Page 24 of Sylvia's Marriage


  "I am willing to accept that explanation," said Sylvia, politely,

  "but you must help me out now that the embarrassing accident has

  happened."

  Nor did it avail Mrs. Witherspoon to plead her guests and their

  score. "You may be sure they don't care about the score," said

  Sylvia. "They'd much prefer you stayed here, so that you can tell

  them how Frank and I behaved."

  And then, while Mrs. Witherspoon was getting herself together,

  Sylvia turned upon the other conspirator. "We will now hold one of

  my eugenics classes," she said, and added, to Frank, "Mrs. Armistead

  told me that you wanted to join my class."

  "I don't understand," replied Frank, at a loss.

  "I will explain," said Sylvia. "It is not a very refined joke they

  have in the town. Mrs. Armistead meant to say that she credits a

  disgraceful story that was circulated about you when we were

  engaged, and which my people made use of to make me break our

  engagement. I am glad to have a chance to tell you that I have

  investigated and satisfied myself that the story was not true. I

  want to apologise to you for ever having believed it; and I am sure

  that Mrs. Armistead may be glad of this opportunity to apologise for

  having said that she believed it."

  "I never said that I believed it!" cried Sallie Ann.

  "No, you didn't, Mrs. Armistead--you would not be so crude as to say

  it directly. You merely dropped a hint, which would lead everybody

  to understand that you believed it."

  Sylvia paused, just long enough to let the wicked lady suffer, but

  not long enough to let her find a reply. "When you tell your friends

  about this scene," she continued, "please make clear that I did not

  drop hints about anything, but said exactly what I meant--that the

  story is false, so far as it implies any evil done by Mr. Shirley,

  and that I am deeply ashamed of myself for having ever believed it.

  It is all in the past now, of course--we are both of us married, and

  we shall probably never meet again. But it will be a help to us in

  future to have had this little talk--will it not, Frank?"

  There was a pause, while Sallie Ann Armistead recovered from her

  dismay, and got back a little of her fighting power. Suddenly she

  rose: "Virginia," she said, firmly, "you are neglecting your

  guests."

  "I don't think you ought to go until Frank has got himself

  together," said Sylvia. "Frank, can you sort your cards now?"

  "Virginia!" commanded Sallie Ann, imperiously. "Come!"

  Mrs. Witherspoon rose, and so did Sylvia. "We can't stay here

  alone," said she. "Frank, will you take Mrs. Witherspoon in?" And

  she gently but firmly took Mrs. Armistead's arm, and so they marched

  back into the drawing-room.

  Dolly and Emma had progressed to separate tables, it developed, so

  that the ordeal of Frank and Sylvia was over. Through the remainder

  of the evening Sylvia chatted and played, and later partook of

  refreshments with Malcolm McCallum, and mildly teased that

  inconsolable bachelor, quite as in the old days. Now and then she

  stole a glance at Frank Shirley, and saw that he was holding up his

  end; but he kept away from her, and she never even caught his eye.

  At last the company broke up, and Sylvia thanked her hostess for a

  most enjoyable evening. She stepped into the motor with Celeste, and

  sat with compressed lips, answering in monosyllables her "little

  sister's" flood of excited questions--"Oh, Sylvia, didn't you feel

  perfectly _terrible?_ Oh, sister, I felt _thrills_ running up and

  down my back! Sister, what _did_ you say to him? Sister, do you know

  old Mr. Perkins kept leaning over me and asking what was happening;

  and how could I shout into his deaf ear that everybody was stopping

  to hear what you were saying to Frank Shirley?"

  At the end of the ride, there was Aunt Varina waiting up as

  usual--to renew her own youth in the story of the evening, what this

  person had worn and what that person had said. But Sylvia left her

  sister to tell the story, and fled to her room and locked the door,

  and flung herself upon the bed and gave way to a torrent of weeping.

  Half an hour later Celeste went up, and finding that the door

  between her room and Sylvia's was unlocked, opened it softly, and

  stood listening. Finally she stole to her sister's side and put her

  arm about her. "Never mind, sister dear," she whispered, solemnly,

  "I know how it is! We women all have to suffer!"

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