BACK IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
BETTY was driving alone through one of the less crowded parts of
Concord. She had been into the country and was now on her way home
again. Not very often did she go out alone, but she had not felt in a
mood for company and had purposely gotten away by herself.
A week had passed since her midnight talk with Anthony and there was
still a coldness between them. Each day Betty had expected her husband
to declare that he had changed his mind in regard to finding a position
for John Everett and would do as she asked. Yet so far he had not even
referred to the subject.
On her way home Betty considered that she had better stop and tell Meg
how she had failed in influence with her husband, notwithstanding she
could not decide just what she should do or say. Meg would not
understand and might believe that she had made no real effort for
John's sake. Yet she could not be such a coward as to leave her old
friends in suspense. Since Anthony would do nothing to help, it was
better that John Everett should know, so that he might find another
occupation.
They were passing through a quiet street shaded by magnificent old maple
trees that were now bare except for a few clustering brown leaves, when
Mrs. Graham leaned over to speak to her coachman and the man drew in his
horses. The next moment her attention was attracted by seeing some one
on the sidewalk pause and lift his hat to her. Betty had returned the
bow before she actually recognized John Everett. Then he took two or
three steps forward and held out his hand.
"I was just going to see Meg," Betty explained, blushing and wishing
that she could escape the confession that lay before her. If John should
question her now she felt she might have a sudden panic of
embarrassment. Of course she could think up some excuse for Anthony's
unkindness; she might even offer the same excuse he had made to her. Yet
the fact that he had declined to do what she so much desired would
remain the same.
But John Everett was smiling in the most ordinary fashion.
"I wonder, Mrs. Graham, if you will not let me ride along with you, if
you are going to Meg's. I am on the way home myself."
Then in a short while Betty had forgotten her worry and was having the
same agreeable talk of old times that she had enjoyed the week before.
Moreover, it was John Everett who relieved her from her chagrin.
"By the way," he began, just as they were about to arrive at Mrs. Jack
Emmet's house, "please don't worry, Mrs. Graham, or Betty, if I may call
you by the old name, about asking your husband to fix me up with a
position in his office. I know the new Governor is being overwhelmed
with office seekers. I have been lucky enough to secure something to do
with my brother-in-law, Jack Emmet, and ex-Governor Peyton. They have a
new business scheme on hand in which they think I may be useful."
Of course, Betty could not utter her thanksgiving aloud, although she
repeated it very fervently to herself. So, after all, she need not
confess to other people Anthony's lack of consideration. It was enough
that she should be carrying the hurt feeling about inside her own heart.
Instead, she merely murmured something or other that was not clear,
about the Governor's having been so very busy recently and having some
special annoyance in his affairs. She was by no means certain of just
what she said at the moment nor how she explained the situation, but
fortunately John Everett did not appear to be particularly interested in
the subject.
Meg was not at home when they arrived, but instead of saying good-bye,
John suggested that he should drive back to her own home with Betty. It
had been years since they had seen each other, except the other evening,
and there was so much to talk about.
Then John explained that he had taken a small house in Concord and that
his father was soon coming to live with him. Bumps would continue with
his course at Cornell for this winter anyhow. So, after all, there were
uses in this world even for old bachelors, he ended smilingly.
It was Betty, however, who suggested that they should go and see this
house, although John told her it was a good deal out of her way. Yet it
was a beautiful warm November afternoon and would not be dark for
another hour. Somehow Betty did not feel that she wanted to go home at
once. Faith had gone for a walk with Kenneth Helm, Angel had a half
holiday and was spending the afternoon with the children. She and
Bettina had a wonderful secret game that they played together in a room
by themselves, where no one else had ever been allowed to come. There
was no prospect of Anthony's returning home for some time, so the
Governor's splendid mansion would seem big and empty to the Governor's
wife for an hour or so more at any rate.
There was a caretaker in the little white house with green shutters, who
was anxious to show Mrs. Graham and Mr. Everett every detail of it. The
house was to be let furnished and yet it seemed to have been peculiarly
fitted for old Professor Everett's needs. It was pleasant for Betty to
imagine the sweet-tempered, learned old man here with John and near his
daughter Meg. He had been living alone in Woodford ever since his
younger son, Horace, departed for college. Somehow Betty felt that it
would be pleasant for her also to have the old gentleman living so near
by. He had been a devoted friend of Mr. Ashton's, whom she had certainly
loved even more than an own father.
"I shall be running in here very often to see Professor Everett and tell
him the things that trouble me, just as Meg and I used to do when we
were little girls," Betty remarked to her companion. "He was the one
person who never by any possible chance believed that Meg or I could
ever be in fault."
"I'm sure he will always be overjoyed to see you," John Everett replied.
"Only it is a little difficult for me to imagine Mrs. Anthony Graham
ever having anything to trouble her."
As the November evenings grew dark so soon, it was almost dusk when
Betty at length entered her own home after saying good-bye to her
friend, who had insisted on walking back to his sister's house instead
of allowing the coachman to drive him.
Going into her private sitting room, Betty was surprised to find that
Anthony had come home and was sitting there pretending to read. But most
undeniably he looked cross.
"I thought we were going to have a drive and tea together, Betty," he
remarked reproachfully. "Where in the world have you been? No one seemed
to know. I should think you would leave word where you are going, so
that if anything happened to the children or to me the servants would
know where to find you."
Actually Anthony was reproaching her in a perfectly unreasonable
fashion! Betty could hardly believe her ears, it was so unlike him. Was
he going to turn into the dictatorial type of husband after all these
years of married life when he had been so altogether different?
Usually Betty's temper was gracious and sweet. Possibly if Anthony had
approached her in his usual fashion at this moment they might have
gotten over the feeling of estrangement that had come between them for
the first time since their wedding. Moreover, the room was not brightly
lighted, so that Betty did not notice how tired and worried Anthony
looked. Of course, fatigue and worry explain almost any temporary
unreasonableness on the part of human beings.
Quite casually Betty began to draw off her long gray suede gloves. She
wore a beautiful gray coat and skirt and chinchilla furs and a hat with
a single blue feather.
"Don't talk as if we lived in England and you were a kind of domestic
tyrant, please, Anthony," she said lightly. "I am sorry, but I had no
possible way of knowing that you were coming home from your office so
much earlier than usual. You should have had some one telephone me. I
have been having a very agreeable drive with John Everett. And, by the
way, it was not worth while for me to have annoyed you by asking you to
do me the favor of giving John something to do. He tells me he is going
into business with Jack Emmet and ex-Governor Peyton." Then as she moved
toward her own bedroom Betty was surprised and annoyed by another
speech from her husband.
"I don't like the combination very well," he remarked quietly. "Neither
Emmet nor Peyton have very good business reputations. They are going to
try and get a shaky bill through the Legislature in the next month or
so, I hear. But I suppose Everett knows his own affairs best."
As Betty had now disappeared, she did not hear Anthony's closing speech.
"I am sorry to have talked like a bear, dear. Won't you forgive me and
let us be friends? I wish I could have fixed up things for Everett for
your sake, but I could not feel that I had the right."
Moreover, the young Governor's back was unfortunately turned, so he did
not appreciate that Betty had not heard him. He was under the impression
that she had simply refused to pay any attention to his apology.
Well, he was too tired to discuss the matter any further for the
present. He had several important decisions that must be made before
morning and he and Betty and Faith and Kenneth Helm were to go to some
big reception later in the evening.