside. She turned in the door,however, and the stern curves of her mouth melted with a smile so sweet,a promise so gracious and so tender, that when her eyes, frank anddirect as a boy's, left his, he looked long at the closed door,wondering at the quickening of his pulses.
A moment later he heard her voice, imperious and clear, and the mumbleof Mr. Waters's unavailing if never-ending excuses. He laughed softly tohimself, and touched the strings of the guitar that she had struck."I shall save the worthy Thomas much," he murmured to himself, "and ofcourse I do it to reform her--I cannot pull down the village and diewith the Philistines!"
She went up the long main street, Mr. Waters at her side and AnnabelRiley behind her. Her lodger watched her out of sight, and prepared tolock up the Rooms.
"So firm, so positive, so wholesome!" he said, as he started after her.
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