The afternoon passed and still no letter from Trenton. Grace was glad
that she had not told Irene how far Trenton had gone in declaring
himself. Not even Irene should know how much she cared for Trenton.
She indulged in the luxury of self-pity, picturing herself going
through life with the remembrance of him like a wound in her heart
that would never heal. And after summoning her courage to meet such a
situation she was swept with a great tenderness as she thought of him,
remembering the touch of his hand, his kiss on her lips.
When she called up her mother to say that she was bringing John home
Mrs. Durland reminded her that this was the night Ethel had asked
Mr. Haley to supper. Grace had been fully informed as to Mr. Haley’s
acceptance of Ethel’s invitation but in her confused state of mind she
had forgotten it. Haley was Ethel’s discovery and Grace had several
times encountered him in the Durland parlor. Recently Ethel had been
referring to the young man a little self-consciously by his first name.
Osgood Haley was twenty-seven, a well appearing young man, who was a
city salesman for a wholesale grocery firm. Mrs. Durland had satisfied
herself by inquiries of an acquaintance in the town in which Haley had
originated that he was of good family and he was thereupon made to feel
at home in the Durland household.
Ethel had met him in her Sunday school where within a few weeks after
taking a class of boys he had doubled its membership. It was his
personality, Ethel said; and beyond question Haley had a great deal
of personality. Among other items of Haley’s biography Ethel had
acquainted the family with the fact that his interest in religion was
due to the influence of a girl to whom he had been engaged but who died
only a short time before the day appointed for their wedding. Ethel
made a great deal of this. Haley’s devotion to the memory of the girl
he had loved was very beautiful as Ethel described it, and Mrs. Durland
said that such devotion was rare in these times.
Haley had brought to perfection a manner that not only had proved its
efficacy in selling groceries but was equally impressive in the parlor.
When he shook a hand he clung to it while he smiled into the face of
its owner and uttered one of a number of cheerful remarks from a list
with which he was fortified. These were applied with good judgment and
went far toward convincing the person greeted that Mr. Haley was the
possessor of some secret of happiness which he benevolently desired to
communicate to all mankind.
Ethel having gone home early to prepare some special dishes for her
guest, came in flushed from the kitchen just as Haley arrived with
Grace and John, who had met him on the street-car. Mr. Durland had
meekly submitted to investiture in a white shirt in honor of the
occasion. He had confused Haley with a young man from Rangerton who
sometimes visited the family. When he had been set straight on this
point they went to the table where the talk opened promisingly.
Haley needed no encouragement to talk; he was a born talker. He was
abundantly supplied with anecdotes, drawn from his experience as
a salesman, which proved that a cheery and optimistic spirit will
overcome all obstacles. John provoked him to renewed efforts by
insisting that theoretically the position of the pessimist is sound.
Haley would have none of this. He had found, he declared, that hope is
infectious and he derived the liveliest satisfaction from his success
in overcoming the prejudice and reluctance of difficult customers.
“You two boys make a splendid team,” remarked Mrs. Durland. “I suppose
you don’t know many people here, John.”
“Only frat brothers and boys who’ve graduated from the University since
I’ve been there. There’s quite a bunch of them, too, for I’ve been
plugging around the sacred groves of academe a long time.”
“I suppose you’ll be so busy when you move to town you’ll have to limit
your social life,” said Ethel. “But we all need outside interests.
Osgood has been here a year but it was some time before he found just
what he needed.”
Haley rose to this promptly by saying that being received in a home
like the Durland’s was the pleasantest thing that had ever happened to
him.
“Of course, John,” Ethel continued, “you will find a church connection
helpful. I hope you will hear Dr. Ridgley before handing in your letter
anywhere else.”
“By all means,” said Haley. “I tried several churches before I finally
settled on Dr. Ridgley’s. He’s helped me over a lot of hard places
just by a word or two. It just occurs to me, Ethel, that John,” (Haley
was already calling Moore by his first name) “would enjoy Mr. Forman’s
bible class. They’re all business and professional men and Mr. Forman
is a thorough Bible student. If I didn’t enjoy my boys so much I’d
certainly never miss a Sunday morning with Mr. Forman.”
“You see, John, we’re trying to fix everything up for you,” said Mrs.
Durland, turning a sympathetic glance upon Moore.
Grace was unable to recall that she had ever heard John speak of
churches, though in their walks about Bloomington he had discussed
religion in general terms. She doubted whether, with his many
engrossing employments, he had been a diligent church-goer.
“Don’t let them crowd you, John,” she said, seeing that he hesitated to
commit himself.
“I’m not a church member,” he said diffidently. “I suppose I’m hardly
what you’d call a believer; at least I don’t believe all you’re
supposed to believe if you subscribe to a creed. I hope I’m not
shocking you folks but it always seems to me there’s something stifling
about a church. When I was a boy on the home farm and all the neighbors
met at the country church every Sunday, I always hated to go in; it
seemed a lot cheerfuller outside. I suppose if I got right down to it
I’d say I believe in a great power that I haven’t any name for, that
moves the world. It’s bigger than any church, and it works in all of us
whether we go to church or not. I suppose if you got down to bed rock
you’d call me an agnostic. But I’m strong for whatever any church does
to help people live right. When it comes to believing a lot of things I
can’t square with reason I just can’t do it.”
“That’s about my own idea,” ventured Mr. Durland, who had been bending
over his plate with his usual stolid silence.
“We’re not so far apart, John,” said Mrs. Durland, anxious to avert
the deliverance which she saw from the tense look in Ethel’s face was
imminent. “We all see things differently these days and I think it
better not to discuss the subject. It’s far too personal.”
“I don’t see how you can say such a thing, mother,” said Ethel, with
painstaking enunciation. “I think it our solemn duty to discuss matters
that affect our souls. If there ever comes a time when I can’t believe
in God I want to die! I don’t see how any one can live without the hope
of a better world than this. Without that nothing would be worth while.”
“Please don’t think I want to destroy any one’s faith,” John replied.
“But for myself I try to keep tight hold of the idea that it’s a part
of our job to make that better world right here. And if we do that and
there is a better place after death I don’t believe anybody’s going to
be kept out of it for not believing what he can’t.”
“John,” began Haley with a deprecatory smile, “that’s exactly where I
used to stand! You don’t need to feel discouraged about your doubts. If
we just will to believe we can overcome everything. That’s the truth,
isn’t it, Ethel?”
Ethel promptly affirmed his statement, and Mrs. Durland softened the
affirmation out of deference for John’s feelings.
“I think I agree with John,” said Grace; “I’d like to believe a lot of
things the church teaches but I can’t; I’m always stumbling over some
doubt.”
“I didn’t know _you_ called yourself an agnostic,” said Ethel severely.
“I don’t know that it’s necessary to classify myself,” Grace replied
coldly.
Haley volunteered to lend John certain books which he had found helpful
in overcoming his own doubts. John listened attentively as Haley named
them and replied that he had read them and when Mr. Durland asked John
if he had read “The Age of Reason,” Mrs. Durland thwarted Ethel’s
attempt to denounce that work by remarking that she thought they could
all agree that every effort to promote peace and happiness in the world
was worthy of encouragement.
“You’ve said something there, Mrs. Durland,” said John soberly. “I’m
strong for that.”
“I guess that leaves us nothing to quarrel about after all,” said
Haley, beaming with tolerance.
Ethel resented her mother’s interference with the religious discussion
just when she was ready to sweep away all agnostic literature with a
quotation. And she was displeased to find John again exchanging stories
with Haley. She had counted much on the beneficent exercise of John’s
influence on Grace after he settled in Indianapolis. Her father was
hopeless where religion was concerned and she had no sympathy with
her mother’s oft-reiterated opinion that there was something good in
all churches. Her indignation increased as good cheer again prevailed
at the table. She waited till a lull in the story-telling gave her an
opportunity to ask John, with an air of the utmost guilelessness, the
proportion of women to men in the University. John answered and called
upon Grace to verify his figures. Grace, familiar with Ethel’s mental
processes, groped for the motive behind the question. Her curiosity as
to what her sister was driving at was quickly satisfied.
“I was just wondering, that’s all,” remarked Ethel carelessly. “I
suppose I might have got the figures from the catalogue. Oh, by the
way, John, Grace has spoken of so many of her friends in college I feel
that I almost know them. Just the other day she was speaking of a Miss
Conwell--Mabel, wasn’t it, Grace?--who must be a very interesting girl.
She had her uncle look Grace up when he was here recently.”
“Conwell?” repeated John, looking inquiringly at Grace, who sat
directly opposite him. “Do I know a Miss Conwell?” he asked and
catching a hint from Grace’s eyes that something was amiss he added,
“There’s such a lot of girls down there I get ’em all mixed up.”
“She’s from Jeffersonville, you said, didn’t you, Grace?” asked Ethel.
“Jeffersonville or New Albany,” Grace answered, “I’m always confusing
those towns.”
John was now aware that Grace was telegraphing for help.
“Oh, yes;” he exclaimed, “I remember Miss Conwell. I’d got the name
wrong; I thought it was Conway. I run into her occasionally at the
library.”
“She doesn’t seem to be in the catalogue,” Ethel persisted, “but that
may be because they don’t know where she comes from.”
Haley laughed boisterously at this. John, detecting a tinge of spite
in Ethel’s pursuit of a matter that apparently was of no importance,
answered that he thought Miss Conwell hadn’t taken up her work till
after the fall term opened, which probably accounted for the absence of
her name from the catalogue.
“She is a special, isn’t she, Grace?” he asked.
“Yes; in English,” Grace answered, with a defiant look at her sister.
“That’s the girl who’s related to Mr. Trenton?” asked Durland, vaguely
conscious that Grace was under fire. “I thought that was the name.
Trenton,” he explained to Moore, “is a famous engineer. I guess there’s
nobody stands higher in his line.”
“He’s the husband of that Mary Graham Trenton who writes horrible
books,” announced Ethel.
“That’s got nothing to do with Trenton’s standing as an engineer,”
Durland replied doggedly.
“I guess no man has to stand for his wife’s opinions these days,” said
John conciliatingly.
“Of course I don’t know what Mr. Trenton’s views are on the subjects
his wife writes about,” said Ethel. “But Grace probably knows.”
“You couldn’t expect me to violate Mr. Trenton’s confidence,” Grace
replied.
Fortunately the meal was concluded and Mrs. Durland rose from the table.
“I’m awfully sorry, John,” said Grace, when they reached the street.
“There’s no reason why Ethel should show her spite at me when we have
company. She thought with you there it would be easy to catch me in a
lie. It was a nasty trick; but it was splendid of you to help me out.”
“You don’t need to thank me for that,” said John. “Ethel was sore at me
for being a heathen and she thought she’d pot us both with one shot.
And I guess she did,” he ended with a chuckle. “It would be easy for
her to prove that there’s no Mabel Conwell at the University. But why
make so much fuss about it?”
“It’s just her way of nosing into other people’s affairs. If she hadn’t
been so nasty about Mr. Trenton in the first place I wouldn’t have had
to lie.”
“It’s too bad Ethel’s got that spirit. It must be hard living with such
a person.”
Irene was waiting for them when they reached the Pendennis. Grace noted
that her friend wore her simplest gown and hat, perhaps as an outward
sign of the chastened mood in which Kemp’s passing had left her. John
sat between them and their enjoyment of the picture was enhanced by his
droll comments.
“It’s me for the simple life,” said Irene at the end. “I’ll dream of
myself as that girl in the sunbonnet going down the lane with the jug
of buttermilk for the harvest hands.”
“The dream’s as near as you’ll ever come to it!” said Grace. “I can see
you on a farm!”
“I’d be an ideal farmer’s wife, wouldn’t I, Mr. Moore? I’ve certainly
got enough sense to feed the chickens.”
“When you weren’t doing that you could feed the mortgage,” John
replied. “Let’s see, which one of you girls am I going to take home
first?”
They went into a confectioner’s for a hot chocolate and to discuss this
momentous question. Irene lived in the East End, much farther from the
theatre than Grace. Grace insisted that if he took her home first she
would think it because he wanted to spend more time with Irene.
“That would be perfectly satisfactory to me!” said Irene demurely.
“I don’t know that I’d hate it so much myself,” John replied.
“Do you ever use a taxi, Mr. Moore?” Irene asked.
“Not on the price of one Airedale!”
When he suggested seriously that the whole matter would be greatly
simplified by taking a taxi Irene would not hear of it. She hadn’t
meant to hint; she was just joking. They continued their teasing until
they reached a corner where Grace settled the matter.
“Irene wins!” she cried and before they knew what she was about she
boarded her car and was waving to them derisively from the platform.