In the stage the day he started for Philadelphia, William King read
over his Martha's memorandum with the bewildered carefulness peculiar
to good husbands: ten yards of crash; a pitcher for sorghum; samples of
yarn; an ounce of sachet-powder, and so forth.
"Now, what on earth does she want sachet-powder for?" he reflected. But
he did not reflect long; it suddenly came into his mind that though
Mrs. Richie had not given him any commission, he could nevertheless do
something for her. He could go, when he was in Philadelphia, and call
on her brother. "How pleased she'll be!" he said to himself. Naturally,
with this project in mind, he gave no more thought to sachet-powders.
He decided that he would turn up at Mr. Pryor's house at six o'clock,
and Pryor would ask him to supper. It would save time to do that, and
he needed to save time, for this one day in Philadelphia was to be very
busy. He had those errands for Martha, and two medical appointments,
and a visit to the tailor,--for of late William thought a good deal
about his clothes and discovered that he was very shabby. He wished he
had asked Mrs. Richie for her brother's address; it took so long to
look it up in the Directory. Happily, the first name was unusual; there
was only one Lloyd, or he would have given up the search. He could not
have called on all the Johns or Thomases!
What with matching the yarn, and getting his drugs, and being terribly
cowed by the tailor, William had a hurried day. However, he managed to
reach Mr. Lloyd Pryor's house as the clock struck six. "Just in good
time," he said to himself, complacently. Indeed, he was ahead of time,
for it appeared that Mr. Pryor had not yet come home.
"But Miss Alice is in, sir," the smiling darky announced.
"Very well," said William King; "tell her 'Dr. King, from Old
Chester.'" He followed the man into a parlor that seemed to the country
doctor very splendid, and while he waited, he looked about with artless
curiosity, thinking that he must tell Martha of all this grandeur. "No
wonder she thinks we are stupid people in Old Chester," he thought.
Now, certainly Martha had never had so disloyal a thought! At that
moment he heard a girlish step, and Lloyd Pryor's daughter came into
the room,--a pretty young creature, with blond hair parted over a
candid brow, and sweet, frank eyes.
"Dr. King?" she said smiling.
"Doesn't resemble her in the least," the doctor thought, getting on his
feet, and putting out a friendly, hand. "I am just in from Old
Chester," he said, "and I thought I'd come and say how-do-you-do to
your father, and tell you the latest news of Mrs. Richie--"
The front door banged, and Lloyd Pryor pushed aside the
curtain.--William had wondered what Martha would say to a curtain
instead of a door! His blank panic as he heard the doctor's last word,
turned his face white. ("Bad heart?" William asked himself.)
"_Dr. King!_ Alice, you needn't wait."
Alice, nodding pleasantly, left them, and her father, setting his
teeth, looked out through his curling eyelashes with deadly intentness.
"Thought I'd come in and say how-do-you-do?" William King said, hungry
and friendly, but a little bewildered.
"Oh," said Mr. Pryor.
William put out his hand; there was a second's hesitation, then Lloyd
Pryor took it--and dropped it quickly.
"All well?" the doctor asked awkwardly.
"Yes; yes. All well. Very well, thank you. Yes."
"I was just passing. I thought perhaps your sister would be pleased if
I inquired; she didn't know I was coming, but--"
"You are very kind, I'm sure," the other broke in, his face relaxing.
"I am sorry that just at this moment I can't ask you to stay, but--"
"Certainly not," William King said shortly; "I was just passing. If you
have any message for Mrs. Richie--"
"Oh! Ah;--yes. Remember me to her. All well in Old Chester? Very kind
in you to look me up. I am sorry I--that it happens that--good-by--"
Dr. King nodded and took himself off; and Lloyd Pryor, closing the door
upon him, wiped the moisture from his forehead. "Alice, where are you?"
"In the dining-room, daddy dear," she said. "Who is Dr. King?"
He gave her a furtive look and then put his arm over her shoulder.
"Nobody you know, Kitty."
"He said something about 'Mrs. Richie';--who is Mrs. Richie?"
"Some friend of his, probably. Got anything good for dinner,
sweetheart?"
As for William King, he walked briskly down the street, his face very
red. "Confound him!" he said. He was conscious of a desire to kick
something. That evening, after a bleak supper at a marble-topped
restaurant table, he tried to divert himself by going to see a play; he
saw so many other things that he came out in the middle of it. "I guess
I can get all the anatomy I want in my trade," he told himself; and sat
down in the station to await the midnight train.
It was not until the next afternoon, when he climbed into the stage at
Mercer and piled his own and Martha's bundles on the rack above him,
that he really settled down to think the thing over.... What did it
mean? The man had been willing to eat his bread; he had shown no
offence at anything; what the deuce--! He pondered over it, all the way
to Old Chester. When Martha, according to the custom of wives, inquired
categorically concerning his day in Philadelphia, he dragged out most
irritatingly vague answers. As she did not chance to ask, "Did you hunt
up Mr. Lloyd Pryor? Did you go to his house? Did you expect an
invitation and not receive it?" she was not informed on these topics.
But when at last she did say, "And my sachet-powder?" he was compelled
to admit that he had forgotten it.
Martha's lip tightened.
"I got the lye and stuff," her husband defended himself. "And what did
you want sachet-powder for, anyway?"
But Martha was silent.
After supper William strolled over to Dr. Lavendar's, and sat smoking
stolidly for an hour before he unbosomed himself. Dr. Lavendar did not
notice his uncommunicativeness; he had his own preoccupations.
"William, Benjamin Wright seems to be a good deal shaken this spring?"
Silence.
"He's allowed himself to grow old. Bad habit."
Silence.
"Got out of the way of doing things. Hasn't walked down the hill and
back for three years. He told me so himself."
"Indeed, sir?"
"For my part," Dr. Lavendar declared, "I have made a rule about such
things, which I commend to you, young man: _As soon as you feel too old
to do a thing_, DO IT!"
William gave the expected laugh.
"But he does seem shaken. Now, would it be safe, do you think, for him
to--well, very much excited? Possibly angered?"
"It wouldn't take much to anger Mr. Wright."
"No, it wouldn't," Dr. Lavendar admitted. "William, suppose I could
induce Samuel and his father to meet--"
"What!" The doctor woke up at that; he sat on the edge of his chair,
his hands on his knees, his eyes starting in his head. "_What!_"
"Well, suppose I could?" Dr. Lavendar said. "I have a notion to try it.
I don't know that I'll succeed. But suppose they met, and things
shouldn't run smoothly, and there should be an explosion--would there
be danger to Benjamin?"
William King whistled. "After all these years!" Then he reflected.
"Well, of course, sir, he is an old man. But he is like iron, Dr.
Lavendar. When he had quinsy two years ago, I thought he had come to
the end. Not a bit of it! He's iron. Only, of course, anger is a great
drain. Better caution Sam not to cross him."
"Then there would be some danger?"
"I shouldn't like to see him get into a rage," the doctor admitted.
"But why should he get into a rage, if they are going to patch things
up? Good Lord!" said William King, gaping with astonishment; "at last!"
"I haven't said they would patch things up. But there is a chance that
I can get 'em to talk over Benjamin's anxiety about Sam's Sam. Fact is,
Benjamin is disturbed about the boy's sheep's-eyes. Sam thinks, you
know, that he is in love with Mrs. Richie, and--"
"In love with Mrs. Richie!" William broke in angrily. "The idea of his
bothering Mrs. Richie! it's outrageous. I don't wonder Mr. Wright is
concerned. It's disgraceful. He ought to be thrashed!"
Dr. Lavendar drew a quick breath and let his pipe-hand fall heavily on
the table beside him. "No, William, no; not thrashed. Not thrashed,
William."
"Well, I don't know," the doctor said, doggedly; "it might do him good;
a squirt of a boy!"
Dr. Lavendar sighed. They smoked silently for a while, and, indeed, it
was not until it was almost time to go home that William burst out with
his own wrongs.
"Confound him!" he ended, "what do you make of it, sir? Why, Dr.
Lavendar, he sent his girl out of the room--didn't want her to talk to
me! You'd have thought I was a case of measles. His one idea was to get
rid of me as quickly as possible."
Dr. Lavendar thrust out his lower lip; then he scratched a match on the
bottom of his chair, and held it out to Danny, who came forward with
instant curiosity, sniffed, sneezed, and plainly hurt, retired to the
hearth-rug.
"William, 'a moral, sensible and well-bred man will not affront--'"
"I'm not feeling affronted."
"Oh, aren't you?"
"No," William declared boldly, "not at all; not in the least! He's not
worth it. But I'm all mixed up."
"Daniel," said Dr. Lavendar, "how dare you lie on the rug? Willy, when
I was young--I mean when I was younger--we children were never allowed
to come nearer the fire than the outside edge of the hearth-rug. I feel
wicked now, whenever I come over that edge. But look at that scoundrel
Danny!"
Danny opened one eye and beat his stub of a tail softly on the rug.
William King was silent. Dr. Lavendar began to sing:
"Queen Victoria's very sick;
Napoleon's got the measles.
Why don't you take Sebastopol?
Pop goes the weasel!"
"Dr. Lavendar, why do you keep trying to change the subject? What do
you think about Mrs. Richie's brother?"
"Well, Willy, my boy, I think he's not given to hospitality."
"Ah, now, no shenanigan!" poor William pleaded. "Do you suppose he's up
to some monkey-shines? Do you suppose I took him unawares, and he was
afraid to entertain me?"
Dr. Lavendar chuckled. "'Fraid he might entertain a Recording Angel
unawares?"
William shook his head. "There was something wrong, or I don't know
human nature."
"Willy, if you do know human nature, you are the only living man who
does. But, perhaps, now, it really wasn't convenient?"
"Convenient!" William burst out. "In Old Chester we don't talk about
_convenience_ when a man knocks at the door at supper-time!"
"But Philadelphia isn't Old Chester," Dr. Lavendar reminded him,
mildly. "When you've seen as much of the world as I have, you'll
realize that. I once was short of my railroad fare in New York.
I--well, a poor creature asked me for some money to buy a coat. It was
a dreadfully cold day. It left me just three dollars short of my fare
home; so I stepped into the Bible House--you know the Bible House?--and
just stated the case to the head clerk, and said I would be obliged if
he would lend me the amount. Willy," Dr. Lavendar got very red; "I
assure you--"
"You don't say so, sir!" said William King respectfully; but he bent
down and pulled Danny's ear.
"Yes," said Dr. Lavendar; "yes, indeed! I will not repeat what he said;
you would be indignant. I just mention the circumstance to show you how
differently people look at things. If any gentleman got into such a fix
in Old Chester, of course he would just speak to Sam Wright, or you, or
me. Or take your own case; if any stranger came on business at
dinner-time, you would say, 'Sit down, sir'!"
William thought of Martha and moved uneasily in his chair.
"But," proceeded Dr. Lavendar, "it is not so everywhere. Convenience is
considered. It isn't hospitable; but you can't say it's wicked?"
"Dr. Lavendar," said William King, "you don't believe that was the
reason."
The old minister sighed. "I'm afraid I don't, my boy; but I thought
maybe you might."
"No, sir! There's something wrong with that fellow. I don't mean to
judge, but somehow, instinctively, I don't trust him."
"Well," said Dr. Lavendar; "I wouldn't judge; but--I'd trust my
instincts."
William grinned; then he sighed. "I won't tell Mrs. Richie about seeing
him. She'd be mortified at his behavior. If she knew as much of the
wickedness of the world as we do, she might even be suspicious! But,
thank God, she's not that kind of a woman. I don't like worldly-wise
ladies."
Dr. Lavendar nodded. "Black sheep can pull the wool over people's eyes
better than white ones can. Do you know, one reason why I hesitated
about letting her have David, was just because I didn't take to her
brother? For that matter, David doesn't take to him either;--and Danny
can't abide him. And William, I have a great respect for the judgment
of my betters in such matters! Yes; I almost kept the little monkey
myself; but I suppose it's better for him to be with a woman?"
"Of course it is," said William King, and Dr. Lavendar's face fell. "I
think she wants to adopt him," William added.
Dr. Lavendar shook his head. "I haven't made up my mind about that yet.
Not only because of the brother;--he comes so rarely he doesn't count.
But I want to make sure she can be trusted to bring a child up."
"I don't think there could be a better person," the doctor declared,
warmly. "She has a lovely nature."
"A pretty creature," Dr. Lavendar ruminated; "Martha fond of her?"
"Oh, yes indeed," William said enthusiastically;--"at least, I don't
know that I ever happened to hear her speak of it; but of course she
is. Nobody could help it. She is a sweet woman, as you say."
"Well," said Dr. Lavendar, "get Martha to be neighborly with her. She
needs neighboring. And Martha could teach her so many things--she's
such a sensible woman."
"Yes; Martha is sensible," William agreed. "Dr. Lavendar, did you ever
notice how, when she laughs, she has a way of putting her hands on the
top of her head, and sort of drawing them down over her eyes like a
girl? It's as pretty!"
Dr. Lavendar tried to remember. "Why, no," he said; "I don't know that
I ever noticed it. Martha doesn't laugh very often."
"Martha?" William repeated puzzled. "Oh--I was speaking of Mrs. Richie."
"Oh," said Dr. Lavendar.