CHAPTER IV
AN UNDERSTANDING
Mrs. Harmon was very petulant; indeed, her aspect in one of lowerstation would have been deemed sulky. Reviewing the afternoon, she wasconvinced that to have brought Ellis there was a great mistake. Whyshould she take up with him, anyway? He could give her nothingbut--trinkets; the old acquaintance was not so close that she was boundto help him. It had been condescension on her part; she might as wellstop it now; yes, she might as well.
Yet she thought with some uneasiness of those trinkets. To accept themhad not bound her to him, had it? Their money value was nothing to him.She could break from him gradually--that would be simple enough--and shecould make a beginning on the drive home, for silence could show herfeelings.
Ellis understood her after one glance, which expressed not only hisimpatience with her instability, but also a sudden new repulsion. Theafternoon had opened his eyes to what the finer women were. How could hehave supposed that Mrs. Harmon was really in the inner circle? How shecontrasted with Judith! She seemed so flat beside the girl; she was hisown kind, while Judith was better. He wished that he might drop thewoman and pin his hopes to the girl.
But he could not spare Mrs. Harmon, and he had no fear that she woulddrop him, for he knew all her weaknesses. She was ambitious to a certaindegree, but after that, lazy; she was fond of comfort, fondof--trinkets, with a healthy indifference to ways and means. In fact,although Ellis did not so phrase it, there was a barbaric strain in her,a yearning for flesh-pots and show, in which her husband's tastes andmeans did not permit her to indulge herself. Ellis knew that he couldmanage her.
"Lydia," he said, "I want to thank you for the afternoon. It must havebeen a great bother to you. I'm afraid I spoiled your fun."
She could but respond. "Oh, not much."
"Look here," he went on. "You know me, I think; we understand each otherpretty well. These people," and he waved his hand to include the wholegolf club, "are not to be too much for us. Do you mind my saying a fewwords about myself?"
"Oh, no!" she exclaimed with involuntary interest; for he seldom spokehis thoughts.
"That girl, Miss Blanchard," he said, "was very good to me."
"She was?" Mrs. Harmon could not subdue an accent of surprise, buthastened to explain. "I've sometimes found her haughty."
"I shan't forget you introduced me to her," said Ellis. "I mean tofollow up my acquaintance there."
"No girl," suggested Mrs. Harmon, "has much influence. No unmarriedwoman, I mean."
"But when Miss Blanchard marries she will have it then?"
"Yes," answered Mrs. Harmon thoughtfully, and then very positively:"Yes, I think she would be a leader of the younger set."
"I am sure she would." Ellis nodded confidently. Judith had faults,notably rashness, but under wise guidance she could develop masterlyqualities.
"But why----" began Mrs. Harmon in some perplexity. Then she caughtsight of her companion's expression. "What! you don't mean to say thatyou--you would?"
"Why not?" asked Ellis. "Is it so very strange?"
"You are over forty!" cried Mrs. Harmon.
"Nothing to do with the case," he replied shortly.
"N-no," agreed Mrs. Harmon slowly. "No, I believe not--not with Judith."She looked at her companion with sudden respect. "I believe you've hitupon it! I didn't know you thought of anything of the kind."
"I need you, just the same," said Ellis. "You will help me?"
"Yes, yes," she replied. She felt a nervous inclination to giggle. "It'sa big affair."
"All the more credit if you engineer it," he answered, and shrewdly, forshe felt stimulated. If _she_ could engineer it! Then she could plumeherself in the face of Mrs. Fenno, and would always have a strong allyin Judith.
"Yes," she cried eagerly, "it will mean a great deal to--to everybody ifit happens. Why, I could----"
But Ellis would not let her run on. "Do you know her well?" heinterrupted.
"I will know her better soon," she stated.
"Not too quick," he warned, fearing that she might blunder. "You knowyourself that she is not a girl to be hurried. Tell me, now, what menare there of her family?"
"Only her father."
"And what sort of man is he?"
Mrs. Harmon's vocabulary was not wide. "Why, spreading," she explained."Jaunty, you know."
"And his circumstances?"
"He is well off," she answered. "Keeps a carriage and spends freely.There was money in the family, and his wife had some too. You know howthose old fortunes grow."
Or disappear, thought Ellis; he had been investigating the Colonel'sstanding. "Miss Blanchard has no cousins?" he asked aloud. "No other menattached to her?"
"Attached in one sense," she replied, "but not connected."
"Much obliged," he said. "Now, Lydia, if we stand by each other----"
Mrs. Harmon had forgotten her earlier thoughts. "Of course!" she cried."Oh, it will be so interesting!"
Ellis added the finishing touch, abruptly changing the subject. "Youhave been to Price's recently?"
Now Price was the fashionable jeweller, and few women were indifferentto his name. Mrs. Harmon, recollecting the cause of her recent visitthere, saw fit to be coy.
"Oh, yes," she said, turning her head away. "He keeps asking me tocome."
"He's always picking up pretty things," said Ellis approvingly. "Did hehave anything special this time?"
"Something of Orsini's," replied Mrs. Harmon, struggling to appearindifferent. For they had been lovely, those baroque pearls sogracefully set in dusky gold. Price had made her try the necklace on,and she had sighed before the glass. "I wish he wouldn't pester me so,"she said irritably. "He knows I can't afford them."
"He knows you have taste," Ellis said warmly. "He calls it a greatpleasure to show things to you."
"I know," she replied, mollified. "I think he means to flatter me. But,Stephen, it's getting late, and I must dress for the Fennos' ball thisevening."
"Then," responded Ellis, "I will stop at Price's on my way down-town."
"Naughty! naughty!" she answered, but she radiated smiles.
Ellis, after he had left Mrs. Harmon at her door, went, as he hadpromised, to the establishment of the pushing Mr. Price, and asked forthe proprietor.
"Got anything to show me?" Ellis demanded.
From his safe the jeweller brought out a leather case, and looked atEllis impressively before opening it.
"Pretty small," commented Ellis.
"Ah, but----" replied the other, and opened the case. "Look--Orsini'smake!"
"I don't know anything about that," Ellis said as he poked the jewelswith his finger. "Look strange to me. The fashion, however?"
"The very latest," Price assured him. "Trust me, Mr. Ellis."
It was one secret of Ellis's success that he knew where to trust. He hadventured twice that day, with women at that, and the thought of it wasto trouble him before he slept. But he could trust Price in matters oftaste, and as to secrecy, the man was bound to him. Price had been inpolitics at the time when Ellis was getting "influence" in the citygovernment; for the jeweller those days were past, but this store andcertain blocks of stock were the result. Besides, he was adroit. Ellisgave the chains and pendants a final push with his finger.
"Send it, then," he said. "The usual place. By the way, how much? Whew!some things come dear, don't they? But send it, just the same, and atonce. She's going out to some affair."
Thus it happened that Mrs. Harmon wore "the very latest" at her throatthat night.