X
A CONFIDENCE EN ROUTE
When Brockway pulled the bell-cord, he meant to drop off and wait tillthe Tadmor came along--a manoeuvre which would enable him to rejoinhis party without intruding on the President's privacy. Then thatreflection about Mr. Vennor's probable frame of mind, and the thoughtthat the late excursion into the fair country of joy would doubtlessnever be repeated, came to delay him, and he let the train get under waybefore he remembered what it was that he had intended doing. Whereupon,he scoffed at his own infatuation, and went into the Ariadne to chatwith the Burtons until another halt should give him a chance to get backto the Tadmor.
The route to the body of the car led past the smoking-room, and thepassenger agent, having missed his after-dinner cigar, was minded toturn aside. But the place was crowded, and he hung hesitant upon thethreshold.
"Come in," said Burton, who was one of the smokers.
"No, I believe not; there are too many of you. I'll go and talk to Mrs.Burton."
"Do; she's spoiling to quiz you."
"To quiz me? What about?"
"You wouldn't expect me to tell, if I knew. Go on and find out."
Brockway went forward with languid curiosity.
"I thought you had quite deserted us," said the little lady. "Sit downand give an account of yourself. Where have you been all afternoon?"
"With my ancients and invalids," Brockway replied.
Mrs. Burton shook a warning finger at him. "Don't begin by telling mefibs. Miss Vennor is neither old nor infirm."
Brockway reddened and made a shameless attempt to change the subject.
"How did you like the supper at Carvalho?" he asked.
The general agent's wife laughed as one who refuses to be diverted."Neither better nor worse than you did. We had a buffet luncheon--bakedbeans and that exquisite tomato-catchup, you know--served in oursection, and we saw one act of a charming little comedy playing itselfon the platform at the supper station. Be nice and tell me all about it.Did the cold-blooded gentleman with the overseeing eyes succeed inovertaking you?"
Brockway saw it was no use, and laughed good-naturedly. "You are a borndetective, Mrs. Burton; I wouldn't be in Burton's shoes for a farm inthe Golden Belt," he retorted. "How much did you really see, and howmuch did you take for granted?"
"I saw a young man, who didn't take the trouble to keep his emotions outof his face, marching up and down the platform with Miss Vennor on hisarm. Then I saw an elderly gentleman pacing back and forth between twofeminine chatterboxes, and trying to outgeneral the two happy people.Naturally, I want to know more. Did you really go without your supper totake a constitutional with Miss Gertrude? And did the unhappy fathercontrive to spoil your _tete-a-tete_?"
There was triumph in Brockway's grin.
"No, he didn't--not that time; I out-witted him. And I didn't go withoutmy supper, either. I had the honor of dining with the President's partyin the Naught-fifty."
"You did! Then I'm sure she must have invited you; _he'd_ never do it.How did it happen?"
Brockway told the story of the disabled cooking-stove, and Mrs. Burtonlaughed till the tears came. "How perfectly ridiculous!" she exclaimed,between gasps. "And she took your part and invited you to dinner, didshe? Then what happened?"
"I was properly humiliated and sat upon," said Brockway, in wrathfulrecollection. "They talked about everything under the sun that I'd neverheard of, and I had to sit through it all like a confounded oyster!"
"Oh, nonsense!" said Mrs. Burton, sweetly; "you know a good many thingsthat they never dreamed of. But how did you manage to get Gertrude awayfrom them all?"
"I didn't; she managed it for me. When we got up from the table thetrain was just slowing into Carvalho. I was going to run away, asbefitted me, but she proposed a breath of fresh air on the platform."
"Then you had a chance to show her that you weren't born dumb, and Ihope you improved it. But how did you dodge Mr. Vennor?"
"We missed a turn and went forward to look at the engine. Then Ger--MissVennor thought she would like to take a ride in the cab, and----"
"And, of course, you arranged it. You knew that was just the thing ofall others that would reinstate you. It was perfectly Machiavellian!"
Brockway opened his eyes very wide. "Knew what?" he said, bluntly. "Ionly knew it was the thing she wanted to do, and that was enough. Well,we skipped back and notified Mrs. Dunham--she's the chaperon, youknow--and then we chased ahead again and got on the engine."
"Where I'll promise you she enjoyed more new sensations in a minute thanyou had all through their chilly dinner," put in Mrs. Burton, who hadridden on many locomotives.
"She did, indeed," Brockway rejoined, exultantly, living over again thepleasure of the brief hour in the retelling. "At Arriba, the engineerturned the 926 over to me, and I put Miss Vennor up on the box and lether run between Arriba and Red Butte."
"Well--of all things! Do you know, Fred, I've had a silly idea allafternoon that I'd like to help you, but dear me! you don't need myhelp. Of course, after that, it was all plain sailing for you."
Brockway shook his head. "You're taking entirely too much for granted,"he protested. "It was only a pleasant bit of 'distraction,' as shecalled it, for her, and there was no word--that is I--oh, confound itall! I couldn't presume on a bit of good comradeship like that!"
"You--couldn't--presume! Why, you silly, _silly_ boy, it was the chanceof a lifetime! So daringly original--so utterly unhackneyed! And youcouldn't presume--I haven't a bit of patience with you."
"I'm sorry for that; I need a little sympathy."
"You don't deserve it; but perhaps you'd get it if you could showcause."
"Can't you see? Don't you understand that nothing can ever come of it?"Brockway demanded, relapsing fathoms deep into the abyss ofhopelessness.
"Nothing ever will come of it if you go on squandering your chances asyou have to-day. What is the matter with you? Are you afraid of theelderly gentleman with the calculating eye?"
"Not exactly afraid of him; but he's a millionnaire, and Miss Vennor hasa fortune in her own right. And I----"
"Don't finish it. I understand your objection; you are poor andproud--and that's as it should be; but tell me--you are in love withMiss Vennor, aren't you? When did it begin?"
"A year ago."
"You didn't permit yourself to fall in love with her until you knew allabout her circumstances and prospects, of course?"
"You know better than that. It was--it was what you'd call love at firstsight," he confessed, rather shame-facedly; and then he told her how itbegan.
"Very good," said Mrs. Burton, approvingly. "Then you did actuallymanage to fall in love with Gertrude herself, and not with her money.But now, because you've found out she has money, you are going to spoilyour chance of happiness, and possibly hers. Is that it?"
Brockway tried to explain. "It's awfully good of you to try to put it inthat light, but no one would ever believe that I wasn't mercenary--thatI wasn't a shameless cad of a fortune-hunter. I couldn't stand that, youknow."
"No, of course not; not even for her sake. Besides, she doubtless looksupon you as a fortune-hunter, and----"
"What? Indeed she doesn't anything of the kind."
"Well, then, if you are sure she doesn't misjudge you, what do you carefor the opinion of the world at large?"
"Much; when you show me a man who doesn't care for public opinion, I'llshow you one who ought to be in jail."
"Fudge! Please don't try to hide behind platitudes. But about Gertrude,and your little affair, which is no affair; what are you going to doabout it?"
"Nothing; there is nothing at all to be done," Brockway replied withgloomy emphasis.
"I suppose nothing would ever induce you to forgive her for being rich?"
"I can never quite forgive myself for being poor, since it's going tocost me so much."
"You are too equivocal for any use. Answer my question," snapped thesmall inquisitor.
"How c
an I?" Brockway inquired, with masculine density. "Forgivenessimplies an injury, and----"
"Oh, _oh_--how stupid you can be when you try! You know perfectly wellwhat I mean."
"I'm not sure that I do," said Brockway, whose wit was easily confoundedby a sharp tongue.
"Then I'll put it in words of one syllable. Do you mean to ask MissVennor to be your wife?"
"I couldn't, and keep my self-respect."
"Not if you knew she wanted you to?" persisted the small tormentor.
"Oh, I say--that couldn't be, you know," he protested. "I'm nothing morethan a pleasant acquaintance to her, at the very most."
"But if you knew she did?"
"How could I know it?"
"We are not discussing ways and means; answer the question."
Thereat the man, tempted beyond what he could bear, abdicated in favorof the lover. "If I could be certain of that, Mrs. Burton--if I could besure she loves me, nothing on earth should stand in the way of ourhappiness. Is that what you wanted me to say?"
The little lady clapped her hands enthusiastically. "I thought I couldfind the joint in your armor, after awhile. Now you may go; I want to beby myself and think. Good-night."
Brockway took the summary dismissal good-naturedly, and, as the trainwas just then slowing into a station, he ran out to drop off and catchthe upcoming hand-rail of the Tadmor.