CHAPTER VII
Mr. Meredith had stamped out of the room angrily, and Dick Herbert wasalone when Dollie, in regal indignation, swept in. The general slant ofher ruddy head radiated defiance, and a most depressing chilliness layin her blue eyes. Her lips formed a scarlet line, and there was ahow-dare-you-sir tilt to nose and chin. Dick started up quickly at herappearance.
"Dollie!" he exclaimed eagerly.
"Mr. Herbert," she responded coldly. She sat down primly on the extremeedge of a chair which yawned to embrace her. "What is it, please?"
Dick was a singularly audacious sort of person, but her manner froze himinto sudden austerity. He regarded her steadily for a moment.
"I have come to explain why----"
Miss Dollie Meredith sniffed.
"I have come to explain," he went on, "why I did not meet you at theRandolph masked ball, as we had planned."
"Why you did _not_ meet me?" inquired Dollie coldly, with a littlesurprised movement of her arched brows. "Why you did _not_ meet me?" sherepeated.
"I shall have to ask you to believe that, in the circumstances, it wasabsolutely impossible," Dick continued, preferring not to notice thesingular emphasis of her words. "Something occurred early that eveningwhich--which left me no choice in the matter. I can readily understandyour indignation and humiliation at my failure to appear, and I had noway of reaching you that evening or since. News of your return lastnight only reached me an hour ago. I knew you had disappeared."
Dollie's blue eyes were opened to the widest and her lips parted alittle in astonishment. For a moment she sat thus, staring at the youngman, then she sank back into her chair with a little gasp.
"May I inquire," she asked, after she recovered her breath, "the causeof this--this levity?"
"Dollie, dear, I am perfectly serious," Dick assured her earnestly. "Iam trying to make it plain to you, that's all."
"Why you did _not_ meet me?" Dollie repeated again. "Why you _did_ meetme! And that's--that's what's the matter with everything!"
Whatever surprise or other emotion Dick might have felt was admirablyrepressed.
"I thought perhaps there was some mistake somewhere," he said at last."Now, Dollie, listen to me. No, wait a minute please! I did not go tothe Randolph ball. You did. You eloped from that ball, as you and I hadplanned, in an automobile, but not with me. You went with some otherman--the man who really stole the gold plate."
Dollie opened her mouth to exclaim, then shut it suddenly.
"Now just a moment, please," pleaded Dick. "You spoke to some other manunder the impression that you were speaking to me. For a reason whichdoes not appear now, he fell in with your plans. Therefore, you ran awaywith him--in the automobile which carried the gold plate. What happenedafter that I cannot even surmise. I only know that you are themysterious woman who disappeared with the Burglar."
Dollie gasped and nearly choked with her emotions. A flame of scarletleaped into her face and the glare of the blue eyes was pitiless.
"Mr. Herbert," she said deliberately at last, "I don't know whether youthink I am a fool or only a child. I know that no rational human beingcan accept that as true. I know I left Seven Oaks with you in the auto;I know you are the man who stole the gold plate; I know how you receivedthe shot in your right shoulder; I know how you afterward fainted fromloss of blood. I know how I bound up your wound and--and--I know a lotof things else!"
The sudden rush of words left her breathless for an instant. Dicklistened quietly. He started to say something--to expostulate--but shegot a fresh start and hurried on:
"I recognised you in that silly disguise by the cleft in your chin. Icalled you Dick and you answered me. I asked if you had received thelittle casket and you answered yes. I left the ballroom as you directedand climbed into the automobile. I know that horrid ride we had, and howI took the gold plate in the bag and walked--walked through the nightuntil I was exhausted. I know it all--how I lied and connived, and toldsilly stories--but I did it all to save you from yourself, and now youdare face me with a denial!"
Dollie suddenly burst into tears. Dick now attempted no further denial.There was no anger in his face--only a deeply troubled expression. Hearose and walked over to the window, where he stood staring out.
"I know it all," Dollie repeated gurglingly--"all, except what possibleidea you had in stealing the miserable, wretched old plate, anyway!"There was a pause and Dollie peered through teary fingers. "How--howlong," she asked, "have you been a--a--a--kleptomaniac?"
Dick shrugged his sturdy shoulders a little impatiently.
"Did your father ever happen to tell you _why_ he objects to myattentions to you?" he asked.
"No, but I know now." And there was a new burst of tears. "It'sbecause--because you are a--a--you take things."
"You will not believe what I tell you?"
"How can I when I helped you run away with the horrid stuff?"
"If I pledge you my word of honour that I told you the truth?"
"I can't believe it, I can't!" wailed Dollie desolately. "No one couldbelieve it. I never suspected--never dreamed--of the possibility of sucha thing even when you lay wounded out there in the dark woods. If I had,I should certainly have never--have never--kissed you."
Dick wheeled suddenly.
"Kissed me?" he exclaimed.
"Yes, you horrid thing!" sobbed Dollie. "If there had previously beenthe slightest doubt in my mind as to your identity, that would haveconvinced me that it was you, because--because--just because! Andbesides, if it wasn't you I kissed, you ought to have told me!"
Dollie leaned forward suddenly on the arm of the chair with her facehidden in her hands. Dick crossed the room softly toward her and laid ahand caressingly about her shoulders. She shook it off angrily.
"How dare you, sir?" she blazed.
"Dollie, don't you love me?" he pleaded.
"No!" was the prompt reply.
"But you did love me--once?"
"Why--yes, but I--I----"
"And couldn't you ever love me again?"
"I--I don't ever want to again."
"But couldn't you?"
"If you had only told me the truth, instead of making such a sillydenial," she blubbered. "I don't know why you took the plateunless--unless it is because you--you couldn't help it. But you didn'ttell me the truth."
Dick stared down at the ruddy head moodily for a moment. Then his mannerchanged and he dropped on his knees beside her.
"Suppose," he whispered, "suppose I should confess that I did take it?"
Dollie looked up suddenly with a new horror in her face.
"Oh, you _did_ do it then?" she demanded. This was worse than ever!
"Suppose I should confess that I did?"
"Oh, Dick!" she sobbed. And her arms went suddenly around his neck. "Youare breaking my heart. Why? Why?"
"Would you be satisfied?" he insisted.
"What could have caused you to do such a thing?"
The love-light glimmered again in her blue eyes; the red lips trembled.
"Suppose it had been just a freak of mine, and I had intended to--toreturn the stuff, as has been done?" he went on.
Dollie stared deeply into the eyes upturned to hers.
"Silly boy," she said. Then she kissed him. "But you must never, neverdo it again."
"I never will," he promised solemnly.
Five minutes later Dick was leaving the house, when he met Mr. Meredithin the hall.
"'Silly boy,' she said"]
"I'm going to marry your daughter," he said quite calmly.
Mr. Meredith raved at him as he went down the steps.