CHAPTER XI
TWO LADIES ON A BALCONY
The outer aspect of Ardsley is, frankly, feudal. The idea of a NorthCarolina estate had grown out of Ardmore's love of privacy and his wishto get away from New York where his family was all too frequently struckby the spot light. The great tract of land once secured he had notconcerned himself about a house, but had thrown together a comfortablebungalow which satisfied him for a year. But Ardmore's gentle heart,inaccessible to demands of many sorts, was a defenseless citadel whenappeals were made to his generosity. A poor young architect, lately homefrom the Ecole des Beaux Arts, with many honors but few friends, fellunder Ardmore's eyes. The towers and battlements that soon thereaftercrowned the terraced slopes at Ardsley, etching a noble line against thelovely panorama of North Carolina hills, testified at once to thearchitect's talent for adaptation and Ardmore's diminished balances atthe Bronx Loan and Trust Company.
On a balcony that commanded the sunset--a balcony bright with geraniumsthat hung daringly over a ravine on the west, Mrs. Atchison and MissJerry Dangerfield were cosily taking their tea. Their white gowns, thesnowy awning stirring slightly in the hill air, the bright trifles ofthe tea-table mingled, in a picture of charm and contentment.
"I wonder," said Mrs. Atchison abruptly, "where Tommy is."
"I have no definite idea," said Jerry, pouring cream, "but let us hopethat he is earning his salary."
"His salary?" and Mrs. Atchison's brows contracted. "Do you mean that mybrother is taking pay for this mysterious work he is doing?"
"He shall be paid in money," replied Jerry with decision. "As I haveonly the barest acquaintance with Mr. Ardmore, never, in fact, havingseen him until a few days ago, it would be very improper for me topermit him to serve me except under the rules that govern the relationsof employer and employee."
Mrs. Atchison smiled with the wise tolerance of a woman of the world;and she was a lady, it must be said, who had a keen perception of thatsane and ample philosophy of life which proceeds, we may say, for thesake of convenience, from the sense of humor. She did not like to bepuzzled; and she had never in her life been surprised, least of all byany word or deed of her singular brother Tommy. She liked and evencultivated with daring the inadvertent turns in a day's affairs. Thecool fashion in which her brother had placed the daughter of thegovernor of North Carolina in her hands on board her car at Raleigh hadamused her. She had learned nothing from Jerry of the beginnings of thatyoung woman's acquaintance with the master of Ardsley--an acquaintancewhich seemed to be intimate in certain aspects but amazingly distant andopaque in others. Miss Geraldine Dangerfield, like Mrs. Atchisonherself, was difficult to surprise, and Tommy Ardmore's sister admiredthis in any one and she particularly admired it in Jerry, who was socharming in so many other ways. Mrs. Atchison imagined that Jerry'ssocial experience had been meager, and yet the girl accepted theconditions of life at Ardsley as a matter of course, and in thegatherings of the house party Jerry--there was no denying it--held thecenter of the stage.
The men, including the Duke of Ballywinkle, hung upon her lightest word,which often left them staggering; and she frequently flung the ball ofconversation into the blue ether with a careless ease that keptexpectancy a-tiptoe in the minds and hearts of all the company.
"I hope," said Mrs. Atchison, putting down her cup and gazing dreamilyinto the west, "that you have not given Tommy any commission in which heis likely to fail. If it were a matter of finding a fan you had leftbehind somewhere, or even of producing an extinct flower from the Andes,he would undoubtedly be faithful to the trust imposed on him; but inanything that is really serious, really of importance one should neverdepend on Tommy."
This was, as the lady knew, almost vulgarly leading; but Jerry foldedher arms, and spoke out with charming frankness.
"I have heard my father say," said Jerry, "that incapable men often riseto great opportunities when they are pushed. Mr. Ardmore has undertakento perform for me a service of the greatest delicacy and not unattendedwith danger. You have been kind to me, Mrs. Atchison, and as you are mychaperon and entitled to my fullest confidence it is right for you toknow just how I came here, and why your brother is absent in myservice."
For once curiosity bound Mrs. Atchison in chains of steel.
"Tell me nothing, dear, unless you are quite free to do so," shemurmured; but her heart skipped a beat as she waited.
"I should not think of doing so except of my own free will," declaredJerry, carelessly following the flight of a hawk that flapped close bytoward the neighboring woods. "It may interest you to know that just nowyour brother, Mr. Thomas Ardmore, is the governor of North Carolina. Hedoes not exactly know it, for at Raleigh I myself was governor of NorthCarolina at the time we met and I only made Mr. Ardmore my privatesecretary; but when it became necessary to take the field I placed himin full charge, and he is now not only governor of the Old North State,but also the commander-in-chief of her troops in the field."
With a nice feeling for climax Jerry paused, picked a lump of sugar fromthe silver bowl on the tea-table, bit the edge of it daintily, andtossed it to the robins that hopped on the lawn beneath.
Mrs. Atchison moved forward slightly, but evinced no other sign ofsurprise. The hour, the scene, the girl were all to her liking. Shewould even prolong the delight of hearing the further history of herbrother's amazing elevation to supreme power in an Americancommonwealth--it was so foreign to all experience, so heavy withpossibilities, so delicious in that it had happened to Tommy of all menin the world!
"I trust," she said, smiling a little, "that Tommy will not proveunworthy of the confidence you have reposed in him."
"If he does," said Jerry, slapping her hands together to free them of animaginary sugar crumb, "I shall never, never marry him."
"Then may I ask, Miss Dangerfield, if you and he are engaged?"
"Not at all, Mrs. Atchison! Not only are we not engaged, but he hasnever even proposed to me. Besides, I am engaged to Colonel RutherfordGillingwater, our adjutant-general."
"Then if you are engaged to this military person, just wherein lies thesignificance of your threat never to marry my brother?"
"That," said Jerry, "is perfectly easy of explanation. Your brother andI have met only a few times, and I never become engaged to any man whomI have not known for a week at least. Marriage is a serious matter andwhile the frequent breaking of engagements is painful in the extreme, Ithink one can not be too careful in assuming the marriage bond."
Mrs. Atchison wondered whether the girl was amusing herself at herexpense, but Jerry's tone was grave and Jerry's eyes were steady. Jerrywas a new species, and she had appeared at a fortunate moment when Mrs.Atchison had almost concluded that the world is a squeezed lemon.
"In view of the fact that you are engaged to Dillingwater--" began Mrs.Atchison, anxious for further disclosures touching Jerry's ideas onmatrimony.
"Colonel Rutherford Gillingwater, please!" corrected Jerry.
"--I don't quite grasp this matter of your attitude toward my brother.Unless I misunderstood you, you remarked a moment ago that unless hesucceeded in his present undertaking you would never marry him."
"That is exactly what I said, and I meant ever word of it," declaredJerry. "I will not conceal from you, Mrs. Atchison, my determinationthat your brother shall be my second husband."
There was no question of Mrs. Atchison's complete surprise now.
"Your _second_ husband, child?"
"My second husband, Mrs. Atchison. Life is short at best, and I was toldby my old mammy when I was a little child--she turned out afterward tobe a real voodoo woman--that I should be married twice. I am verysuperstitious and that made a great impression on my mind. It is not inkeeping with my ideas of life, Mrs. Atchison, to be long a widow, sothat I think it perfectly right to choose a second husband even before Iam quite sure that I have chosen wisely for my first."
"Has the military person weak lungs?"
"No; but his mind is not strong. Anything s
udden like apoplexy would besure to go hard with him."
"Then you should be careful not to shock him. It would be almostcriminal to break your engagement with him."
"That rests entirely with him, Mrs. Atchison. The man I love must bebrave, tender and true. After our present difficulties are over I shallknow whether Rutherford Gillingwater is the man I believe I am going tomarry in October."
"But you spoke a moment ago of Tommy's official position. Is thisarrangement a matter of general knowledge in North Carolina?"
"No; it is not. You and he and I are the only persons who know it. Papadoes not know it yet; and when papa finds it out it may go hard withhim. You see, Mrs. Atchison"--and Jerry leaned forward and rested anelbow on the tea-table and tucked her little chin into the palm of herhand--"you see, papa is very absent-minded, as great men often are, andhe went away and forgot to perform some duties which the honor anddignity of the state require to be performed immediately. There are somewicked men who have caused both North Carolina and South Carolina agreat deal of trouble, but they must not be punished in this state, butin South Carolina, which is just over there somewhere. There are manyreasons for that which would be very tiresome to tell you about, but theprincipal one is that Barbara Osborne, the daughter of the governor ofSouth Carolina, is the snippiest and stuck-upest person I have everknown, and while your brother and I are in charge of this state I haveevery intention of annoying her in every way I can. When Mr. Ardmore hascaught those wicked men I spoke of, who really do not belong in thisstate at all, they will be marched straight into South Carolina and thenwe shall see what Governor Osborne does about it; and we will showBarbara Osborne, whose father never had to paper _his_ dining-room,after the war between the states, with bonds of the Confederacy--we willshow her that there's a good deal of difference between the Dangerfieldsand the Osbornes, and between the proud Old North State and the state ofSouth Carolina."
"And you have placed this business, requiring courage and finesse, inTommy's hands?"
"That is exactly what I have done, Mrs. Atchison. Your brother is nogreat distance from here, and we have exchanged telegrams to-day; butwhen I told you a moment ago that I did not know his whereabouts exactlyI spoke the truth. Your brother's appearance on the scene at thebeginning was most providential. The stage was set, the curtainwaited"--Jerry extended her arms to indicate a breadth ofsituation--"but there was no valiant hero. I needed a leading man, andMr. Ardmore walked in like a fairy prince ready to take the part. Andwhat I shall say to you further, as my chaperon, will not, I hope, causeyou to think ill of me."
"I love you more and more! You may tell me anything you like withoutfear of being misunderstood; but tell me nothing that you prefer to keepto yourself."
"If you were not Mr. Ardmore's sister I should not tell you this; and Ishall never tell another soul. I was coming home from a visit inBaltimore and the train stopped somewhere to let another train pass. Thetwo trains stood side by side for a little while and in the window ofthe sleeper opposite me I saw a young man who seemed very sad. I thoughtperhaps he had buried all his friends, for he had the appearance of onelately bereaved. It has always seemed to me that we should do what wecan to cheer the afflicted, and this gentleman was staring out of hiswindow very sadly, as though he needed a friend, and as he caught my eyeit seemed to me that there was an appeal in it that it would have beenunwomanly for me to ignore. So, just as my train started, at the verylast moment that we looked at each other, I winked at that gentlemanwith, I think, my right eye."
Miss Geraldine Dangerfield touched the offending member delicately withher handkerchief.
Mrs. Atchison bent forward and took both the girl's hands.
"And that was Tommy--my brother Tommy?"
"That gentleman has proved to be Mr. Thomas Ardmore. I had not theslightest idea that I should ever in the world see him again. My onlyhope was that he would go on his way cheered and refreshed by my signof good-will, though he was either so depressed or so surprised, that hemade no response. I never expected to see him again in this world; andwhen I had almost forgotten all about him he coolly sent in his card tome at the executive mansion in Raleigh. And I was very harsh with himwhen I learned who he was; for you know the Ardmore estate owns a lot ofNorth Carolina bonds that are due on the first of June, and Mr. Billingshad been chasing papa all over the country to know whether they will bepaid; and I supposed that of course your brother was looking for papa,too, to annoy him about some mere detail of that bond business, for thestate treasurer, who does not love papa, has gone away fishing and Mr.Billings is perfectly wild."
"Delicious!" exclaimed Mrs. Atchison. "Perfectly delicious! And I amsure that when Tommy explained his real sentiments toward Mr. Billingsyou and he became friends at once."
"Not at once, for I came very near having him thrown out of the house;and I laughed at him about a jug that was given to him on the train atKildare with a message in it for papa. You know when you are governorpeople always give you presents--that is, your friendly constituentsdo. The others give you only unkind words. The temperance people sendyou jugs of buttermilk on board your train as you pass through thecommonwealth and others send you applejack. Your brother gave back thebuttermilk and kept the jug of applejack which had a warning to fatherin its corn-cob stopper. I thought it was very funny, and I laughed atyour brother so that he was scared and ran out of the house. Thenafterwards I looked out of the window of papa's office and saw Mr.Ardmore sitting on a bench in the state house yard looking ever so sadand dejected, and I sent the private secretary out to get him; and nowwe are, I think, the best of friends, and Mr. Ardmore is, as I havealready told you, the governor of North Carolina to all intents andpurposes."
"May I call you Jerry? Thank you, dear. Let me tell you that I amthirty-two and you are--?"
"Seventeen," supplied Jerry.
"And this is the most amusing, interesting and exciting thing I haveheard in all my life. It might be difficult ordinarily for me to forgivethe wink, but your explanation lifts it out of the realm of socialimpropriety into the sphere of generous benevolence. And if, afterColonel Gillingwater has gone to his reward, you should marry mybrother, I shall do all in my power to make your life in our familyhappy in every way."
"Your brother does not seem particularly proud of his familyconnection," said Jerry. "He spoke of you in the most beautiful way, buthe seems distressed by the actions of some of the others."
Mrs. Atchison sighed.
"Tommy is right about us. We are a sad lot."
"But he is very hard on the duke. Since I came to Ardsley his Grace hastreated me with the greatest courtesy, and he has spoken to me in themost complimentary terms. He is beyond question a man of kind heart, forhe has promised me his mother's pearl necklace, which had been in herfamily for four hundred years."
"I should not hesitate to take the necklace, Jerry, if he reallyproduces it, for my sister, his wife, has never had the slightestglimpse of it, and it is, I believe, in the hands of certain Englishtrustees for the benefit of the duke's creditors. I dislike to spoil oneof his Grace's pretty illusions, but unless Mr. Billings softens hisheart a great deal toward the duke I fear that you will not get thepearls this summer."
"I must tell you as my chaperon, Mrs. Atchison, that the duke hasalready offered to elope with me. He told me last night as we werehaving our coffee on the terrace, that he would gladly give up his wife,meaning, I suppose, your sister, and the Ardmore millions for me; butwhile I think him fascinating I want you to feel quite safe, for Ipromise you I shall elope with no one while I am your guest."
Mrs. Atchison's face had grown a little white and she compressed herlips in lines that were the least bit grim.
"The scoundrel!" she exclaimed half under her breath. "To think that hewould insult a child like you! He is hanging about us here in the hopeof getting more money, while my poor sister, his wife, is in an Englishsanatorium half crazed by his brutality. If Tommy knew this he wouldundoubtedly kill him!"
"That
would be very unnecessary. A duke, after all, is something, and Ishould hate to have the poor man killed on my account. And besides, Mrs.Atchison, I am perfectly able to take care of myself."
"I believe you are, Jerry. But it's a terrible thing to have that beastabout, and I shall tell him to-night that he must leave this place andthe country."
"But first," said Jerry, "I have an engagement to ride with him afterdinner to see the moon, and the opportunity of seeing a moon with a dukeof ancient family, here on the sacred soil of North Carolina, issomething that I can not lightly put aside."
"You can not--you must not go!"
"Leave it to me," said Jerry, smiling slightly; "and I promise you thatthe duke will never again insult an American girl. And now I think Imust dress for dinner."
She rose and turned her eyes dreamily to the tower above, where theNorth Carolina state flag flapped idly in the breeze. This silken emblemwith its single star Miss Geraldine Dangerfield carried with her in hertrunk wherever she traveled; and having noted Ardsley's unadornedflagstaff, she had, with her own hands, unfurled it, highly resolvedthat it should remain until the rightful governor returned to his own.
A few minutes later, as Mrs. Atchison was reading the late mail in hersitting-room, she took up a New York newspaper of the day before and ranover the head-lines. "Lost: A Governor" was a caption that held her eye,and she read a special despatch dated Raleigh with deepest interest.Governor Dangerfield, the item hinted, had not yet returned from NewOrleans where he had gone to attend the Cotton Planters' Convention,and where, moreover, he had quarreled with the governor of SouthCarolina. The cowardly conduct of both governors in dealing with theAppleweight band of outlaws was recited at length; and it was alsointimated that Governor Dangerfield was deliberately absenting himselffrom his office to avoid meeting squarely the Appleweight issue.
Mrs. Atchison smiled to herself; then she laughed merrily as she rangfor her maid.
"Little Jerry's story seemed highly plausible as she told it; and yetshe is perfectly capable of spinning romance with that pretty mouth ofhers, particularly when backed by those sweet and serious blue eyes.Tommy and Jerry! The combination is irresistible! If she has reallyturned the state of North Carolina over to my little brother somethingunusual will certainly happen before long."
And Mrs. Atchison was quite right in her surmise, as we shall see.