V
ON GUARD
He had so disturbed her, his presence had so obliterated other presencesand annihilated time, that it took an encounter with Clara to remind herof her arrangement for the evening. The dance? No, she had given thatup. She had promised Harry to be at home. Clara wanted to know ratherausterely what she intended to do about the dinner. This was dreadful!Flora had forgotten it completely. Nothing to be done but go, and leavea message for Harry--apology, and assurance that she would be homeearly. She wondered if she were losing her memory.
She appeared to be changing altogether, for the dinner--a merryone--bored her. What she wanted was to get away from it as soon aspossible for that interesting evening. When she had made theappointment with Harry she had been excited by the thought that he mighttell her whether he had learned anything from the major that morning inthe matter of the ring. But now she was more engrossed with the idea ofasking about Kerr--whether Harry had really met him--if so, where; and,finally, why did not Harry want her to mention that Embassy ball?
Primed with these questions, she left immediately after coffee, arrivingat her own red stone portal at ten. But coming in, all a-flutter withthe idea of having kept him waiting when she had so much to ask, shefound her note as she had left it. She questioned Shima. There had beenno message from Mr. Cressy. Her first annoyance was lost in wonder. Whatcould be the matter? If this was neglect on Harry's part--well, it wouldbe the first time. But she did not believe it was neglect. He had beentoo eager that morning.
She went into the drawing-room--a dull-pink, stupendous chamber--knelt amoment before the flashing wood fire, then rose, and crossing to thewindow, looked anxiously out. She had a flight of fancy towardaccidents, but in that case she would certainly have heard. The Frenchclock on the mantel rang half-past ten. The sound had hardly died in thegreat spaces before she heard the fine snarl of the electric bell.
She restrained an impulse to dash into the hall, and stood impatient inthe middle of the room.
He came in hastily, his lips all ready with words which hesitated atsight of her.
"Why, you're going out!" he said.
She had forgotten the cloak that still hung from her shoulders.
"No, I've just come in, and all my fine apologies for being out arewasted. How long do you think Clara'll let you stop at this hour?"
"Clara isn't here," he said.
"Well, then your time is all the shorter." She was nettled that heshould be oblivious of his lapse. Their relation had never beensentimental, but he had always been punctilious.
"I'm sorry," he said, arriving at last at his apology. "I couldn't helpbeing late. I've had a day of it." He drew his hands across hisforehead, and she noticed that he was in his morning clothes and lookedas rumpled and flurried as a man just from the office.
She relented. "Poor dear! You do look tired! Don't take that chair. It'smore Louis Quinze than comfortable. Come into the library. Andremember," she added, when Shima had set the decanter and glasses besidehim, "you are to stay just twenty minutes."
He took a sip of his drink and looked at her over the top of his glass."I may have to stay longer if you want to hear about it."
"Oh, Harry, you really know something? All the evening I've heardnothing but the wildest rumors. Some say Major Purdie couldn't speakbecause some one 'way up knows more than she should about it. Andsomebody else said it wasn't the real ring at all that was taken, only apaste copy, and that is why they're not doing more about getting itback."
"Not doing more about getting it back?" Harry laughed. "Is that the ideathat generally prevails? Why, Flora--" He stopped, waited a moment whileshe leaned forward expectant. "Flora," he began again, "are you mum?"
She nodded, breathless.
"Not a word to Clara?"
"Oh, of course not."
"Well--" He twisted around in his chair the better to face her."To-morrow there will be published a reward of twenty thousand dollarsfor the return of the Crew Idol, and no questions asked."
"Oh!" she said. And again, "Oh, is that all!" She was disappointed. "Idon't see why you and the major should have been so mysterious aboutthat."
"You don't, eh? Suppose you had taken the ring--wouldn't it make adifference to you if you knew twenty-four hours ahead that a reward oftwenty thousand dollars would be published? Wouldn't you expect everyman's hand to be against you at that price? If you had a pal, wouldn'tyou be afraid he'd sell you up? Wouldn't you be glad of twenty-fourhours' start to keep him from turning state's evidence? Well--it's justso that he shan't have the start that the authorities are keeping soalmighty dark about the reward. They want to spring it on him."
Flora leaned forward with knitted brows. "Yes, I can see that, butstill, just among ourselves, this morning--"
Harry smiled. "You've lost sight of the fact that it is just amongourselves the thing has happened."
"Oh, oh! Now you're ridiculous!"
"I might be, if the thing had happened anywhere but in this town; butthink a moment. How much do we know of the people we meet, where theywere, and who they were, before they came here? There's a case in point.It was not quite 'among ourselves' this morning."
"Harry, how horrid of you!" She was on the point of declaring that sheknew Kerr very well indeed; but she remembered this might not be thething to say to Harry.
"My dear girl, I'm not saying anything against him. I only remarked thatwe did not know him."
"Don't _you_, Harry?"
He gave her a quick look. "Why, what put that into your head?"
"I--I don't know. I thought you looked at him very hard last night inthe picture gallery. And afterward, at supper, don't you remember, youdid not want me to mention your connection with something or other hewas talking about?"
"Something or other he was talking about?" Harry inquired with afrowning smile.
"I think it was about that Embassy ball--"
"_I_ didn't want you to mention the Embassy ball?" he repeated, and nowhe was only smiling. "My dear child, surely you are dreaming."
She looked at him with the bewildered feeling that he was flatlycontradicting himself. And yet she could remember he had not shaken hishead at her. He had only nodded. Could it be that her cherishedimagination had played her a trick at last? But the next moment itoccurred to her that somehow she had been led away from her firstquestion.
"Then _have_ you seen him, Harry?" she insisted.
"No!" He jerked it out so sharply that it startled her, but she stuck toher subject.
"And you wouldn't have minded my telling him you had been at that ball?"
There was a pause while Harry looked at the fire. Then--"Look here," heburst out, "did he ask you about it?"
"Oh, no," she protested. "I only just happened to wonder."
He stared at her as if he would have liked to shake her. But then herose from his frowning attitude before the fire, came over to her, saton the arm of her chair, and, with the tip of one finger under her chin,lifted her face; but she did not lift her eyes. She heard only hisvoice, very low, with a caressing note that she hardly knew as Harry's.
"It isn't that I care _what_ you say to him. The fact is, Flora, Isuppose I was a little jealous, but I naturally don't like thesuggestion that you would discuss me with a stranger."
She knew herself properly reproved, and she reproached herself, not forwhat she had actually said to Kerr of Harry--that had been trivialenough--but for that wayward impulse she had to confide in thisclear-eyed, whimsical stranger, as it had never occurred to her toconfide in Harry.
She raised her eyes. "Certainly I shall not discuss you with him."
"Is that a promise?"
"Harry, how you do dislike him!"
"Well, suppose I do?" he shrugged.
"You've used up twice your twenty minutes," she said, "and Clara will bescandalized."
He stopped the caressing movement of his hand on her hair. "Are youafraid of Clara?" he asked.
"Mercy, yes!" She was half in ear
nest and half laughing. "But then I'mafraid of every one."
He put his arm affectionately around her. "But not of me?"
"Oh," she told him, "you're a great big purring pussy-cat, and I am yourpoor little mouse."
He thought this reply immensely witty, and Flora thought what a greatboy he was, after all.
"Now, really, you must go home," she urged, trying to rise.
"But look here," he protested, still on the arm of her chair, "there'sanother thing I want to ask you about." And by the tip of one finger helifted her left hand shining with rings. "You will have to have anotherone of these, you know. It's been on my mind for a week. Is there anysort you haven't already?"
She held up her hand to the light and fluttered its glitter.
"Any one that you gave me would be different from the others, wouldn'tit?" she asked prettily.
"Oh, that's very nice of you, Flora, but I want to find you somethingnew. When shall we look for it? To-morrow, in the morning?"
"Yes, I should love it," she answered, but with no particularenthusiasm, for the idea of shopping with Harry, and shopping atShrove's, did not present a wide field of possibility. "But I have aluncheon to-morrow," she added, "so we must make it as early as ten."
"Oh, you two!"
At Clara's mildly reproving voice so close beside them both started likeconspirators. They had not heard her come in, yet there she was, justinside the doorway, still wrapped in her cloak. But there was none ofthe impetus of arrested motion in her attitude. She stood at repose asif she might have waited not to interrupt them.
"Don't scold Flora," said Harry, rising. "It's my fault. She sent meaway half an hour ago. But it is so comfortable here!"
Flora couldn't tell whether he was simply natural, or whether he wasgiving this domestic color to their interview on purpose. She ratherthought it was the latter.
"To-morrow at ten, then!" he said cheerfully to Flora. The stiffcurtains rustled behind him and the two women were left together.
"What an important appointment," said Clara lightly, "to bring a man atthis hour to make it."
"Oh, it is, awfully!" Flora answered in the same key. "To choose myengagement ring."
Clara's delicate brows flew upward, and though Clara herself made nocomment, the quick facial movement said, "I don't believe it."