The Green Mouse
Page 6
VI
IN WRONG
_Wherein Sacharissa Remains In and a Young Man Can't Get Out_
The snowstorm had ceased; across Fifth Avenue the Park resembled themica-incrusted view on an expensive Christmas card. Every limb, branch,and twig was outlined in clinging snow; crystals of it glittered underthe morning sun; brilliantly dressed children, with sleds, romped andplayed over the dazzling expanse. Overhead the characteristic deep bluearch of a New York sky spread untroubled by a cloud. Her family--that is,her father, brother-in-law, married sister, three unmarried sisters andherself--were expecting to leave for Tuxedo about noon. Why? Nobody knowswhy the wealthy are always going somewhere. However, they do, fortunatelyfor story writers.
"It's quite as beautiful here," thought Sacharissa to herself, "as it isin the country. I'm sorry I'm going."
Idling there by the sunny window and gazing out into the white expanse,she had already dismissed all uneasiness in her mind concerning thepsychical experiment upon herself. That is to say, she had not exactlydismissed it, she used no conscious effort, it had gone of itself--or,rather, it had been crowded out, dominated by a sudden and strongdisinclination to go to Tuxedo.
As she stood there the feeling grew and persisted, and, presently, shefound herself repeating aloud: "I don't want to go, I _don't_ want to go.It's stupid to go. Why should I go when it's stupid to go and I'd ratherstay here?"
Meanwhile, Ethelinda and Destyn were having a classical reconciliation ina distant section of the house, and the young wife had got as far as:
"Darling, I am _so_ worried about Rissa. I _do_ wish she were not goingto Tuxedo. There are so many attractive men expected at the Courlands'."
"She can't escape men anywhere, can she?"
"N-no; but there will be a concentration of particularly good-looking andundesirable ones at Tuxedo this week. That idle, horrid, cynical crowd iscoming from Long Island, and I _don't_ want her to marry any of them."
"Well, then, make her stay at home."
"She wants to go."
"What's the good of an older sister if you can't make her mind you?" heasked.
"She won't. She's set her heart on going. All those boisterous wintersports appeal to her. Besides, how can one member of the family be absenton New Year's Day?"
Arm in arm they strolled out into the great living room, where a large,pompous, vividly colored gentleman was laying down the law to thetriplets--three very attractive young girls, dressed precisely alike, whosaid, "Yes, pa-_pah!_" and "No pa-_pah!_" in a grave and silvery-voicedchorus whenever filial obligation required it.
"And another thing," continued the pudgy and vivid old gentleman, whosevoice usually ended in a softly mellifluous shout when speakingemphatically: "that worthless Westbury--Cedarhurst--Jericho--Meadowbrook set are going to be in evidence at this housewarming, and Icaution you now against paying anything but the slightest, mostsuperficial and most frivolous attention to anything that any of thoseyoung whip-snapping, fox-hunting cubs may say to you. Do you hear?" witha mellow shout like a French horn on a touring car.
"Yes, pa-_pah!_"
The old gentleman waved his single eyeglass in token of dismissal, andlooked at his watch.
"The bus is here," he said fussily. "Come on, Will; come, Linda, and you,Flavilla, Drusilla, and Sybilla, get your furs on. Don't take theelevator. Go down by the stairs, and hurry! If there's one thing in thisworld I won't do it is to wait for anybody on earth!"
Flunkies and maids flew distractedly about with fur coats, muffs, andstoles. In solemn assemblage the family expedition filed past theelevator, descended the stairs to the lower hall, and there drew up forfinal inspection.
A mink-infested footman waited outside; valets, butlers, second-men andmaids came to attention.
"Where's Sacharissa?" demanded Mr. Carr, sonorously.
"Here, dad," said his oldest daughter, strolling calmly into the hall,hands still linked loosely behind her.
"Why haven't you got your hat and furs on?" demanded her father.
"Because I'm not going, dad," she said sweetly.
The family eyed her in amazement.
"Not going?" shouted her father, in a mellow bellow. "Yes, you are! Not_going!_ And why the dickens not?"
"I really don't know, dad," she said listlessly. "I don't want to go."
Her father waved both pudgy arms furiously. "Don't you feel well? Youlook well. You _are_ well. Don't you _feel_ well?"
"Perfectly."
"No, you don't! You're pale! You're pallid! You're peaked! Take a tonicand lie down. Send your maid for some doctors--all kinds of doctors--andhave them fix you up. Then come to Tuxedo with your maid to-morrowmorning. Do you hear?"
"Very well, dad."
"And keep out of that elevator until it's fixed. It's likely to doanything. Ferdinand," to the man at the door, "have it fixed at once.Sacharissa, send that maid of yours for a doctor!"
"Very well, dad!"
She presented her cheek to her emphatic parent; he saluted itexplosively, wheeled, marshaled the family at a glance, started themforward, and closed the rear with his own impressive person. The irongates clanged, the door of the opera bus snapped, and Sacharissa strolledback into the rococo reception room not quite certain why she had notgone, not quite convinced that she was feeling perfectly well.
For the first few minutes her face had been going hot and cold,alternately flushed and pallid. Her heart, too, was acting in an unusualmanner--making sufficient stir for her to become uneasily aware of it.
"Probably," she thought to herself, "I've eaten too many chocolates." Shelooked into the large gilded box, took another and ate it reflectively.
A curious languor possessed her. To combat it she rang for her maid,intending to go for a brisk walk, but the weight of the furs seemed todistress her. It was absurd. She threw them off and sat down in thelibrary.
A little while later her maid found her lying there, feet crossed, armsstretched backward to form a cradle for her head.
"Are you ill, Miss Carr?"
"No," said Sacharissa.
The maid cast an alarmed glance at her mistress' pallid face.
"Would you see Dr. Blimmer, miss?"
"No."
The maid hesitated:
"Beg pardon, but Mr. Carr said you was to see some doctors."
"Very well," she said indifferently. "And please hand me thosechocolates. I don't care for any luncheon."
"No luncheon, miss?" in consternation.
Sacharissa had never been known to shun sustenance.
The symptom thoroughly frightened her maid, and in a few minutes she hadDr. Blimmer's office on the telephone; but that eminent practitioner wasout. Then she found in succession the offices of Doctors White, Black,and Gray. Two had gone away over New Year's, the other was out.
The maid, who was clever and resourceful, went out to hunt up a doctor.There are, in the cross streets, plenty of doctors between the Seventiesand Eighties. She found one without difficulty--that is, she found thesign in the window, but the doctor was out on his visits.
She made two more attempts with similar results, then, discovering adoctor's sign in a window across the street, started for it regardless ofsnowdrifts, and at the same moment the doctor's front door opened and ayoung man, with a black leather case in his hand, hastily descended theicy steps and hurried away up the street.
The maid ran after him and arrived at his side breathless, excited:
"Oh, _could_ you come--just for a moment, if you please, sir! Miss Carrwon't eat her luncheon!"
"What!" said the young man, surprised.
"Miss Carr wishes to see you--just for a----"
"Miss Carr?"
"Miss Sacharissa!"
"Sacharissa?"
"Y-yes, sir--she----"
"But I don't know any Miss Sacharissa!"
"I understand that, sir."
"Look here, young woman, do you know my name?"
"No, sir, but that doesn't make any diffe
rence to Miss Carr."
"She wishes to see _me!_"
"Oh, yes, sir."
"I--I'm in a hurry to catch a train." He looked hard at the maid, at hiswatch, at the maid again.
"Are you perfectly sure you're not mistaken?" he demanded.
"No, sir, I----"
"A certain Miss Sacharissa Carr desires to see _me?_ Are you certain ofthat?"
"Oh, yes, sir--she----"
"Where does she live?"
"One thousand eight and a half Fifth Avenue, sir."
"I've got just three minutes. Can you run?"
"I--yes!"
"Come on, then!"
And away they galloped, his overcoat streaming out behind, the maid'sskirts flapping and her narrow apron flickering in the wind. Wayfarersstopped to watch their pace--a pace which brought them to the house insomething under a minute. Ferdinand, the second man, let them in.
"Now, then," panted the young man, "which way? I'm in a hurry, remember!"And he started on a run for the stairs.
"Please follow me, sir; the elevator is quicker!" gasped the maid,opening the barred doors.
The young man sprang into the lighted car, the maid turned to fling offhat and jacket before entering; something went fizz-bang! snap! clink!and the lights in the car were extinguished.
"Oh!" shrieked the maid, "it's running away again! Jump, sir!"
The ornate, rococo elevator, as a matter of fact, was running away,upward, slowly at first. Its astonished occupant turned to jump out--toolate.
"P-push the third button, sir! Quick!" cried the maid, wringing herhands.
"W-where is it!" stammered the young man, groping nervously in the darkcar. "I can't see any."
"Cr-rack!" went something.
"It's stopped! It's going to fall!" screamed the maid. "Run, Ferdinand!"
The man at the door ran upstairs for a few steps, then distractedly slidto the bottom, shouting:
"Are you hurt, sir?"
"No," came a disgusted voice from somewhere up the shaft.
Every landing was now noisy with servants, maids sped upstairs, flunkeyssped down, a butler waddled in a circle.
"Is anybody going to get me out of this?" demanded the voice in theshaft. "I've a train to catch."
The perspiring butler poked his head into the shaft from below:
"'Ow far hup, sir, might you be?"
"How the devil do I know?"
"Can't you see nothink, sir?"
"Yes, I can see a landing and a red room."
"'E's stuck hunder the library!" exclaimed the butler, and there was arush for the upper floors.
The rush was met and checked by a tall, young girl who came leisurelyalong the landing, nibbling a chocolate.
"What is all this noise about?" she asked. "Has the elevator gone wrongagain?"
Glancing across the landing at the grille which screened the shaft shesaw the gilded car--part of it--and half of a perfectly strange young manlooking earnestly out.
"It's the doctor!" wailed her maid.
"That isn't Dr. Blimmer!" said her mistress.
"No, miss, it's a perfectly strange doctor."
"I am _not_ a doctor," observed the young man, coldly.
Sacharissa drew nearer.
"If that maid of yours had asked me," he went on, "I'd have told her. Shesaw me coming down the steps of a physician's house--I suppose shemistook my camera case for a case of medicines."
"I did--oh, I did!" moaned the maid, and covered her head with her apron.
"The thing to do," said Sacharissa, calmly, "is to send for the nearestplumber. Ferdinand, go immediately!"
"Meanwhile," said the imprisoned young man, "I shall miss my train. Can'tsomebody break that grille? I could climb out that way."
"Sparks," said Miss Carr, "can you break that grille?"
Sparks tried. A kitchen maid brought a small tackhammer--the only "'ammerin the 'ouse," according to Sparks, who pounded at the foliated steelgrille and broke the hammer off short.
"Did it 'it you in the 'ead, sir?" he asked, panting.
"Exactly," replied the young man, grinding his teeth.
Sparks 'oped as 'ow it didn't 'urt the gentleman. The gentleman stanchedhis wound in terrible silence.
Presently Ferdinand came back to report upon the availability of thefamily plumber. It appeared that all plumbers, locksmiths, and similarindispensable and free-born artisans had closed shop at noon and wouldnot reopen until after New Year's, subject to the Constitution of theUnited States.
"But this gentleman cannot remain here until after New Year's," saidSacharissa. "He says he is in a hurry. Do you hear, Sparks?"
The servants stood in a helpless row.
"Ferdinand," she said, "Mr. Carr told you to have that elevator fixedbefore it was used again!"
Ferdinand stared wildly at the grille and ran his thumb over the bars.
"And Clark"--to her maid--"I am astonished that you permitted thisgentleman to risk the elevator."
"He was in a hurry--I thought he was a doctor." The maid dissolved intotears.
"It is now," broke in the voice from the shaft, "an utter impossibilityfor me to catch any train in the United States."
"I am dreadfully sorry," said Sacharissa.
"Isn't there an ax in the house?"
The butler mournfully denied it.
"Then get the furnace bar."
It was fetched; nerve-racking blows rained on the grille; puffingservants applied it as a lever, as a battering-ram, as a club. The houserang like a boiler factory.
"I can't stand any more of that!" shouted the young man. "Stop it!"
Sacharissa looked about her, hands closing both ears.
"Send them away," said the young man, wearily. "If I've got to stay hereI want a chance to think."
After she had dismissed the servants Sacharissa drew up a chair andseated herself a few feet from the grille. She could see half the car andhalf the man--plainer, now that she had come nearer.
He was a young and rather attractive looking fellow, cheek tied up in hishandkerchief, where the head of the hammer had knocked off the skin.
"Let me get some witch-hazel," said Sacharissa, rising.
"I want to write a telegram first," he said.
So she brought some blanks, passed them and a pencil down to him throughthe grille, and reseated herself.