On the evening Jimmy returned from Vancouver he went to the dining-room
as soon as the bell rang and waited by Stannard's table. The table
occupied a corner by a window, and commanded the room and a noble view
of rocks and distant snow. Other guests had wanted the corner, but
Stannard had got it for his party. Although he was not rich, Stannard's
habit was to get things like that.
The room was spacious and paneled with cedar and maple. Slender wooden
pillars supported the decorated beams, the tables were furnished with
good china and nickel. The windows were open and the keen smell of the
pines floated in.
After a few moments Jimmy heard Deering's laugh and Stannard's party
crossed the floor. Frank Dillon talked to Laura, whom Jimmy had not seen
since he returned; Frank was rather a handsome, athletic young fellow.
Laura wore a fashionable black dinner dress and her skin, by contrast,
was very white. Her movements were languidly graceful, and Jimmy got a
sense of high cultivation. He was young and to know he belonged to
Laura's party flattered him. Yet he was half embarrassed, because he
waited for other guests and did not know if Laura would like his
friends. When she gave Jimmy her hand Stannard indicated two extra
chairs.
"Hallo!" he said. "I must see the head waiter. This table's ours."
"Two friends of mine are coming," Jimmy replied and turned to Laura
apologetically. "Perhaps I ought to have told you, but I wrote to
Jardine from Vancouver and when I returned and got his letter you were
not about."
"Was it not Miss Jardine you helped when her horse ran away?"
"I doubt if I did help much, but after the horse knocked me down I went
to the homestead and Jardine was kind. Now I want to talk to him; he's a
good rancher."
"Then, ranching really interests you?"
"Jimmy has bought a ranch and I'm going to stay with him," said Deering
with a noisy laugh. "Perhaps to hunt and live the simple life will help
me keep down my weight."
Laura gave Jimmy a keen glance and he thought she frowned. "You a
rancher? It's ridiculous! But Deering likes to joke."
"It is not at all a joke," Deering rejoined. "Jimmy has bought a ranch,
and Stannard and I disputed who should lend him the money. As a rule,
one's friends don't dispute about that sort of privilege; but one trusts
Jimmy. Perhaps his trusting you accounts for it."
"I suppose Miss Jardine comes with her father?" Laura remarked.
Jimmy agreed and looked at Stannard, who had picked up the bill of fare.
"We must wait for your friends," he said carelessly, but Jimmy thought
him annoyed.
Then Jimmy turned and saw Margaret and Jardine. The rancher's clothes
were obviously bought at a small settlement store, but his figure was
good and his glance was keen and cool; somehow Jimmy imagined him
ironically amused. Margaret's blue dress was not fashionable, but she
carried herself like an Indian and was marked by something of the
Indian's calm. In the sunset, her hair was red, her eyes were blue, and
her skin was brown. When Jimmy advanced to meet her she gave him a frank
smile. He presented her to Laura and noted Dillon's admiring glance.
Stannard called a waiter and when dinner was served began to talk. Laura
supported him, but Jimmy rather thought her support too obvious. This
was strange, because Laura was clever and knew where to stop. Now it
looked as if she did not. The Jardines were his friends, but nothing
indicated that for them to dine at a fashionable hotel was embarrassing.
He imagined Margaret studied Laura, and sometimes Laura's glance rested
on the other for a moment and was gone. When Deering had satisfied his
appetite, however, he firmly took the lead and Jimmy let him do so.
Sometimes Deering's humor was rude, but it was kind.
When they went to the terrace others joined them and soon a party
surrounded Stannard's table. After a time the people moved their chairs
about and Jimmy saw Jardine was with Deering and Dillon had joined
Margaret. He fancied Laura had remarked this, but she lighted a
cigarette and gave him a friendly smile.
"Your friends don't want you just now. When you started for Vancouver, I
think you ought to have told me about your ranching experiment."
"I didn't know," said Jimmy in an apologetic voice. "I saw a map in a
land-agent's window and something called. I hesitated for a few minutes
and then went in."
"Then, you didn't go to Vancouver in order to buy a ranch?"
"Not at all--" said Jimmy and stopped, because he did not want to state
why he did go. "Of course, it looks like a rash plunge," he resumed.
"Still I doubt if it really is rash and I imagined you would approve."