XIII
BETWEEN STATIONS
When Mrs. Dunham returned to the central compartment of theNaught-fifty, the waiter was laying the table for breakfast, and thePresident was looking on with the steadfast gaze which disconcerts.
"Good-morning, Cousin Jeannette. Up early to see the scenery, are you?"The genial greeting had no hint in it of inward disquietude, past orpresent.
"Yes, and I wish I had been earlier. I have been out on the platformwatching the mountains grow."
"Grand, isn't it? You might have had a better view if our car had beenleft in its proper place in the rear; but our friend the passenger agenttook good care to secure that for his own party."
Mrs. Dunham was inclined to be charitable. "I fancy he couldn't help it.From what he tells me, his people must be very exacting."
"Have you seen him this morning?" the President inquired, with somesmall show of curiosity.
"Yes; out on the platform. He has been telling me some of hisexasperating experiences."
The President smiled indulgently. "I suspect our young friend has falleninto a habit of magnifying his difficulties," he said. "It's very easyto do, you know, when one's business makes a fine art of exaggeration."
"Why, he doesn't impress me that way, at all," said the good lady, whoknew nothing of her cousin's very excellent reasons for dislikingBrockway. "He seems to be a very pleasant young man, and quiteintelligent."
Mr. Vennor shrugged his shoulders. "I don't question hisintelligence--though it wasn't very remarkable at the dinner-table lastnight. Did you happen to find out whether he is going all the way acrosswith his party?"
"He didn't say. His people are going up to Silver Plume to-day, but hecan't go with them. He has to stay in Denver with one of the exactingones whose ticket is out of repair."
"Ha! that's a very sharp little trick," said the President; but inasmuchas he did not elucidate, the chaperon misunderstood.
"To get him into trouble with the others? I fancy that is onlyincidental. Mr. Brockway is going to try to get Mr. Burton--our Mr.Burton, of Salt Lake City, you know--who is on the train, to take chargeof the party on the Silver Plume trip."
Mr. Vennor said, "Oh," and then the young people began to appear, andthe waiter announced breakfast. During the meal the President was toodeeply engrossed in the working out of a small counterplot to hear orheed much of the desultory table-talk. It was quite evident that thepassenger agent had learned of the proposed stop-over in Denver, and waspreparing to take advantage of it. His confidence with Mrs. Dunham wasonly a roundabout way of notifying Gertrude.
Mr. Vennor considered many little schemes of the frustrating sort, andfinally choosing one which seemed to meet all the requirements, put itin train immediately after breakfast.
"What are you going to do with yourself to-day?" he asked of Fleetwell,when they had drawn apart and lighted their cigars.
"Don't know," replied the collegian, between whiffs; "whatever theothers want to do."
"I was just thinking," the President continued, carelessly. "TheBeaswicke girls want to call on some friends of theirs, and thateliminates them. I expect to be busy all day; and Cousin Jeannette saysshe doesn't care to go about. Suppose you and Gertrude take a run upinto the mountains on one of the narrow-gauges. It'll fill in the day,and you can be back in time for dinner this evening."
"I don't mind, if Gertrude wants to go; but I don't believe she does,"said Fleetwell, with so little enthusiasm that the President looked athim sharply.
"Think not?"
"I'm almost sure she doesn't," the collegian replied, placidly.
Mr. Francis Vennor was a conservative man, slow to admit even thecontradiction of facts. While waiting for Gertrude the previous evening,he had convinced himself that his daughter was about to sacrificeherself. To an impartial onlooker--and he prided himself on being noless--the evidence was logically conclusive; and, notwithstandingGertrude's tardy denial, he still believed that his major premise wascorrect, or, at most, only errant in time.
Having thus set his judgment a bad example, it easily broke bounds againin the same direction. How should Fleetwell know that Gertrude would notcare to spend the day in his company? Probably because they had foundtime before breakfast for another of their foolish disagreements. Inthat case, it would be the part of wisdom to separate them for the day;and a plan by which this might be accomplished, and the passenger agentcheckmated at the same time, suggested itself at the instant.
"We'll let it go at that, then," he said, answering Fleetwell'sassumption. "You can manage to wear out the day in town. Perhaps theBeaswicke girls will let you go calling with them."
"Think so? I'll go and ask them," Fleetwell said, with more animationthan he had yet exhibited; and he threw away his cigar and went aboutit.
The President rose and crossed over to Mrs. Dunham's chair.
"Where is Gertrude?" he inquired.
"She complained of a headache and went to her room. Shall I call her?"
"Oh, no; but if you haven't already done so, I wish you wouldn't mentionwhat Brockway told you, this morning--about his spending the day inDenver, I mean."
"Certainly not, if you wish it," the chaperon agreed; but the expressionof her face was so plainly interrogative that the President wasconstrained to go on.
"There is nothing to be anxious about yet," he hastened to say; "but youknow the old adage about the ounce of prevention. Gertrude is veryself-willed, and they were together rather more than I could wish, lastsummer."
"I think you are altogether mistaken, Cousin Francis," said the goodlady, in whom there was no drop of match-making blood. "She has talkedvery freely with me about him, and a young girl doesn't do that if thereis any sentiment in the air."
"I hope you are right. But it will do no harm to give ourselves thebenefit of the doubt. I fancy Chester didn't quite approve of the littlediversion last evening--on the engine, you know."
"Pooh! I don't believe he gave it a second thought."
"Possibly not; but he had a very good right to object. It was a recklessbit of impropriety."
"You sat up for Gertrude last night; did you say as much to her?" thechaperon asked, shrewdly.
"Not quite that," said the President, who was unwilling to go intoparticulars.
"Because, if you did, it was injudicious, that's all. Gertrude is yourown daughter, and she is enough like you to resent anything of that kindin a way to make you regretful. That accounts for the headache thismorning."
Gertrude's father smiled rather grimly. "I shall presently find a remedyfor the headache, and you'll see that it will work like a charm. But itsefficacy will depend upon your discretion. Not a word about thepassenger agent, if you please."
Mrs. Dunham promised, rather reluctantly, and Mr. Vennor put on his hatand left the compartment. He had business in the Ariadne; and a littlelater, Mrs. Burton, who was buttoning her shoe, looked up to find thecalculating eyes of the President making a calm and leisurely valuationof her.