"Oh, never mind," he exclaimed impatiently. "There must be some trouble
over the line. I'd never recognize your voice at all. Can you hear me
plainly?"
"Yes," said Leah.
"Well, look out for Castle," he went on, "Don't let him know that you
suspect anything, will you?"
"No," from Leah, at my prompting.
"He's trying to make trouble for you; and he will, if we don't look out.
He's in love with _the other one_, and you'd better try and see if you
can't get rid of him! Now, Edna!"
"Yes!" Leah again repeated my whispered word.
"Are you listening?"
"Yes."
"Are you listening?" Why was he repeating the question?
"Yes!"
"Are you listening?"
At this, I suspected a formula he might be using for some hypnotic
suggestion. I whispered to Leah to say "Yes, yes," faintly.
"Meet me at the station, sure. You will come alone. Good-by!"
I hung up the receiver, pretty sure that he had not suspected the
deception. I went down-stairs again, and as, by eleven o'clock Edna had
not returned to the house, I had no doubt that she had gone to the
station of her own volition to meet the doctor. This was fortunate, as,
seeing her evidently in obedience to his suggestion, he might be less
likely to question her about telephoning and thereby discover our ruse.
I was, however, nervous at the prospect of meeting them. Leah could
scarcely be kept if the trick were discovered; I should have hard work
brazening it out myself.
At about noon I started down the north lane to meet them, and discover
the state of affairs in time to let Leah know. Half-way to the road,
however, I happened to recall what Uncle Jerdon had told me about seeing
the two, the day we had broken down in the automobile. I decided to
hide and see what I could discover--in a word, to spy upon them. I was
by this time in no mood to be nice about my choice of weapons, and I
took the first one that came to hand.
I had not waited long before I heard voices approaching, and I concealed
myself behind a clump of bushes to watch. I was too far away to hear
distinctly, and, in fact, they did very little talking--an occasional
exclamation from her, and the doctor's nasal replies. My eyes told me
more than my ears--enough to prove that, however Edna regarded me, the
doctor also came in for considerable more of affectionate demonstration
than I had suspected, and either he was not so conscientious as I had
been, or he was actually in love with her. Their actions were those of
acknowledged lovers. Why, then, had she flirted with me? Was her
behavior now, perhaps, mere pique caused by the jealousy I had aroused
in the way I had spoken of Joy?
I went in as luncheon was served. Edna met me a little coolly, the
doctor more so. I was decidedly uncomfortable at being now a guest in a
house where I was, perhaps, not wanted, but I pretended not to notice
anything amiss, and endured my position as well as I could. The doctor
ignored my presence completely, addressing all his dull witticisms to
Edna, who laughed at them as usual, doing her best, now and then, to
drag me into the conversation. She could not keep any one mood for
long, however, and before the end of the meal I flattered myself that
she would, after all, prefer being with me alone; but the doctor's
pop-eyes held her, and his interminable foolery kept her whole attention
concentrated upon him, despite herself. Nothing at all was said about
the telephoning.
Directly after luncheon was over the two went up-stairs into the study,
without even the formality of an apology to me. As Leah was busy about
her own work, I strolled out into the kitchen to see King. He was
washing the dishes, and greeted me with his customary cryptic grin.
"Say, King," I said, "you got a joss in your room?"
His grin grew wider. "Yep!" he ejaculated, nodding.
"You no Christian, then? You not go to Sunday-school?"
"Aw, no good go to Sunday-school--I can talk Melican all light.
Chlistian joss no good for Chinaman. You think so?"
"I guess you're right," I said. "But do you worship your joss? You
burn punk-stick sometime? You trim him up with paper flowers, maybe?"
He laughed to himself as if it were a great joke, but kept on washing
his dishes like a machine. "You likee see my joss?" he said, looking
back over his shoulder. "Heap good joss--velly old. I bling him flom
China."
"What d'you pray for, King?"
"Aw, sometime one thing, sometime other thing. I play for good luck,
allee same Chlistian. You play, too?"
"Oh, sometimes," I said. "But go on, tell me, King. When do you pray?
You pray to-day?"