All the way home he was planning. It didn’t take him long to lay aside worries when he once decided what line of action he should take. So he gave his whole energy to thinking out his future, his and Marjorie’s.
It was very annoying the way Marjorie had acted about the diamond after he had taken so much trouble to select it, but he would make her regret that, and after all, perhaps she intrigued him all the more that she wasn’t too eager. Although he didn’t at all like this family complex she had suddenly acquired. He would have to be very firm indeed about them. He couldn’t have a family hung around his neck, no matter how much she wanted it. That was why it was such a pity that she had not been willing to come with him at once. But perhaps, on the other hand, if she stayed a little longer in such close quarters with them, she might get thoroughly over her infatuation and be more ready in the future to ignore them, perhaps even be willing to acknowledge her mistake in hunting them up at all.
It was only to be hoped that she didn’t get too generous while she was with them and endanger any of her fortune. That man, the father, was probably capable of begging her to let him handle her property! Well, if worst came to worst and she had done anything unwise, he could get Melbourne to exercise a little well-earned authority over her. Even if she was of age, he could profess to have been put in charge in such a way that his advice must be asked before anything definite was done with regard to disposal of stocks or anything of that sort. He would wait until she came home, and if she had been unwise—of course, he would have to be most careful in trying to find out from her what she had done or she might fly up again—but if she had done more than give them reasonable presents at Christmas, he would have a very confidential talk with Melbourne. He was sure he could easily make Melbourne see it was his duty in the matter, even if the will didn’t give him an actual authority to control her. Of course, it would be best to urge her to marry him at once. Then he would be able to stop any further leaks family-ward. Poor child! She knew nothing of finance, of course. But just fancy her getting all up in the air that way at his remarks about her family. A family she had known only a few days! A family who lived in a little tucked-up house in such a neighborhood!
Well, he would certainly have some training to do when he married her, and it had better begin as soon as possible before she went off on any more tangents.
But she was beautiful! Yes, she was very beautiful!
Chapter 17
There was an alert strained something in the atmosphere when Marjorie got back to her father’s house that melted at once under her smiles and her obvious gladness to be with them once more.
“Well?” said Betty, coming out of the kitchen with the dishtowel in her hand, “did he go?”
“Yes, I suppose he did. I didn’t stay to see.”
“Do you mean you didn’t go to see him off? Do you mean he didn’t even bring you back? He let you come in a taxi all alone?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t let him come back with me,” said Marjorie, omitting the fact that he had not suggested it. “It was time for him to go to the airfield.”
“But didn’t he try to make you go back with him?”
“Why, yes, he suggested it. His mother is having a family Christmas affair and wanted me to come back and be with them. But I had no idea of going.”
“Hmm!” said Betty. “Well, I’m glad you’re back, but I certainly didn’t expect it.”
The children came flying downstairs with eager eyes.
“Has she come back?” they chorused.
Bud appeared from his room.
“I wonder if you can make my ’lectric train go together? I got it all laid out on the floor in Ted’s and my room, but they don’t seem ta fit.”
“Well, I’ll look at it, Bud,” said Marjorie, smiling. “If I can’t, Ted can, and he ought to be coming along home soon now.”
“Marjorie, did you really mean you would make some more clothes for my dolly sometime?” This from Bonnie.
“Mar-jo-wey, vill oo vind up my nauti-mobile?” demanded Sunny. “Betty’s twoss. Her von’t anymore.”
“Poor Betty, I expect she’s tired,” said Marjorie. “Yes, I’ll wind it up. Wait till I take off my things and look in on Mother.”
“Okay wif me!” said Sunny.
Oh, it was good to get back where she was wanted and see them all glad to welcome her.
Her mother was asleep, so she went down and patiently wound up the automobile a dozen times for Sunny while she talked with Betty and helped straighten up the kitchen. Betty was tired, and she showed it. She had been worrying all the morning, but she didn’t let that be known.
“Didn’t we have a good time yesterday?” Marjorie said to Betty, thinking aloud.
“We all did, but I can’t see where the good time came in for you,” said Betty sourly. “You didn’t have a single present that amounted to anything. Next year I’ll have something to give to you if I have to sell the last rag I have.”
“Oh, my dear!” said Marjorie, twinkling. “Not that! But please, dear, I had the best time of my life seeing you all open your things. And wasn’t it funny the way we had company come right down upon us that way, and weren’t they nice?”
“They certainly were,” said Betty, more mollified. “I wondered what you’d think of that. Your dinner, and your everything, and we asking outsiders to help eat it.”
“Look here, Betty! If you keep on talking that way about things being mine I’m going to run away and never come back. If that is what you want to have happen, all right, go right on! But I mean it! You take every bit of delight out of life talking that way.”
“Well, I won’t!” said Betty fiercely, winking hard to keep back the tears. “Only I’ve been so afraid you wouldn’t come back, or if you did that you’d be running right away back to Chicago again. You know you only said you’d come to spend Christmas when you came, and I know if you go, Mother is going right back to crying in the night again, and all of us are going to slump!”
“Well, I haven’t any intention of leaving you unless you want to be rid of me!” declared Marjorie. “I’m only too happy to get a family! Of course, I’ll have to go back pretty soon and do something about my house and furniture and servants and so on, but I shan’t stay long. Not if you want me!”
Betty’s fears were quieted for the moment, but that evening after the children were put to bed, they all gathered in the little parlor again, with the soft lights of the Christmas tree glowing, and talked.
“Marjorie,” said her father, “your mother and I have been talking things over and we feel that there is grave danger, in our love for you and our longing to have you always with us, that we shall be unfair to you. Since seeing the young man who called upon you last evening, we realize more than ever that there are others whom you have known far longer than you have known us who perhaps have a prior claim upon you. You have doubtless a lot of friends in Chicago whom you love and who love you, and who are in a social life that we have never had and never could have. We have always lived quietly. We shall probably continue to live quietly the rest of our lives. We have no great social standing and no wealth to bring about such standing for you. We have been talking it over and we do not feel that it would be right for us to allow you to make so serious a change in your life without careful consideration. You understand, of course, that this is not said because we want you to go, but because we feel that you should feel entirely free to go and live your own life as you wish.”
“Oh, Father!” said Marjorie in dismay, “why should I care for social standing? I’ve had it all my life and I never enjoyed it at all. It means nothing to me!”
“But my dear, have you ever considered what it would mean to be without it? Your mother and I would far rather lose you than to urge you to stay with us at the expense of having you sorry afterward, when you are missing something that you have never had to think about before because you had it.”
“I should never feel sorry about a thing like that!” sa
id Marjorie.
“But you do not realize what it will be to be alienated from all your friends.”
“Father, if a thing like that would alienate friends then they aren’t friends, are they?”
“Well, that is a question, but in some cases it would undoubtedly alienate them.”
“Father, I don’t mind,” said Marjorie. “There isn’t a soul among my old friends that I would actually break my heart about if I didn’t see them anymore, ever. Oh, there are some pleasant people whom I like, some of them I admire, but I’ve never had many intimate friends, just a few schoolmates. But most of those live in other places, and some are married. In any case, I shouldn’t see much of them.”
“Hasn’t it occurred to you, my dear, that you might marry, yourself, and that if you came to live with us in our quiet circumstances it might make a difference? Some people might not care to marry a girl under such circumstances.”
“Do you think anyone who felt that way would be worth marrying?”
“Well, there again, opinions might differ. I might not think so, but it might be possible for some very good, worthy person to have been so brought up as to have his point of view entirely different from mine. It certainly is not what I would choose for you. I would not call it an ideal marriage, but yet on the other hand, a test like that might alienate someone who had grown very dear to you. Take that young man who called here yesterday. My dear, I do not think he would care for any of us. You know him better than I, and he may have some very good qualities and be a most estimable person, but I would feel that if you meant to marry him, living with us might make trouble for you.”
Marjorie was very still, staring at the soft brightness of the Christmas tree, seeing the future perhaps in miniature in those bright balls, trying to work it out.
“Father,” she said at last, “is that what you would rather I do, go back to Chicago and make a brilliant marriage, instead of coming to live with my family? Remain alienated from you always?”
There was a choking in her voice, and her father reached out his hand as she sat on a low footstool by her mother’s side and laid it on her head tenderly.
“No, little girl, that is not what we want. But we want you to be truly happy and to have no regrets if you should decide to come and live with us. What we want is for you to go back to Chicago for a time and think the whole matter over, consider it from every possible angle, and then make your decision. Will you do that?”
Marjorie was still a long time, and then she looked up sadly.
“Yes, I’ll do it if you will do the same thing. If you will honestly talk it all over with the other children and decide whether you want me or not.”
“There is no question of that, daughter. We want you with all our hearts, every one of us, even the babies. But we are willing to sacrifice our own wishes for your sake, since we were the cause of putting you into another environment. We want it to work out in the best way for you.”
“Well, Father, I feel the same way. It really is silly for me to go to Chicago just to consider that, for I knew almost the first day I landed here that this was where I wanted to be. But you must realize there are things for you to consider, too. I think you ought to go over them all and consider just as you want me to do, and agree to be honest about it, no matter how much you think it will hurt me.”
Her father looked at her mother, and they smiled tenderly over her bowed head.
“All right!” said her father, “we’ll agree if you will.”
Marjorie’s face brightened.
“Well, then I’d better get it over as quickly as possible. I’ve got to go back, of course, and see to things. I came away without closing up or packing or anything. I told the servants I’d be back after New Year’s or maybe before, and I gave them a holiday. The chauffeur and his wife are living over the garage and looking after things. But I can’t leave it that way indefinitely. I’ll write them and set a date for coming, and I’ll stay there a week to consider, no more. A week is plenty. If you need more, all right, but I shall wait for your answer eagerly. But I did want to get the Brentwood house cleaned and you moved into it. I would hate to miss that.”
The father’s face softened and then grew reserved.
“Well, that’s another thing, again, dear. We don’t want to do anything about that, Mother and I, until this other matter is settled. You needn’t think that you will be left out of things, but I’ve got to get into a position to be earning something before we go into a more elaborate style of living. That is, if it seems best for you to stay in Chicago.”
“Father!” said Marjorie in a hurt tone. “You don’t think I wanted that house just for my own comfort, do you?”
“No, dear, I know you didn’t. I know your dear, generous nature wanted to make your mother and us all happy and comfortable. And we do appreciate it, with all our hearts. And of course we’re deeply grateful and shall keep the house and try to get into shape to live there, but we felt just now it was better to wait and settle this other matter first.”
“Father, that house is going to be financed completely, whether you let me come and live with you or not. That was a part of my Christmas gift. And if you, or any of you, are going to keep talking about my money as if it were poison that you mustn’t touch, then I’m not coming back. I told Betty that this afternoon! The only reason I’m glad I have money is so I can do things for you all. There isn’t anyone else who belongs to me.”
“Don’t you realize that wouldn’t be fair to your husband if you should marry?”
“No, I don’t! If someone wants to marry me for my money, I don’t want him. I’m not sure I shall ever marry, anyway! Anyhow, I don’t care a thing about my husband now. He can take what he gets if he ever comes into the picture.”
“All right, little girl! Have it your way. We’ll put down our pride and let you fix the matter of the house the way you like, only we’re not going to move in until we hear from you.”
“But will they let you stay here?”
“Yes, I arranged to keep the house till the end of January. Ted went and paid the rent the day after you came with some money he says you gave him. Besides, Mother isn’t quite fit to look after moving just now anyway, and I’ve got to get out and hunt a job.”
“All right!” said Marjorie with a sigh, “but there won’t be any harm in getting some of the cleaning done and having the plumbing and heating gone over and things like that. Then when we are ready to move, it won’t take long.”
Betty giggled.
“It wouldn’t take long anyway,” she said. “Have you considered how little we really have to move? One truckload! You’d better think twice, Marjorie. It will be quite a come-down to go into a big house and see our few sticks rattling around in those big rooms after the luxurious home you’ve always had. When you get back to Chicago, you’ll see the difference right away from this little old dump.”
Marjorie smiled.
“I’ll see the difference, all right. I wish I could take you all with me, but I know you wouldn’t like that, any of you.”
“Dear, you’re going to mind giving up that lovely house, aren’t you? But it doesn’t just seem right for us to go there, if we decide to be together. Mrs. Wetherill’s friends would criticize,” said the mother.
“No, of course not!” said Marjorie briskly. “But anyway, I like Brentwood better.”
They talked of other things before they went to bed and had a happy time together, although they were all quiet and thoughtful. The shadow of the testing time that was coming had already fallen upon them.
The next morning after the breakfast work was done, Marjorie wrote to the servants. She would be at home two days after New Year’s. Then she had a talk with Betty.
“You and I should go shopping,” she said. “I want to watch you buy some pretty things for yourself, and there are things the children ought to have.”
Betty, nothing loath, consented.
“We can go tomorrow,” she said.
“Father says his work on those books will be finished then, and he can stay home. Anyway, Mother feels so much better now, that she will be all right with the children. If only it weren’t for Bud. He’ll drag in a goat or a rabbit or something from the street and wash it in the dishpan again, I suppose. He does think of the most impossible things to do.”
“We’ll talk to Bud and put him on his honor. I’ll promise him a crossing light for his train if he cares for them all beautifully.”
“You mustn’t begin by giving him everything he wants, or he’ll be utterly spoiled,” warned Betty.
“No, I won’t, but this is a special time, holidays, and Mother not well, you know.”
“Mother won’t be really well till this thing is settled,” said Betty with pursed lips.
“No, I suppose not,” said Marjorie with a sigh, “but I don’t know what to do. They would have it this way.”
“I know,” said Betty. “I guess it’s right, too. You oughtn’t to be tied down by us.”
“You don’t suppose I feel that way about it, do you?”
“Well, maybe you don’t now, but you might sometime.”
Marjorie smiled.
“You’ll see!”
So they went shopping.
They had a lovely time and bought a lot of fascinating things. Betty said it was Christmas all over again.
She looked very pretty as she waited for Marjorie, who had gone to another part of the store to get Bud’s signal light. She watched the throng of shoppers, well-dressed and happy, moving by. She was conscious of looking just as well as any of them. Fur coat and chic little hat, new gloves and trim shoes. She had never been so handsomely dressed in her life. She glowed all over with comfort and satisfaction, and her cheeks had a pretty pink that was very becoming.