第15章

Ariel was careful not to glance towards them, but she could not help hating them.Once or twice between the dances she saw Miss Pike speak appealingly to one of the superfluous, glancing, at the same time, in her own direction, and Ariel could see, too, that the appeal proved unsuccessful, until at last Mamie approached her, leading Norbert Flitcroft, partly by the hand, partly by will-power.

Norbert was an excessively fat boy, and at the present moment looked as patient as the blind.

But he asked Ariel if she was "engaged for the next dance," and, Mamie having flitted away, stood disconsolately beside her, waiting for the music to begin.Ariel was grateful for him"I think you must be very good-natured, Mr.

Flitcroft," she said, with an air of raillery"No, I'm not," he replied, plaintively."Everybody thinks I am because I'm fat, and they expect me to do things they never dream of asking anybody else to do.I'd like to see 'em even ASK'Gene Bantry to go and do some of the things they get me to do! A person isn't good-natured just because he's fat," he concluded, morbidly, "but he might as well be!""Oh, I meant good-natured," she returned, with a sprightly laugh, "because you're willing to waltz with me.""Oh, well," he returned, sighing, "that's all right."The orchestra flourished into "La Paloma"; he put his arm mournfully about her, and taking her right hand with his left, carried her arm out to a rigid right angle, beginning to pump and balance for time.They made three false starts and then got away.Ariel danced badly; she hopped and lost the step, but they persevered, bumping against other couples continually.Circling breathlessly into the next room, they passed close to a long mirror, in which Ariel saw herself, although in a flash, more bitterly contrasted to the others than in the cheval-glass of the dressing-room.The clump of roses was flopping about her neck, her crimped hair looked frowzy, and there was something terribly wrong about her dress.Suddenly she felt her train to be ominously grotesque, as a thing following her in a nightmare.

A moment later she caught her partner making a burlesque face of suffering over her shoulder, and, turning her head quickly, saw for whose benefit he had constructed it.Eugene Bantry, flying expertly by with Mamie, was bestowing upon Mr.

Flitcroft a condescendingly commiserative wink.

The next instant she tripped in her train and fell to the floor at Eugene's feet, carrying her partner with her.

There was a shout of laughter.The young hostess stopped Eugene, who would have gone on, and he had no choice but to stoop to Ariel's assistance.

"It seems to be a habit of mine," she said, laughing loudly.

She did not appear to see the hand he offered, but got to her feet without help and walked quickly away with Norbert, who proceeded to live up to the character he had given himself.

"Perhaps we had better not try it again," she laughed.

"Well, I should think not," he returned, with the frankest gloom.With the air of conducting her home he took her to the chair against the wall whence he had brought her.There his responsibility for her seemed to cease."Will you excuse me?" he asked, and there was no doubt that he felt that he had been given more than his share that evening, even though he was fat.

"Yes, indeed." Her laughter was continuous.

"I should think you WOULD be glad to get rid of me after that.Ha, ha, ha! Poor Mr.Flitcroft, you know you are!"It was the deadly truth, and the fat one, saying, "Well, if you'll just excuse me now," hurried away with a step which grew lighter as the distance from her increased.Arrived at the haven of a far doorway, he mopped his brow and shook his head grimly in response to frequent rallyings.

Ariel sat through more dances, interminable dances and intermissions, in that same chair, in which, it began to seem, she was to live out the rest of her life.Now and then, if she thought people were looking at her as they passed, she broke into a laugh and nodded slightly, as if still amused over her mishap.

After a long time she rose, and laughing cheerfully to Mr.Flitcroft, who was standing in the doorway and replied with a wan smile, stepped out quickly into the hall, where she almost ran into her great-uncle, Jonas Tabor.He was going towards the big front doors with Judge Pike, having just come out of the latter's library, down the hall.

Jonas was breathing heavily and was shockingly pale, though his eyes were very bright.He turned his back upon his grandniece sharply and went out of the door.Ariel turned from him quite as abruptly and re-entered the room whence she had come.

She laughed again to her fat friend as she passed him, and, still laughing, went towards the fatal chair, when her eyes caught sight of Eugene Bantry and Mamie coming in through the window from the porch.Still laughing, she went to the window and looked out; the porch seemed deserted and was faintly illuminated by a few Japanese lanterns.

She sprang out, dropped upon the divan, and burying her face in her hands, cried heart-brokenly.

Presently she felt something alive touch her foot, and, her breath catching with alarm, she started to rise.A thin hand, issuing from a shabby sleeve, had stolen out between two of the green tubs and was pressing upon one of her shoes.

"'SH!" said Joe."Don't make a noise!"

His warning was not needed; she had recognized the hand and sleeve instantly.She dropped back with a low sound which would have been hysterical if it had been louder, while he raised himself on his arm until she could see his face dimly, as he peered at her between the palms.

"What were you going on about?" he asked, angrily.

"Nothing," she answered."I wasn't.You must go away, and quick.It's too dangerous.If the Judge found you--""He won't!""Ah, you'd risk anything to see Mamie Pike--""What were you crying about?" he interrupted.

"Nothing, I tell you!" she repeated, the tears not ceasing to gather in her eyes."I wasn't.""I want to know what it was," he insisted.