LEILA FINDS ROMANCE
“You’ve done wonders, Peter. The secret drawer furnished us with the
facts, but it took you to hunt down Norris’s son, and trace the check
after it fell into the son’s hands. That rascal should be brought to
book for appropriating that check and building up a fortune from it. You
say he is now worth half a million.” Miss Susanna pursed her lips,
shaking her head, “He’s a rascal,” she repeated, “Half a million, Hm-m.”
“He’s rated at that.” There was an odd light in Peter Cairns’ black
eyes, and an enigmatic smile played about his lips. “I have a few
surprises up my sleeve,” he told the same interested little company that
had sat with him in the library on his latest visit at the Arms.
“If you’ve one for me, ready,” Hal had assumed a listening attitude.
“This same Norris who appropriated the fifty thousand dollar check owns
those properties you wish to buy. I have arranged to take them over for
you at your own figure.”
“Tell me nothing.” Hal borrowed one of Leila’s pet surprise phrases.
“This will interest you,” he nodded to Leslie, Leila and Vera. “He has a
daughter at Hamilton in the freshman class. I suppose you know her?” he
interrogated.
“Yes.” Blank surprise flashed over the faces of the trio as they nodded
affirmative.
“What sort of girl is she—clever, or stupid?” he inquired pointedly.
“She is clever at acting. She’s to play King Hal in our production of
‘Henry the Fifth,’” Leila informed him.
“I have heard that she made brilliant recitations,” Leslie conceded.
“She is really a beautiful girl,” Vera remarked after a moment of
silence.
“I’m going to ask Leslie a question,” Peter Cairns smiled fondly at his
daughter. “What would you think of me if I had done what Norris has done
in the matter of appropriating this check for his own use?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t bear it. Try to be honest always, won’t you,
Peter?” The intensity with which Leslie began her reply lightened into a
rather wavery chuckle.
“Oh, ha, ha!” Vastly amused at Leslie’s reply, the financier continued,
“It’s like this. I’ve had it out with Norris about everything. He is
willing to make good the fifty thousand dollar check. He admits that he
did wrong in not communicating with Miss Susanna soon after Mr. Brooke’s
death. His father died shortly before Mr. Brooke. He also admitted to me
that he had hoped his daughter might win the honor fund when she should
be of an age to enter Hamilton. He suspected that Miss Susanna knew
little or nothing about the arrangement, since she had never tried to
get into touch with him. He decided to hold back the fund for his
daughter’s benefit. He had heard a good deal about Marjorie as a shining
light at Hamilton, but he believed his daughter might go her one better.
It took time and patience to get these unlovely facts from him, but I
persevered with him and got them. He understands that his position is
serious. He is willing to make any amend he can, financial or other,
because of his love for his daughter. He wishes her never to know that
he has been other than above reproach. You have the facts. What shall
you do about him, Miss Susanna?”
“Oh, let the rascal go, for his daughter’s sake. Make him turn over
those Kenton Street properties to Marjorie’s colony,” was the old lady’s
disgusted mandate. “You settle the whole matter with him, Peter. I rely
upon you implicitly. So glad you and Leslie are soon coming to the
Hedge. I shall make good use of my new neighbors.” She chuckled at her
own joke.
“Three cheers for Goldendede, who can show us all a lesson in
magnificent magnanimity.” Leslie was on her feet, her dark eyes beaming
admiring affection of Miss Susanna.
The room rang with the happy sound of voices raised in honor of Miss
Susanna’s kindly decision. Then they all took hands and indulged in a
joyful little prance about the pleased old lady. Jonas, coming to the
doorway all smiles was seized and whisked into the laughing, gyrating
circle.
“Come and sing us a French song, Leslie,” coaxed Vera, a little later as
the talk fell away from the all-important subject of the honor fund to
drift into lighter, happier channels. As she spoke, Vera had begun to
tow Leslie toward the library door.
In the music room Leila found herself sitting a little away from the
piano, talking rather self-consciously to Peter Cairns.
“Leslie told me something you once said to her, Leila,” Peter Cairns
said with his usual abruptness, “which amused me so much I must ask you
about it.”
“What was that?” Leila inquired curiously.
“It was about that prospective bridegroom of yours, the old man with the
white hair whom you might boss unmercifully.” The financier’s lips were
smiling, but his dark eyes were fixed purposefully upon the Irish girl’s
features.
“Ah, yes.” Leila could not repress an enjoying grin. “I have not yet
found him.”
“I wish I had his qualifications to the dot. I haven’t. I’m not yet a
snowy-haired monument to old age, but I have at least one of them, I am
willing to be bossed unmercifully.”
Blue eyes met black squarely, a faint flush crept into Leila’s cheeks,
then the ridiculousness of the conversation being borne upon them both
they burst into laughter.
“Seriously, Leila,” Peter Cairns had changed again from laughter to
purpose, “won’t you think about what I’ve said?”
“I will think about it,” Leila promised. Her eyes had an absent mystic
light in their depths.
“I love you, Leila,” he said again, “I’ve loved you almost from the day
I first met you.”
“I will think about that, too,” she returned soberly, and for a brief
instant she permitted his strong brown fingers to close over her own.
THE END
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transcriber’s note:
Title Page, comma inserted after ‘Series,’ “Dean Post-Graduate Series,”
etc.”
Page 7, ‘though’ changed to ‘thought,’ “but thought he hadn’t”
Page 7, ‘though’ changed to ‘thought,’ “He thought he had”
Page 11, ‘Had’ changed to ‘Hal,’ “you turned Hal down”
Page 13, ‘Servern’ changed to ‘Severn,’ “she was at Severn”
Page 32, ‘fi ed’ changed to ‘fixed,’ “her eyes fixed on”
Page 35, ‘anythind’ changed to ‘anything,’ “allow anything else to”
Page 39, ‘directely’ changed to ‘directed,’ “she directed grandly”
Page 39, double quote inserted after ‘improving,’ “you’re improving,”
was her”
Page 46, full stop changed to comma after ‘say,’ “among the first to
say,”
Page 53, double quote inserted before ‘Danny,’ “half shyly. “Danny
wanted to”
Page 59, ‘alway’ changed to ‘always,’ “expression which always made
Lucy”
Page 71, double quote inserted before ‘My,’ ““My ideal is a nice”
Page 75, ‘its’ changed to ‘it’s,’ “but it’s yourself that”
Page 80, double quote inserted before ‘They’ve,’ “quickly. “They’ve
shown that”
Page 101, full stop changed to comma after ‘declared,’ “questioner
indifferently declared,”
Page 132, ‘exhiliration’ changed to ‘exhilaration,’ “contented
exhilaration. Speeding”
Page 139, ‘cameradie’ changed to ‘camaraderie,’ “missed the merry
camaraderie”
Page 143, ‘amendation’ changed to ‘emendation,’ “the hasty emendation
with”
Page 143, question mark inserted after ‘roommate,’ “to take a roommate?”
Page 144, double quote struck before ‘Should,’ “facing. Should she, or”
Page 147, double quote inserted after ‘it,’ ““Forget it,” was”
Page 165, ‘let’s’ changed to ‘lets,’ “and that lets her out”
Page 166, ‘letter’ changed to ‘letters,’ “No; I have letters”
Page 181, ‘tured’ changed to ‘turned,’ “Miss Susanna turned leaf”
Page 187, comma inserted after ‘isn’t,’ “satisfied, too, there isn’t,”
Page 195, double quote inserted before ‘Marjorie,’ “Leslie invited.
“Marjorie”
Page 203, ‘Leslie’ changed to ‘Leila,’ “acting? Leila and I”
Page 219, ‘manufacturies’ changed to ‘manufactories,’ “of the few
manufactories”
Page 255, ‘anxoius’ changed to ‘anxious,’ “of anxious dread. For”
Page 272, ‘, her’ changed to ‘. Her,’ “Leila promised. Her eyes had”