I
The calamity that had befallen Roy cast a shadow upon the Durland
household. Ethel stalked about with an insufferable air of outraged
innocence. Roy had ruined the family; after all the sacrifices that
had been made for him he had flung away his chance and was lost beyond
redemption. She was merciless in her denunciation of her brother, and
hardly less severe upon her mother for spoiling Roy and condoning his
sin.
Grace exerted herself to the utmost to dispel the gloom. Not since
her young girlhood had she felt so closely drawn to her mother,
and she endeavored by every possible means to lighten her burdens.
Mrs. Durland’s attempts to make the best of Roy’s predicament, even
professing to see in what she called the boy’s new responsibilities a
steadying force that would evoke his best efforts, were pathetic; but
Grace encouraged all these hopes though in her heart she was far from
optimistic as to her brother’s future.
“Sadie isn’t really a bad girl,” Mrs. Durland had reported on her
return from Louisville. “Her family are not just what we would have
wanted, but they are respectable and we ought to be grateful for that.
Her father is employed in the railroad shops and they own their own
home. Sadie’s an only child and it wasn’t necessary for her to go to
work, but she was restless and didn’t want to stay at home. There’s a
lot of that spirit among girls these days. Sadie’s really fond of Roy
and I think she understands that now she must help him to make a man
of himself. She and her mother appreciated our kindness and I think,
Ethel, when you see Sadie----”
“When I see Sadie!” cried Ethel, choking at the name. “You don’t mean
to say you’re going to bring her to this house!”
“Not now, of course; she wouldn’t want to come. But in time we’ll all
know her. You must remember Ethel that she’s one of the family, your
brother’s wife, and no matter how much we may regret the whole thing,
we’ve got to stand by her just as we stand by Roy.”
“I don’t understand you, mother; I don’t understand you at all! It
isn’t like you to pass over a thing like this, that’s brought shame
and disgrace on the family. And to think--to _think_--” she cried
hysterically--“that you even consider bringing the shameless creature
here to this house, with all its sacred associations that mean
something to me if they don’t to the rest of you!”
“That’s right, Ethel,” said Grace ironically. “It’s perfectly grand of
you to defend the family altar! I suppose when Sadie comes you’ll be
for throwing her into the street and stoning her to death. And you’d be
the only one who could cast the first stone!”
“Please be quiet, girls,” Mrs. Durland pleaded. “It doesn’t help any to
fuss about things. You haven’t taken this as I hoped you would, Ethel.
If we don’t stand together and help each other the family tie doesn’t
amount to much. I had hoped you were going to feel better about Roy. We
simply mustn’t let the dear boy think that just one misstep has ruined
his life. We must try to believe that everything is for the best.”
“Certainly, mother,” said Grace. “That’s the only way to look at it.
Ethel doesn’t mean to trouble you. She’ll come round all right.”
Ethel failed to confirm this sanguine prediction. She continued to sulk
and when her mother proposed plans for assisting Roy when he finished
at the law school she contributed to the discussion only the direst
predictions of disaster.
“We all have a lot to be thankful for,” Mrs. Durland insisted. “It’s
a blessing your father’s going to be in a position to help Roy. The
first year will be the hardest for the boy, but after that he ought to
be able to stand on his own feet. I’ve about decided that it would be
better for him to open an office for himself right away and not go in
with any one else. The more independent he feels the better. We must
see what we can do about that.”
“I think we’d better talk it all over with John Moore before we decide
about anything,” Grace suggested. “He knows all about Roy and certainly
has shown himself a good friend.”
“John Moore!” sniffed Ethel, who had not forgiven John for meddling in
Roy’s affairs.
“I hope you love yourself, Ethel; you certainly don’t love anybody
else.” Grace remarked, and added, “Oh, yes, there’s Osgood! I forgot
that you’re concentrating your affections on him.”
“I’m not afraid to see him at home; that’s more than you do with the
men you run around with!”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dare introduce my friends to you; you might vamp them
away from me!”
“Now girls----!”
Mrs. Durland sighed heavily; Mr. Durland, intent upon some computations
he was making at the living room table, stirred uneasily. Grace had not
been unmindful of the fact that after his first fortnight at Kemp’s
the elation with which he had undertaken his new labors had passed.
He was now constructing an engine embodying his improvements on the
Cummings-Durland motor and came home at night haggard and preoccupied.
He seemed to resent inquiries as to his progress and after the first
week Mrs. Durland, on a hint from Grace, ceased troubling him with
questions. Grace herself was wondering whether, after all, the ideas
that had attracted Trenton’s attention in her father’s patent claims
might not fail to realize what was hoped of them. But her faith in
Trenton’s judgment was boundless; with his long experience it was
hardly possible that he could be deceived or that he would encourage
expectations that might not be realized by the most exacting tests.
Grace had not changed her mind about going to Miss Reynolds’s dinner,
though at times she had all but reconsidered her decision not to tell
Trenton of the invitation. There was really no reason why she should
not let him know of his wife’s impending visit to Indianapolis; what
really stayed her hand when she considered mentioning the matter in one
of her letters was a fear that he might advise her against going. Her
curiosity as to Ward Trenton’s wife was acute and outweighed any fear
of his possible displeasure when he learned--and of course Grace meant
to tell him--that she had deliberately put herself in Mrs. Trenton’s
way.