Mr. Evringham received a prompt answer to his message. His sonappointed, as a place of meeting, the downtown hotel where he and hiswife purposed spending the night before sailing.
Father and son had not met for years, and Mr. Evringham debated a fewminutes whether to take the gastronomic and social risk of dining withHarry _en famille_ at the noisy hotel above mentioned, or to have dinnerin assured comfort at his club--finally deciding on the latter course.
It was, therefore, nearly nine o'clock before his card was presented toMr. and Mrs. Harry, to whom it brought considerable relief of mind, andthey hastened down to the dingy parlor with alacrity.
"You see we thought you might accept our invitation to dinner," saidHarry heartily, as he grasped his parent's passive hand; "but yourbusiness hours are so short, I dare say you have been at home since themiddle of the afternoon." As he spoke the hard lines of his father'simpassive face smote him with a thousand associations, many of thembringing remorse. He wondered how much his own conduct had had to dowith graving them so deeply.
His wife's observant eyes were scanning this guardian of her childfrom the crown of his immaculate head to the toes of his correct patentleathers. His expressionless eyes turned to her. "This is your wife?" heasked, again offering the passive hand.
"Yes, father, this is Julia," responded Harry proudly. "I'm sorry thetime is so short. I do want you to know her."
The young man's face grew eloquent.
"That is a pleasure to come," responded Mr. Evringham mechanically. Heturned stiffly and cast a glance about. "You brought your daughter, Ipresume?"
"Yes, indeed," answered Mrs. Evringham. "Harry was so glad to receiveyour permission. We had made arrangements for her provisionally withfriends in Chicago, but we were desirous that she should have thisopportunity to see her father's home and know you."
Mr. Evringham thought with regret of those friends in Chicago. Manytimes in the last two days he had deeply repented allowing himself to beexasperated into thus committing himself.
"Do sit down, father," said Harry, as his wife seated herself in thenearest chair.
Mr. Evringham hesitated before complying. "Well," he said perfunctorily,"you have gone into something that promises well, eh Harry?"
"It looks that way. I'm chiefly occupied these days in being thankful."The young man smiled with an extraordinary sweetness of expression,which transfigured his face, and which his father remembered well asalways promising much and performing nothing. "I might spend a lot oftime crying over spilt milk, but Julia says I mustn't,"--he glancedacross at his wife, whose dark eyes smiled back,--"and what Julia saysgoes. I intend to spend a year or two doing instead of talking."
"It will answer better," remarked his father.
"Yes, sir," Harry's voice grew still more earnest. "And by that time,perhaps, I can express my regret to you, for things done and things leftundone, with more convincingness."
The older man made a slight gesture of rejection with one well-kepthand. "Let bygones be bygones," he returned briefly.
"When I think," pursued Harry, his impulsive manner in strange contrastto that of his listener, "that if I had been behaving myself all thistime, I might have seen dear old Lawrence again!"
Mr. Evringham kept silence.
"How are Madge and Eloise? I thought perhaps Madge might come in andmeet us at the train."
"They are in the best of health, thank you. Eh--a--I think if you'llcall your daughter now we will go. It's rather a long ride, you know.No express trains at this hour. When you return we will have more of avisit."
Harry and his wife exchanged a glance. "Why Jewel is asleep," answeredthe young man after a pause. "She was so sleepy she couldn't hold hereyes open."
"You mean you've let her go to bed?" asked Mr. Evringham, with a notvery successful attempt to veil his surprise and annoyance.
"Why--yes. We supposed she would see us off, you know."
"Your memory is rather short, it strikes me," returned his father. "Yousail at eight A.M., I believe. Did you think I could get in from Bel-Airat that hour?"
"No. I thought you would naturally remain in the city over night. Youused to stay in rather frequently, didn't you?"
"I've not done so for five years; but you couldn't know that. Is it outof the question to dress the child again? I hope she is too healthy tobe disturbed by a trifle like that."
Mrs. Evringham cast a startled look at her father-in-law. "It woulddisappoint Jewel very much not to see us off," she returned.
Mr. Evringham shrugged his shoulders. "Let it go then. Let it go," hesaid quickly.
Harry's plain face had grown concerned. "Is Mrs. Forbes with you still?"he asked.
"Oh, yes. I couldn't keep house without Mrs. Forbes. Well," rising, "ifyou young people will excuse me, I believe I will go to the club andturn in."
"Couldn't you stand it here one night, do you think?" asked Harry,rising. "The club is rather far uptown for such an early start."
"No. I'll be on hand. I'm used to rising early for a canter. I'll takeit with a cab horse this time. That will be all the difference." Andwith this attempt at jocularity, Mr. Evringham shook hands once more anddeparted, swallowing his ill-humor as best he could. Any instincts ofthe family man which might once have reigned in him had long since beeninhibited. This episode was a cruel invasion upon his bachelor habits.
Left alone, Harry and his wife without a word ascended to their roomand with one accord approached the little bed in the corner where theirchild lay asleep.
The man took his wife's hand. "I've done it now, Julia," he saiddejectedly. "It's my confounded optimism again."
"Your optimism is all right," she returned, smoothing his hand gently,though her heart was beating fast, and the vision of her father-in-law,with his elegant figure and cold eyes, was weighing upon her spirit.
Harry looked long on the plain little sleeping face, so like his own inspite of its exquisite child-coloring, and bending, touched the tossed,straight, flaxen hair.
"We couldn't take her, I suppose?" he asked.
"No," replied the yearning mother quietly. "We have prayed over it. Wemust know that all will be right."
"His bark is worse than his bite," said Harry doubtfully. "It alwayswas; and Mrs. Forbes is there."
"You say she is a kind sort of woman?"
"Why, I suppose so," uncertainly. "I never had much to do with her."
"And your sister? Isn't it very strange that she didn't come in to meetus? I was so certain I should put Jewel into her hands I feel a littlebewildered."
"You're a trump!" ejaculated Harry hotly, "and you've married into afamily where they're scarce. Madge might have met us at the train, atleast."
"Perhaps she is very sad over her loss," suggested Julia.
"In the best of health. Father said so. Oh well, she never was anythingbut a big butterfly and Eloise a little one. I remember the last timeI saw the child, a pretty fairy with her long pink silk stockings. Shemust have been just about the age of Jewel."
The mother stooped over the little bed and the dingy room lookedpleasanter for her smile. "Jewel hasn't any pink silk stockings," shemurmured, and kissed the warm rose of the round cheek.
The little girl stirred and opened her eyes, at first vaguely, then witha start.
"Is it time for the boat?" she asked, trying to rise.
Her father smoothed her hair. "No, time to go to sleep again. We're justgoing to bed. Good-night, Jewel." He stooped to kiss her, and her armsmet around his neck.
"It was an April fool, wasn't it?" she murmured sleepily, and wasunconscious again.
The mother hid her face for a moment on her husband's shoulder. "Helpme to feel that we're doing right," she whispered, with a catch in herbreath.
"As if I could help _you_, Julia!" he returned humbly.
"Oh, yes, you can, dear." She withdrew from his embrace, and going tothe dresser, took down her hair. The smiling face of a doll looked up ather from the neighboring chair, where it wa
s sitting bolt upright. Hercostume was fresh from the modiste, and her feet, though hopelesslypigeon-toed, were encased in bronze boots of a freshness which caughtthe dim gaslight with a golden sheen.
Mrs. Evringham smiled through her moist eyes.
"Well, Jewel _was_ sleepy. She forgot to undress Anna Belle," she said.
Letting her hair fall about her like a veil, she caught up the doll andpressed it to her heart impulsively. "You are going to stay with her,Anna Belle! I envy you, I envy you!" she whispered. An irrepressibletear fell on the sumptuous trimming of the little hat. "Be good to her;comfort her, comfort her, little dolly." Hastily wiping her eyes, sheturned to her husband, still holding the doll. "We shall have to be verycareful, Harry, in the morning. If we are harboring one wrong or fearfulthought, we must not let Jewel know it."
"Oh, I wish it were over! I wish the next month were over!" he repliedrestively.
Jewel: A Chapter in Her Life Page 5