“Right over here, Jane,” he said hurriedly.
“But that is where Mr. Halstead is seated,” she tried to tell him as she hurried along.
“No,” said Sherwood, “Dulaney wants us here. He changed the cards himself after you left. This is your chair!” And he turned quickly to speak to a man who came up on the other side.
As they all sat down, Sherwood, standing at the back of her chair, leaned over and whispered, “Jane, will you please turn that ring out so it will show? I have a special reason. I’ll tell you later.” At the protest in her eyes he said, “No, it’s all right. If you love me, turn it out.”
With her cheeks glowing, Jane turned the ring around and tried to talk to the head of the sales department on her right without looking self-conscious. Well, at least one did not hold one’s spoon in one’s left hand, she thought, as she began on the delicious fruit cup, but a moment later in an instant of aberration, her left hand went out to steady the delicate stemmed glass that had a tendency to slide about on its plate, and there was that astonishing great stone on her hand.
She lifted her frightened eyes across the table and tried to look indifferent, but she could see the hawk eyes of the Tenney one fly to that stone as a bird to a worm, and she could almost read the words from her lips as she leaned over across little Mr. Jenks’s plate to call the attention of Miss Bronson to her ring.
She gave one swift upward glance toward Sherwood and met his beautiful, satisfying smile, and suddenly she did not care. He had given her the ring. She could trust him that it was all right for him to have done it. These people had nothing whatever to do with the matter. It was none of their business where her ring came from and never would be. It was just between John and herself. Who knew but the stone had been his mother’s or belonged once to some rich relative, and he had had it reset? Well, anyway, it was hers for tonight and she would enjoy it.
So the white stone flashed, and Jane’s cheeks glowed, needing no artificial coloring to make her lovely, and Sherwood, though grave and serious matters occupied his mind, nevertheless found time to look at the wonderful girl by his side and rejoice that she was his.
It was a wonderful dinner, for the Dulaneys were not stingy in their giving. Each course seemed better than the one preceding it, and when the climax came, with ice cream in the form of lovely golden flowers, roses and lilies and daffodils natural as life, the office force lost control of their manners and broke forth into applause. One of the most daring of the salesmen jumped up and started a yell in praise of their host, “Dulaney! Dulaney! Dulaney! Rah! Rah! Rah!”
After that came the speeches—snappy little sentences hitched on by hook or crook to some funny tale from the morning papers; others were slow and stilted from lips unaccustomed to speech in public; some were fine, finished three-minute talks from the heads of the departments; and then there were a few grave, graceful sentences from the newest head of the newest department, Mr. Arleth, introduced in appreciative terms by the head of the house. Jane was proud of her father.
And then rose the old man, the “silent” partner, who had never been in the office since Jane had been there. His feeble limbs could scarcely bear him to his feet, his feeble hands trembled as he tried to take hold of his chair for support, his feeble voice was husky at first and trembling, too.
“Friends,” he said, looking about on the listening company all breathless to hear what he would say, “I’ve come to you out of the past as it were. Many of you I’ve never seen before. Most of you I shall not see again. But I have enjoyed being here and watching you all because it brings to me pleasant memories of the past and a strong promise of strength for the future of this business, which it has been my life work to build on. Friends, it is good to know we have such workers about our number. I thank you for all that you have done for the firm. But I have only a little strength. I can say but a few words, and I come to you for a special purpose. You all know that my days are numbered and that the time is not far off when the first Dulaney in the firm will be but a tradition of the past. It has long been my wish that the company part of the name, whose identity has perhaps never been known to most of you, should have its adequate representative in the firm by name. It has seemed to us that the time is ripe for this at last.”
“Now! Now!” Miss Tenney whispered across Mr. Jenks and bobbed her head back to listen.
“It is but natural,” went on the old man, his voice growing steadier as he spoke, “that in looking about for the new partner of the firm, we should choose one in the family, closely related by ties of blood as well as tradition—”
“There! There!” Miss Tenney nodded. “That’s Harold! I thought so!”
Miss Bronson leaned over farther.
“I just heard that Harold is only an adopted son of that brother—or was it a cousin, that died?” she boomed out for the benefit of her neighbors.
“You don’t say!” hissed Miss Tenney, biting her under lip in puzzled thought.
The trembling old voice went on. “—that one has been under consideration for the past three years—”
“Yes, that’s him.” Miss Tenney nodded her bobbed black head violently. “He’s been here off ’n on for most that time.”
“—and for the past year, or in that neighborhood,” said the old man, looking around genially, with the dawning of a smile on his withered lips, “he has, at his own wish been a worker among you—incognito—”
“A lot he has!” snapped Jenks in an undertone. “He’s boasted all over the place he was going to be boss here someday and threatened all sorts of things if we didn’t toe the line to him now.”
“—that he might learn more of the business itself from your end of the line, before undertaking active part in the management.”
“Yes—sneaking round, sticking his nose into everything!”
“Why, where is he?” whispered Miss Tenney. “I don’t see him anywhere.”
“Oh, getting ready for a spectacular entrance. That’s him all over!”
“My strength is going,” said the old man. “I have told the story. I will not take your time. I know you are anxious to meet the new partner. May I introduce to you my sister’s only son, John Dulaney Sherwood!”
The room was hushed to silence. Every eye was turned toward the young man at the right of the speaker who stood tall, handsome, distinguished in his immaculate attire, a stranger to them in this role, the young man who had sat quietly and companionably side by side in the great room with many of them for nearly a year, and yet here he was their boss, overnight! Astonishment grew to expression and a long “Ahhh! Oohhhh!” grew into loud applause.
“Friends,” said John Sherwood, when at last the noise would let him speak, “it’s good to listen to that. It’s been good to be with you in the work during the year and to know you firsthand. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I almost wish it could have lasted longer, for I feel I’ve gained some real friendships during the past winter, and I feel that because of this year we can work better together. I’m not going to make a long speech. I haven’t anything to say yet, except that I hope we’ll do some great work together this coming—shall I say fifty years if we live that long? But now, since we’re on the subject of new partnerships, I wonder if it wouldn’t be in order for me to introduce my new partner?—the lady who has promised to be my wife some day soon. Miss Jane Arleth. I won’t ask her to make a speech because it’s getting late, and she didn’t know I was going to do this, but perhaps you’d like her to just stand up and smile at you!”
Then Sherwood stooped down and took Jane—shrinking, frightened, her cheeks like roses, her eyes like stars—by the hand and raised her to her feet.
Jane had been carried like a whirlwind through the last few minutes and hardly knew what her name was, learning all in a flash, what she never for one single instant had suspected, that her promised husband was a great man, and the long-expected new partner of this wealthy firm, a rich man himself perhaps. And just to think how sh
e had been ordering him round! Now, perhaps he would be remote and far away from her. The John Sherwood she knew was gone, and in his place was a distinguished-looking man who was making a speech with perfect ease, a man with deep gray eyes whom she didn’t know at all, whom she had seen somewhere— and she felt left out and wanted to cry.
It was just then he stopped and took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
Somehow the touch of his hand made all things right at once, and though she could not think, nor have the least idea what was going to happen next, she could still smile, and Jane smiled on them all.
Then how the thunder boomed. Hands clapped, feet stamped, voices shouted, and handkerchiefs waved.
It was Miss Tenney who started the salute, fishing out her own showy handkerchief heavily edged with coarse “real” lace, holding it aloft as far as her stout bare arm could reach and waving it frantically. Then the white salute bloomed out from the men as well as the women, even the old senior partner getting out his fine hand-monogrammed handkerchief and waving it feebly.
As the applause boomed on, Jane suddenly dropped back in her chair putting both her hands up to her face and covering her hot, hot cheeks for a moment. It was then the diamond had its innings. It flashed and beamed and smiled and bowed to the whole company gorgeously—and Jane had completely forgotten all about it!
“She never was high-hat,” contributed Miss Tenney to the general conclave of sound. “Ain’t it romantic, the little dear!” she said, dabbing her eyes carefully, not to destroy her entire makeup.
“I couldn’t help it, dear,” said Sherwood softly, stooping over Jane. “It had to be done, and this was the best time ever to put you where you belong. Forgive me, dear, but aren’t you glad it’s over?”
And then Jane looked up and felt she had been lifted into a world beside him, and she didn’t care how they cheered, nor how hot her cheeks were, nor how that gorgeous diamond flashed. Why shouldn’t it flash? It was the sign and seal of his love for her, and she loved it for his sake.
When the noise had somewhat quieted, Jefferson Dulaney arose, his genial face in a broad smile. “Well,” he drawled in his pleasant way, “Jack has sprung one on us this time. I kind of thought he had something up his sleeve, but I didn’t dream it was anything so nice as this! I’ll say the new partner has sprung the best stunt of the whole evening! We all love Miss Jane—I hope he doesn’t get jealous—and we’re all pleased, I know. But it seems that instead of taking on one new partner tonight we’ve taken in two, and according to tradition we’ve got to call the last one the best one, for a woman is generally called the better half! On behalf of the firm, I welcome the two new partners into the firm of Dulaney, Dulaney, & Sherwood!”
Then from above the speaker’s table across the top of the great blue field that bore the Dulaney coat of arms, a gold scarf fell and there flashed out in letters of golden light the new name, DULANEY, DULANEY, & SHERWOOD, and a great cheer arose.
It was a long time before it was over. The company arose en masse and tried to speak to the partners of the firm all at once. Somebody spirited away the old man out of the noise and confusion, but the rest remained to smile and thank and congratulate and say how nice the dinner was and how they loved the favors. Miss Tenney, her chin streaked with makeup, her fat arms clasping the favor that had been at her plate, came to say good-bye, and stood to worship the diamond on Jane’s hand.
“Oh, you’ll let me see it, won’t you?” she asked in worshipful tones. “Ain’t it a beauty? You can see it’s real. My! I’m glad you got it. And there ain’t many girls I’d say that for, I tell you. Most of them don’t deserve a glass one!”
It was over at last. Jane had received the congratulations, or rather Sherwood had, of the firm, and Jane had received an official blessing and compliments enough to turn the head of any girl.
Jane looked up once and saw her father standing off at one side, watching her with such love in his eyes and such a happy pride that she wanted to run to him and put her arms around his neck.
“I only wish your mother had been here to see it, little girl,” he said, when at last they started out toward the elevator to go home. Jane looked up with a glad heart to meet her father’s eyes.
“Oh Daddy,” she said, reverting to her little girl name for him. “I don’t deserve all this.”
“The greatest gifts in the world are never deserved, dear,” he said gently.
They sat up a long time after they got home, telling it over to Mother and Tom and Betty Lou, who came down to hear, her eyes blinking with sleep.
“Oh boy!” said Tom. “You just oughtta been out in the car listening when that bunch came out. Ever hear a lotta blackbirds chattering in the woods in the fall when the chestnuts are ripe? That’s them. They all talked at once, and they said ‘Him’ and ‘Her’ and ‘Jane,’ and ‘Wasn’t it wonderful!’” Tom imitated them exactly. “Good night! It was worse’n a circus. I found out my sister’s something great!”
“Well, she is,” said Sherwood, squeezing Jane’s hand. “But now she’s tired and I must run home. We’ll have to go down to the office tomorrow morning a little while, just to look after the mail. I’d say you were to stay at home, but I know nobody else but you could straighten out some of the tangles, so I’ll let you go for a little while, but tomorrow afternoon is ours. We’re going out for a ride, and it won’t be in the flivver, either.”
“Oh,” said Jane, suddenly remembering. “There is one question I must ask you before I sleep. How was it you always seemed to be a poor man? You said you were poor. You said you had a small salary. Now how do you harmonize that with—with—this!” Jane spread her hand with the flashing diamond on it and looked up earnestly into his eyes. “I know you always tell the truth. I’m sure you never lied. But I would like it explained, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, that’s easy,” said Sherwood. “I was a poor man. I was on a small salary for a year. It was a part of my mother’s will that if I ever chose to enter the firm and take over her share in the business, I was first to take an under position for at least a year and live on the salary I earned. That’s what I have been doing, Jane. The year was up today.”
“But it isn’t a year since you came,” said Jane, puzzled.
“Not a year since I came here, but I was in the Boston office for three months first getting pointers on the New England end of the business. And by the way,” he said, turning to Arleth, “you spoke of Harold Dulaney. I wasn’t supposed to say anything then, and this isn’t for general distribution of course, but you may as well understand the situation here in the family. You see, Harold isn’t my cousin, really. He was the adopted son of an uncle who died, the brother between Uncle Jeff and my mother, and he had the same privilege that I had of coming into the firm when he came of age, under the same conditions. But he had three different chances at it and failed every time. Always ran up bills everywhere and came back on Uncle Jeff, till finally they put him here right under Uncle Jeff ’s eye, and they gave him the job of cashier. But things haven’t been going right. You’ve heard enough, Mr. Arleth, to understand.”
Arleth nodded.
Sherwood turned toward Jane. “Harold never did like me. He was always jealous of anything Uncle Jeff ever did for me, and he shunned me whenever he could. But when I came down here his feeling seemed to have culminated in utter hate. He wouldn’t look at me nor speak to me if he could help it. Of course he got himself sent to Europe the first few weeks I came, but even that didn’t work out. He made a lot of trouble for the firm over there, and then one night, I guess perhaps you remember, Tom, the night you and I went after Jane, he stayed over late pretending to be working on his books.”
“Oh yes,” said Tom with sudden comprehension, remembering the look on the face of the man trying to open the safe.
“Well, something he said, or the way he looked, or maybe just his having the books out at that hour gave Uncle Jeff an idea, and he had me take the books and go over them caref
ully with an expert. You see, Harold had been doing better with his allowance— his salary, I mean—and he’d almost finished out his year without going over. They were hoping he was going to make good. But on the other hand, they had discovered a strange untraceable deficit, several entries that looked shady. I can’t go into the thing, haven’t a right to, either, of course, but in short Harold had been tampering with things, and in an expert manner that showed he’d either had experience or else a colleague somewhere. It has been my unpleasant duty the last two months to find out who that colleague was.”
“You found him?”
“Yes, Minnick. Minnick is a hired crook. He’s all and more than the police hinted at the other night, but he’s been hiding safe under a smooth alias for a couple of years on a double payroll.”
“You mean that Harold Dulaney hired him to shoot you? Would he dare do that just for jealousy? Would he want to?”
“Yes,” said Sherwood sadly. “He wanted to get me out of the way. He told me when I began to work with the books that if I ‘monkeyed’ with them, as he called it, he would kill me. It didn’t bother me much because I knew he wouldn’t have the nerve himself, but anyhow I had to do what I was ordered to do. I never really took it seriously of course, although I knew he hated having me here. He hated me to get in the firm sooner than he did when he was older. I think he must have felt that if I were out of the way, he would stand another chance of hoodwinking my two uncles and get the business anyway.”
“Where is he now?” asked Jane with widening, horrified eyes. “Why wasn’t he there tonight?”
“He sailed this morning for China,” said Sherwood gravely. “Uncle Jeff made the choice of two evils. Would he take a certain sum of money, sign papers that put him forever out of the running here, and go to China to try and make good for himself, never to return to this country; or would he go to prison and serve a twenty-year term for embezzling? He has embezzled a large sum of money, partly through a clever manipulation of the books after hours with the aid of an experienced criminal, and partly through a clever forging of Uncle Jeff ’s own personal checks. I’m not sure but it was a mistake to even let him off as they did, but for the family honor and for the sake of the old man, my uncle Richard, who loved Harold’s foster father deeply, they gave him his choice. Confronted by the evidence of his own crime, he lost no time in accepting and getting out of the country.”
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