Homing

by Grace Livingston Hill

  But Mrs. Havenner was not in her room. Audrey was not in her room. Nobody seemed to be anywhere. Further investigation showed evidence of a second guest in the other guest room. Her anger rose. What did they think they were going to do with her? Of course, they hadn’t expected her back until tomorrow or next day, but it seemed a strange performance. She hadn’t said definitely she was going to stay all the week!

  She went downstairs, but none of the family were there. She looked up and down the beach, and even traveled out to the bathhouses, but there was no sign of anybody, and only dry bathing suits greeted her eye as she swung back the doors of the bathhouses.

  Well, of all things! What had the family gone and done? Leaving Evadne alone asleep! And perhaps Kent was upstairs in his room asleep also. She would go and find out!

  So she climbed the stairs again and swung Kent’s door open. No, no one was there. Well, this was extraordinary. She decided reluctantly to interview the maids. She hesitated to do this because neither of them had what she considered a proper respect for her. They resented her suggestions, and served her most reluctantly. But this was a case where it was most necessary to find out the exact situation. So she raided the kitchen.

  “Molly, where are the family?” she demanded of the faithful servant as she came into the dining room to set the table.

  “Oh, they’ve all gone to church!” said Molly with a toss of her head and a kind of triumph in her voice, as if going to church were a regular habit of the Havenners.

  “To church?” asked Evalina with a lifting of her eyebrows. “What do you mean, to church?”

  “Why, they’ve gone to church to hear the young preacher,” she related with evident relish, drawing out her tale to its utmost possibility.

  “The young preacher! What young preacher?”

  “Why the young preacher Mr. Kent brought back with him from Boston or somewhere. His name is Whitney!”

  “But I never heard of him!” said Evalina indignantly. “Where is he preaching?”

  “I heard them say he was preaching down to Silver Beach Chapel!”

  “Silver Beach Chapel! That little dinky place! Why, nobody that was worth anything would preach there. You must have heard wrong, Molly. They couldn’t have gone there!”

  “Yes, ma’am, that’s what they said. The young folks walked down the beach, but Mr. and Mrs. Havenner went in the car later.”

  “Young folks! What young folks?”

  “Why, Miss Audrey and the young preacher, and Mr. Kent and that other girl that’s staying here, Miss Scarlett. Miss Jane Scarlett, that’s her name!”

  “Jane Scarlett! You don’t mean that girl is here, Molly?”

  “That’s what they call her, Miss Evalina.”

  “Mercy!” said Evalina. She turned as if to leave the room, and then she remembered and turned back.

  “But Molly, what about this young woman who is in my room? How did she get there? Who put her there?”

  “I donno, Miss Evalina. She was at dinner last night, and then she didn’t come down to breakfast with the rest. Mis’ Havenner said I was to give her strong coffee when she comes down.”

  “But why was she put in my room?”

  “I donno, Miss Evalina, ’deed I don’t! She come along before dinner, and Mis’ Havenner took her up there to take off her hat, and then after dinner they all went out somewheres. Mr. Bainbridge was over, too, an’ the young folks all went out on the beach, but I went out when I got my dishes done, and I don’t know nothing more.”

  Evalina looked thoughtful an instant, and then she said, as if in explanation to herself: “So Mr. Bainbridge was here, was he? To dinner?”

  “Oh, no’m! He come askin’ after Miss Audrey, and she sent word for him to wait, but she didn’t go out for a long while, and then she just walks down the beach with Miss Scarlett.”

  “Where were the young men? Where was Kent?”

  “Oh, he and the preacher-man hadn’t come yet. They come after while. I heard them singin’ hymns down on the beach. The preacher has an awful pretty voice.”

  “Singing hymns?”

  “Yes, singin’ hymns. Some awful pretty ones!”

  “Well, but what became of Mr. Bainbridge?”

  “Oh, he was out on the front porch talkin’ to the lady with yella hair that’s upstairs asleep. You gonta be here ta dinner, Miss Evalina? Shall I put on a place for you?”

  “Certainly!” said Evalina, and she swept upstairs severely.

  Evalina went into her bedroom with a very firm expression on her face. She glanced at the clock and saw that it could not be long before the churchgoers arrived at home.

  She closed the door with decision and stood gazing for a minute at the sleeper who seemed not to have stirred since she left her. Then she walked firmly and heavily over to her washstand, and taking a large clean washcloth from the drawer, wet it thoroughly in the coldest water she could get from the faucet, and going determinedly over to the bed she sloshed that wet cloth swiftly over the face of Evadne until she gasped and let out a scream.

  “There! That’s all right!” said Evalina. “Nobody’s going to kill you. I’m only doing this for your own good. It’s high time you were awake and dressed. I know you’ll be glad I did it pretty soon.”

  Thus she instructed the invincible Evadne until amid much groaning and struggling and protest she had her thoroughly awake. Evadne’s first rational act was to fling the wet cloth, which had just been freshly soused at the faucet, straight into Evalina’s face, and thus, caught by her own weapon, hoisted with her own petard as it were, Evalina was forced for the moment to retire from action and rescue her best dress from water stains. But she did it with set lips, uttering no sound.

  Evadne sat up and blinked at her, using language that was not in the usual Havenner vocabulary. But Evalina merely gave her a withering glance and went on rubbing the front of her skirt dry. At last Evadne reached the end of her repertoire and stared at Evalina.

  “Who the heck are you anyway?” she stormed.

  “I’m part of the family,” said Evalina complacently, “and you happen to be occupying my bed.”

  “Oh!” said Evadne contemptuously, stared back at it, and laughed. “So what?”

  “Nothing, only it’s almost time the family came home from church, and I thought it was time you got into some clothes and were ready to meet them. Dinner will be served in about three-quarters of an hour.”

  “What in the heck do I care?” said Evadne insolently. “Who do you mean will be back from church? Where are all the folks anyway?”

  “Why, Kent and Audrey and the preacher and that Scarlett girl they tell me was here all night.”

  “Oh!” said Evadne, startled really awake now. “Say, who is that Scarlett girl? Where have I seen her before? She just simply walked off with Kent all the evening, and I never did see him at all.”

  “She’s nothing in the world but a button salesperson from Windle’s store. What did you let her walk off with Kent for? She’s nothing but a working girl.”

  “A working girl?” Evadne’s eyes were wide with anger. “Do you mean to tell me that Kent Havenner would go off with a working girl when I was here?”

  “Well, I expect Kent has been pretty angry at what you did. You can’t expect to have him smile right off the bat when you come back after a silent six months in Europe.”

  Evadne stared at her.

  “Do you mean to tell me that Kent Havenner has no better sense than to use a little baby-faced working girl dressed in pink dimity to make me jealous? Me! Well, if that’s all, it won’t take long to bring him back to his senses!”

  Evadne flung herself out of bed and began to dress swiftly. But she went on asking questions.

  “What’s Audrey trying to do to his royal highness, Prince Bainbridge?”

  “She? Oh, I’m sure I don’t know. They’ve been pretty thick all summer. He brings her quantities of books to read, and they quarrel a lot, but I think she’s about engage
d to him now.”

  “Well, you’d better think again,” said Evadne. “I’m thinking of taking him over myself if I need an understudy for Kent. He’s a looker and presentable. He dances well, too, which is what Kent never did.”

  “You were out dancing last night!” charged Evalina.

  “What’s that to you?”

  “I had to wash your face to get you awake,” remarked Evalina significantly. “I wouldn’t advise you to play that act of getting half stewed around here very often. Kent’s father and mother are very old-fashioned.”

  “Don’t I know that? I can get along without your advice, thank you. But say, can’t you take your glad rags out of here, and let me have this room to myself? For I’m thinking of staying here several days. This is going to be some campaign!”

  “I’ll say it is,” said Evalina, “and you’d better keep in with me if you want to win, for there isn’t anybody else you can depend upon, I’m afraid. They’re all a narrow lot here!”

  “You’re telling me!” said Evadne.

  “There! They’re coming now!” said Evalina. “See! They’re walking back! I thought they’d come in the car, but I think I heard that come in some time ago. See! There they are up by the pavilion.”

  Evadne went to the window and looked up the beach.

  “Yes,” she said sourly, “and that Scarlett girl is walking with Kent again! The insolent thing! I know her by that pink dress! Little bold thing!”

  Evadne turned and went on rapidly with her dressing. Not that she had so much to put on, for her garments were few and scanty, but there was her makeup to repair, without its usual nightly anointing.

  Nevertheless Evalina was surprised that she was ready so soon, calm and cool and haughty, a beauty crowned with golden curls walking lazily down the stairs.

  “Good morning, folks,” she called noisily as the churchgoers came in. “Been out boating or swimming already?”

  Nobody answered her. They were talking to one another.

  Then Evadne marched straight up to Jane and addressed her.

  “What are you doing here, anyway?” she asked, as a prince might have addressed a cur. “I wonder, do they know who you are? How did you steal in here unaware?”

  Jane turned a bewildered look at the woman of the world.

  “Evadne!” said Kent in a shocked voice. But she paid no heed to him. She only raised her voice a little higher so that even the servants in the dining room could hear.

  “Haven’t I seen you selling buttons in Windle’s?”

  And then Jane’s careful training by her mother stood her in good stead.

  “Why, yes,” she said with a nonchalant smile. “Certainly. Ask Audrey, she has bought buttons from me. Why? Did you want me to use my influence to get you a job?” She gave a little twinkling look at the astonished Evadne.

  From the back door that led to the garage, Mr. Havenner had entered unseen a moment or two before this conversation began, and now there came a chuckle, appreciative and hearty. Mr. Havenner had a great sense of humor, and Mrs. Havenner, her face full of worry, slid over by his side. It always relieved the tension when her husband laughed.

  Pat Whitney, too, had a twinkle in his eyes, and let them dance at the angry lights in Audrey’s eyes, as if to say, “Why worry? It isn’t worth all that, is it?”

  Kent, furious, opened his mouth as if to speak, and just then the dinner bell rang, and instead he closed it and turned to Jane.

  “Well, I guess that means we won’t read that article till after dinner, doesn’t it, Jane?” he said, and taking her arm led her out to the table.

  Jane was tremendously embarrassed, now that she had met her crisis and said her little say. She was afraid perhaps she had overdone it and was too rude. Yet what else could she have done? Burst into tears and left the room? Taken the next train home? Wouldn’t that have embarrassed her hostess more than this?

  So quietly she walked out to the table, thankful for the courtesy that was placed at her disposal, as if the whole family were doing their utmost to offset the insult that had been offered her.

  Evalina had been on her way downstairs just as Evadne began her attack, and Evalina had stepped back to await developments. What a brave girl to go to the root of the matter right at the start! Surely they would all see now what the world thought of people who took up with poor working girls! This was going to be rare!

  But a moment later when Jane gave her bright little answer, Evalina drew back farther into the upper hall. How did the girl dare to speak that way? It showed what a bold thing she was.

  Her cousin’s chuckle from the doorway did not fail to reach her ears, and an angry look crossed her face. Then with set lips she went down the stairs in a stately way and marched over to Evadne effusively. That poor girl should see that she was not alone.

  “My dear!” she purred as she approached, “was that the dinner bell I heard? How welcome. I’m simply starved! Aren’t you? I don’t believe a soul offered you even so much as a cup of coffee this morning.”

  Together they sailed out into the dining room and took the seats Mrs. Havenner indicated, each inwardly indignant that the little button girl was given the place of honor at Mr. Havenner’s right hand. They sat and stared at the circle of bowed heads while Pat asked a blessing on the food.

  The dinner was a very quiet one. Evadne scarcely opened her lips: she had the air of one who had been outrageously insulted.

  The talk was mostly of the service that morning, grave, sweet talk in which neither Evadne nor Evalina had any part. They simply stared at each one who spoke in inexpressible astonishment. Now and then Evalina broke out with some bubbling remark irrelevantly, concerning something nobody cared anything about. Frequently Kent would recall some interesting phrase or sentence from one of their Bible classes and ask Jane if she remembered what Mrs. Brooke had said about that, and Jane, doing her best to overcome her shyness, answered well, so that the young minister asked her several questions.

  “You know, I’m to have that class now,” he explained to Mr. Havenner, “and I really feel very reluctant to follow such a wonderful teacher as Mrs. Brooke. It seems too bad they have to lose her.”

  Somehow they got through that dinner, got out of the dining room, and then Kent and Jane took themselves out of the way, with Audrey and Pat following not far behind, and no one said a word to Evadne about going along. No one paid any attention to Evadne, except Evalina. She felt the poor child was being treated abominably. She went upstairs, rooted out a pack of cards from her trunk, and brought them down to the porch, setting up a card table in a conspicuous place where everybody who went by on the beach could see them. There they sat and played cards all the afternoon, though she well knew it would annoy her cousins beyond expression. They were not very spiritually inclined, it is true, and did not hesitate to play cards on occasion themselves, but they did not think it looked well to have it going on in their house on Sunday. They were quite good religionists.

  Evadne played with sullen eyes looking off down the beach, watching for the wanderers to return. What she would have said, how she would have looked, it is hard to say, could she have seen the four, ensconced in a comfortable group around an old wreck of a dory, Pat with his Bible out, Audrey looking over his shoulder, and Kent and Jane each with a little red book, while Pat unfolded the meaning of the wonderful words.

  “Well, I never knew the Bible was a wonder-book like that!” said Audrey as she arose at last and shook off the sand to start for home. It was almost time for the young people’s meeting when they reached the house. They rushed in and took a bite from the buffet lunch that was set forth: cold chicken, biscuits and jelly, cake, and little raspberry tarts, fruit and milk and iced tea.

  Evadne had counted on the evening and the moonlight to make up for a lost day. She had counted on a chance to lure Kent out onto the beach and feed him a large piece of humble pie. Make him eat it and like it, and apologize!

  But lo and behold, the whole crow
d of them were going to church again! Even the father and mother!

  “We don’t hear a preacher like that very often,” Father Havenner said. “Better hear him when we get the chance.”

  So Evalina and Evadne were left disconsolate. Had it not been that Ballard Bainbridge arrived a few minutes after the departure of the churchgoers, Evadne would have been desolate indeed.

  Of course, Ballard did ask for Audrey first, but he seemed content to substitute Evadne, and they sauntered away together into the moonlight. There were places, it appeared, where they could get plenty to eat and drink, especially drink, even on Sunday.

  And so Evalina was left alone, with no apologies whatever.

  What she did was to sit on the porch and turn things over in her mind until she came to the conclusion that this cottage by the sea was no longer going to be a pleasant refuge for her, not for the present anyway. The Havenners had let her see by their manner ever since dinner that she had done an unspeakable thing by taking up for Evadne, and she felt that life was not going to be pleasant there the rest of the summer. So, as the dusk drew on and the sea grew silver and beautiful, she withdrew to her room, and proceeded to repack her things. She had decided to leave early in the morning. There was an old aunt who spent her summers in the mountains who might be persuaded to welcome her for a time, now that many of the summer people were leaving and the bridge players were not so numerous. At any rate she was going. She had outstayed her welcome here. It was better to go before they asked her to. So she folded her things and laid them neatly in suitcases, and was safely and soundly in bed and asleep when the family got home from church and sat in peace on the porch to talk for a little while. But she was not so asleep that she did not hear much that was said by the young people. One thing she heard definitely enough, and that was Kent’s plan to take Jane in on the first early train, that she might be in plenty of time to get to the store. She resolved when she heard that, that she would not go to sleep until Evadne came back and that she would tell her at once. Perhaps Evadne would go on that same train with them, and spoil their plans. It was terrible for Kent to get so interested in this working girl!