CHAPTER XIII--THE NIGHT OF THE BALL
"Yes, Hugh," Barbara said, as the last strains of the Merry Widow waltzdied away, "I should like to rest here a minute." Barbara sank down onthe low, rose-colored divan shaded by magnificent palms in Mrs. Erwin'sconservatory. "I would love an ice, too," she added.
It was the night of Mrs. Erwin's famous white and gold ball, longremembered in the history of splendid entertainments in Newport.
Barbara truly wanted a minute to think. She had come to the ball underMiss Sallie's excellent chaperonage, early in the evening, and had beendancing hard ever since. The little girl from Kingsbridge, who had neverbefore seen anything finer than a village entertainment, felt almostovercome by the splendor and magnificence of everything about her.
Mrs. Erwin's ballroom was built out from the side of her handsome villalike a Greek portico. The conservatory joined it at one end, forming aninner triangular court. This court was filled with rare trees whichthrew their branches out over a miniature artificial lake. The guestscould pass from the ballroom into this open garden, or they could enterit through the conservatory.
The walls of the wonderful ballroom were covered with a white silkbrocade, and on this night Mrs. Erwin had allowed only yellow flowers tobe used as decorations. Great bowls of yellow roses perfumed the air,and golden orchids looked like troops of butterflies just poising beforethey took flight.
"Now I know," said Mollie, with a catch in her breath, as she first cameinto the magnificent ballroom, "what King Midas's garden must havelooked like, when he went round and caressed all the flowers in it withthe golden touch."
"Clever Mollie!" laughed Ruth. "I expect it is the golden touch that hasbeen round this ballroom, or the touch of golden dollars, anyway."
Mollie blushed. "I didn't mean that," she said.
Barbara leaned her head against the rose-colored cushion, just the colorof the jeweled spray in her hair; she was wearing the coral jewelry hermother had given her. Fortunately the two girls had saved their bestparty dresses for this ball, having been content to wear their summermuslins at the informal dances at the Casino.
Barbara, in her dainty pink flowered organdie, with her cheeks flushedto match it in color, resembled a lovely wild rose.
Curiously enough, amid all this elegance, Bab felt a little homesick.She kept thinking of her mother and the little cottage.
"It's a wonderful experience for Mollie and me," she said to herself. "Ihope I can tell mother exactly what it looks like. I am sure fairylandcan't be half so gorgeous; fairies wear only dewdrops for jewels; buthere, I believe, there must be nearly all the jewels in the world."
Barbara did not know how big the world really is, nor how many peopleand jewels, both real and paste, there are in it. After all, artificialpeople are no better than paste jewels!
Earlier in the evening Mollie and Barbara had stood with their handstight together, watching the men and women enter the great receptionroom to speak to their host and hostess.
"Diamonds," whispered Mollie to Bab, "seem as plentiful as thestrawberries we gathered for the hotel people this summer. We didn'tdream, then, that we were coming to Newport! Isn't my Mrs. Cartwrightthe most beautiful of them all?" wound up the loyal child.
Mrs. Cartwright wore a white satin gown, with a diamond star in thetulle of her bodice. In her hair was a spray of diamonds, mounted tolook like a single stalk of lilies of the valley, each jewel hangingfrom the slender stem like a tiny floweret.
The conservatory was almost empty while Bab rested and waited.
During the intermission in the dance nearly all the guests had wanderedinto the dining-room or into the moonlit garden.
Barbara realized that she was almost completely hidden by the great palmtrees that formed an arch over her head and drooped their long arms downover her. She had crept into this seat in order that she might seewithout being seen.
Yet in spite of the quiet, Barbara was not resting. Her heart wasbeating fast with the excitement of this wonderful evening, and her tinyfeet in the pink silk slippers still kept time to the last waltz she haddanced with Hugh.
The conservatory door, leading into the garden, was open. Barbara sawMrs. Post, Governor Post, Harry Townsend and a woman in a gold-coloredbrocade enter the conservatory and stop to talk for a few minutes. Theyhad not noticed Barbara nor did she feel it was quite proper tointerrupt them, as she did not know the strange woman who was with them.
Governor Post bowed in military fashion to the ladies.
"Now," he said, "I'll go, and leave the young man to do theentertaining. We old fellows must make ourselves useful when ourornamental days are over. Mr. Townsend will look after you here, and Ishall find a waiter and have him bring you something to eat."
Barbara saw Harry Townsend talking in his most impressive manner to thetwo women.
"It is curious," Bab thought, to herself, "what a society man HarryTownsend is. Gladys says he is only twenty-two. I wonder where he comesfrom. Nobody seems to know. Oh, yes; Gladys said he was educated inParis. She met him on shipboard."
The little girl from her green bower was an interested watcher. It wasfascinating to be able to see all that was going on, without being seen.Bab sat as quiet as a mouse, taking no part in the conversation.
Mrs. Post was a handsome woman of about fifty, who looked rather sternto the girls; but Hugh assured them that she was "dead easy," once yougot on the right side of her. Her husband was a prominent lawyer inWashington, and their winters were usually spent in the capital.
Mrs. Post's gown was nearly covered by a long, light-colored chiffonwrap, with a high collar lined with a curious ornamental embroidery.
"Harry," she said, turning to the young man with her, "it is warm inhere with these tropical plants; will you be kind enough to remove mywrap?"
The conservatory was dimly lighted. Barbara sat in the shadow. Betweenher and the party she was watching was a central row of flowers andevergreens, dividing the long room into two aisles.
She saw Harry rise and lean over Mrs. Post, who only half rose from herchair. Deftly and with wonderful ease and swiftness, Townsend undid theclasp at her throat; but, for a moment, the embroidery from the collarseemed to have caught in her hair.
Barbara's eyes grew wide and staring with surprise. As the coat slippedback from Mrs. Post's shoulders, she saw a string like a tiny greenserpent glide with magic smoothness and swiftness from her throat, anddrop into the shrubbery back of her, or--into Harry Townsend's hand?
What should she do? Announce that she had seen her string of emeraldsdisappear? Mrs. Post was talking and laughing gayly with her friend inthe gold-colored dress. Harry was smiling quietly by them. Barbararubbed her eyes. Surely she was mistaken. She had been dazzled by thewonderful sights she had seen that night. While she hesitated heropportunity passed.
Governor Post returned, saying to his wife: "Come, my dear, I have foundMiss Stuart and a friend. They have a table out in the garden, and wantus to join them."
Mrs. Post again drew her wrap over her shoulders and turned to leave theconservatory. As she rose she saw Barbara.
"You there, my child?" she said in a friendly way. "Why didn't you speakto me?"
Barbara could only answer her stupidly. "I was waiting for Hugh."
When Hugh returned he found Barbara looking as pale as though she hadjust seen a ghost.
"What's the matter?" he asked at once. "Are you ill?"
But Bab shook her head. "I'll go find Miss Stuart," the young mansuggested.
"You'll do no such thing, Hugh!" Barbara had recovered her breath."There's nothing much the matter with me--at least, I am not sure whetherI ought to tell you."
"Bab and Hugh! Well, I like this!" Grace's voice sounded from thedoorway, as she and Donald Cartwright came in, followed by Ruth andRalph. "Here you two have run away by yourselves, when we promised tostick together this evening, in order to keep up each other's courage.You ought to see Gladys! She's as angry as can he, and is wanderinground with
Mollie and the freshman. Harry has been gone somewhere for along time, and she has no partner for the next dance."
"Are you sick, Bab?" inquired Ruth. She, too, noticed that Bab wasunusually pale. Before she received an answer, Governor and Mrs. Postcame into the conservatory, followed by Harry Townsend, Miss Stuart andthe woman in yellow.
"You are just the fellow I want to see, Hugh," said his father, soquietly that no one except those near him could hear. "Your mother haslost her emerald necklace, and she thought she had it on when she waslast in here. We don't want to create any excitement, or to let Mrs.Erwin or the servants know until we have made a thorough search. Shevery probably dropped it among these flowers. Lock the door out there,will you? Miss Carter, you and Donald, please keep guard at the otherdoor while these young people help me look."
"I thought----" said Barbara.
"Why, you were in here, child, when we were. You were on the other sideof these evergreens," said Mrs. Post. "What did you say?"
"I thought it might be in these evergreens," Barbara finished, lamely,getting down on her knees to assist in the search. Dared she speak ofwhat she thought she had seen? Dared she speak with no evidence but herown word? Could she have been in error? First, she would look with theothers.
Every palm, every flower, every inch of space was carefully gone over.No sign of the missing emeralds!
"Did anyone enter the conservatory after I left, Miss Thurston?"inquired Mrs. Post coldly. She was worried by the loss of her jewels,which were of great value, as well as annoyed by the excitement she wascausing.
"Nobody came in," Bab said, "only Hugh."
"I am exceedingly sorry," the governor said at last, "but Mrs. Erwinwill have to be notified. The jewels were either lost or stolen, andmust be found. If the servants find the necklace a liberal reward willinduce them to return it."
The older people left the conservatory.
Just as the younger ones turned to leave, Barbara, whose strangeexpression had not escaped the sharp eyes of Ruth, laid her hand onHugh's arm.
"Ask Harry Townsend to stay here a minute with us, won't you please,Hugh?" said Barbara hoarsely.
"Say, Townsend," Hugh called, "come back a moment. I want to speak toyou. Or, rather, Miss Thurston does."
"Mr. Townsend," said Barbara, her face pale as death, "did you not seeMrs. Post's necklace when you took off her wrap in here?"
"No," said Harry quietly. "Did you?"
"Ask him, Hugh," said Barbara, desperately, "to show you what he has inhis pockets!"
"Oh, say, Barbara!" Hugh answered. "I can't do that. It's a little toomuch."
But Ralph stepped forward. "We don't know what Miss Thurston means, butshe most certainly doesn't mean to insult Mr. Townsend unnecessarily.Why, then, should he mind turning out his pockets? Here Hugh," Ralphturned, "search me first. Then Mr. Townsend won't object to the selfsameprocess."
Hugh's face was crimson, but he looked through Ralph's pockets in agingerly fashion.
When he finished Harry Townsend turned quietly to Barbara. "I don't knowwhy you wish to insult me," he said to her, "but I am perfectly willingto have Mr. Post search me. You were the only person in the conservatoryafter the jewels were lost!"
Hugh started his search.
Barbara leaned sick and faint against her chair, expecting every momentto see Hugh draw the jewels forth. She kept her eyes averted while Harryturned his pockets wrong side out and finally opened his vest.
"Barbara," said Hugh, coldly, and Bab turned around. "We owe Mr.Townsend an apology. He is certainly no thief!"
The jewels were nowhere to be found.
Automobile Girls at Newport; Or, Watching the Summer Parade Page 13