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Miss Fairweather bowed gravely to Flanders as she passed. Diggs
observed her closely. He was conscious of a sensation of
disappointment. He had counted on a scene--an interesting scene.
Circumstances justified something more thrilling than a mere nod of the
head, his intelligence argued, and it was really too bad to have it
turn out so tamely.
Mr. Flanders, looking a trifle dazed and bewildered, contrived to hide
his emotions in a most commendable manner. A keener observer than
Diggs, however, would have detected a strange pallor in the young
woman's smooth cheek and an ominous shadow between her finely pencilled
brows. Even Diggs might have observed these symptoms but for the fact
that she kept her face rigidly averted. Mr. Flanders, from his position
near the door--he seemed to have taken root there--was favoured with no
more than a glimpse of the tip of a small ear and the faintest
suggestion of a cheek's outline. His own face, entirely visible to
Diggs, was scarlet--quite frankly so.
Four nurses appeared, carrying infants. Miss Fairweather assisted in
the task of placing the sleepy-heads in their high-chairs and in the
subsequent occupation of entertaining them by means of sundry grimaces
and motions, keeping them awake--and quiet--against the arrival of Mr.
Bingle, who, it appears, had gone to his room to substitute a pair of
far from fashionable carpet slippers for the smart pumps he had been
wearing. There was a great deal of excitement attending the placing of
the children, but it passed unnoticed by Mr. Flanders. He was staring
hungrily, pleadingly at the unfriendly back of the new governess.
Once she gave him a swift, perhaps unintentional look. It was too brief
to be described as significant, but it served to revive his interest in
the proceedings. He sprang forward and offered his aid to the nurses.
If he was clumsy in his attempt to jiggle a chair into position, an
explanation may be instantly provided. Miss Fairweather, after a brief
stare of indecision, favoured him with an almost imperceptible smile.
He happened to be in the act of pushing a high-chair under the
wriggling person of Imogene. That smile caused the momentary paralysis
of his whole being, with the result that the nurse came near to
depositing Imogene on the floor. Every one--except Imogene--squealed.
Mr. Flanders was reminded of his own existence. The arrested chair shot
into position and Imogene came down rather soundly on the seat of it,
and then every one giggled--except Imogene.
"Amy!" he whispered, as she turned away from the little group. He was
at her side in an instant. She faced him, and there was no trace of the
departed smile in her eyes.
"How dare you speak to me?" she said in low, intense tones. Her eyes
were cold, unfriendly.
"I've been searching for you--" he began, eagerly, but her disdainful
laugh cut him short.
"Go away, please. I don't want to see you. There is nothing more to be
said between us. It's all over, Dick. Don't speak to me again. I--I
don't want the Bingles to know that I--"
"I must see you, Amy," he persisted. "It isn't all over. Now that I've
found you, I'll see that I don't lose track of you again. We can't talk
here. Where can I see you alone--"
"Sh!" she cautioned, and he respected the appeal in her dark,
distressed eyes. Mr. Bingle had entered the room, and was greeted by a
shout of delight from the children. The governess moved swiftly away
from the young man's side, mingling with the nurses by the fireplace.
Mr. Bingle, hurrying toward the semi-circle of youngsters was surprised
by a genial slap on the back from the visibly excited Flanders.
"Wonderful!" exclaimed the young man, his face radiant. "Wonderful!"
"Aren't they?" cried Mr. Bingle, pleased.
"I don't mean the--Ahem! They certainly are, Mr. Bingle. I expect this
to be the most beautiful Christmas Eve in all my life, sir. I shall
never be able to thank you for--"
"Tush, tush! Now come along. I want to introduce you to the young
ladies and gentlemen. Imogene, my dear, this is Mr. Flanders. Kathleen,
shake hands with--oh, I beg pardon, I ought to have presented you to
the Fairy Princess. Miss Fairweather, just a moment, please. I want you
to meet my friend, Mr. Flanders, of the Banner. Well, well, are we all
here? Let me see: one, two, three--no, hold up your hands as I call the
roll. Strict attention, Mr. Flanders, and you'll know which is which--I
say, Flanders, would you mind looking this way, please? Children first,
on an occasion like this, sir. Grown-ups don't count. How is your
headache, Miss Fairweather? Now, speak up, children. Answer to your
names--and how to Mr. Flanders, while you're about it."
Planting himself in front of the row of eager children, grasping
Flanders's arm with one hand, and employing the other in a sort of
counting-off process, he called the roll.
Kathleen, exquisitely dressed and radiant with joy, a dainty miss who
looked to be fourteen but was said to be twelve, curtsied to Flanders,
who bowed low, his roving eye unwilling to relax its interest in the
flushed face of the governess. Then came Frederick, a sturdy youngster;
Marie Louise, a solemn-eyed ten-year-old; Wilberforce, Reginald,
Henrietta, Guinevere, Harold, Rosemary, Rutherford, and last of all
Imogene, who whimpered.
"There!" said Mr. Bingle proudly. "They did it very nicely, didn't
they, nurse?" He addressed the four nurses, who beamed as one. "Diggs,
you may summon the servants. I hear Mrs. Bingle and our guests in the
hall--or is it the--er--ahem!"
"The servants 'ave congregated in the 'all, sir. It is them that is
whispering," said Diggs, who had been scowling in the direction of the
door. "I shall speak to them, sir. They should be made to understand--"
"Don't lecture them to-night, Diggs," broke in Mr. Bingle hastily. "Not
on Christmas Eve. Let 'em whisper. Tell 'em to come right in. You see,
Mr. Flanders, we have the servants in to hear the Christmas Carol. It's
my rule. They enjoy it. They--Ah, my dear! Here we are! This is Mr.
Flanders, Mary--my wife, sir. Come right in, Mrs. Forced. Permit me to
introduce my old friend Flanders of the Banner. Mr. Force, shake hands
with Mr. Flanders. Now--er--ahem! All right, Diggs--call 'em in."
The servants--a horde of them--stalked into the room, each one being
formally, but perfunctorily announced by the butler, and each one
flushing painfully in return for the attention. There was Delia, the
cook, and Christine, her assistant; Swanson, the furnace man; Lockhart,
the chauffeur, and Boyles, the washer; Cora, the laundress; Georgia,
the scullery-maid; Edgecomb, the gardener, and his four helpers; Beulah
and Emma, the upstairs-maids; Bliss, the lodge-keeper, and Jane, his
daughter; Frank, the pony-cart driver, and Joe, the coachman; Matson,
the stable-boy; Fannie, the seamstress; Rudolph, the carpenter; Miss
McLeish, the stenographer and telephone operator; Throckinorton, the
dairy-man; Scott, the stockman; John Butts, the handy-man; Melissa,
Watson and Hughes. The four nurses escaped official announcement
because they had been clever enough to anticipate the formality.
Awkward, ill-at-ease in Sunday garments, and almost sullen in their
efforts to appear impressed, they formed an amazing group as they
clumsily ranged themselves in a compact fringe outside the more
favoured guests of the evening, who occupied what may be described as
the "orchestra." They remained standing.
"Ever see the play called 'The Admirable Crichton'?" whispered Mr.
Bingle to Flanders while the servants were crowding into their places.
"Yes," said Flanders. "I recognise the setting, but I miss the grown-up
daughters. Diggs is shorn of his opportunities, sir."
"That play gave me an idea. It was written by a fellow named Barrie. He
also wrote 'Peter Pan.' That is the greatest play ever written."
"If one believes in fairies, Mr. Bingle."
"Well, I do," said Mr. Bingle.
"So do I," said Flanders, his gaze wandering. Miss Fairweather was
caught in the act of staring at him. She lowered her eyes.
Mr. Force arbitrarily had settled into the chair next to little
Kathleen. His hard, impassive face wore a softer expression than was
usually to be observed there, and his voice, ordinarily brusque and
domineering, became ludicrously soft and wheedling.
"Come here, Kathleen. Sit on my knee. I've--I've got something pretty
for you."
Kathleen instantly lost her joyous, happy expression. Her eyes fell and
her manner betrayed unmistakable aversion to the august petitioner.
"Thank you, Mr. Force," she muttered, and was guiltily conscious of
impoliteness. Frederick snickered. "I--I don't want to," she went on,
spurred to defiance by her brother's action.
"Why not?" demanded Mr. Force coaxingly.
"Oh--because," said Kathleen, almost surlily.
"Don't you like me, Kathleen?"
"Yes, sir," said she, but without enthusiasm.
"Would you like to see what I've got for you? All for yourself alone,
you know."
Kathleen couldn't resist. She betrayed the greediness that overcomes
all feminine antipathy. "What is it?" she asked guardedly.
"Sit on my knee and I'll put it around your neck," said he, fumbling in
his waistcoat pocket.
The child flushed painfully and her eyes fell again. "I don't want to,"
she repeated.
Force got up from his chair, muttered something under his breath, and
moved away. He almost collided with Bingle.
"What's the matter with these kids of yours, Bingle?" he began
irascibly. "Why don't you bring them up properly? Teach 'em politeness.
Teach them how to behave toward--"
"My dear Force, has--has Kathleen been rude?" said Mr. Bingle in
distress.
"You are not to reprimand her," said Force hastily. "I wouldn't have
you do that for the world. She'd always have it in for me if she knew
that I--but, what nonsense I'm talking. They are little ingrates
anyhow--all of them. Good Lord, Bingle, I can't understand what you see
in the brats."
"I know you can't," said Mr. Bingle mildly. "That's just the difference
between us."
"There's only one in the whole lot that I'd have as a gift," said
Force, with a sidelong glance at Kathleen, who was joyous once more.
"That girl has got some class to her. Why is it, Bingle, that she
dislikes me? All the rest of 'em are friendly enough--too friendly, if
anything--but she won't even look at me."
"That's the woman of it," said Mr. Bingle.
"What's the woman of it?" demanded Force gruffly. "What do you mean by
'woman of it'? Don't be silly, Bingle. She's a mere child."
"She'll come around all right," said Mr. Bingle gaily. "Give her time,
old fellow, give her time."
"Good heavens, what a racket they're making," growled Force. "Have you
no control over them, Bingle? I'd send the whole lot of them to bed,
hang me if I wouldn't."
"On Christmas Eve? Oh, no, you wouldn't, old--Where are you going?"
"I'm going into the library to smoke," said Force. "I can't stand the
row."
"Now, don't do that," pleaded Mr. Bingle, grasping his arm. "Wait a
minute. I'll speak to Kathie. She--"
"Do nothing of the sort," snapped Force. "She doesn't like me, and
that's all there is to it. I've taken a fancy to the child, Bingle--I
never liked a kid before in all my life. I've got a little present for
her, but--oh, well, never mind. I'll put it in her stocking, if you'll
tell me which is hers. But I say, why doesn't she like me, Bingle?" He
was staring at the back of Kathleen's brown, curly head, and his eyes
were filled with perplexity.
"Bashful--just bashful," explained Mr. Bingle.
"Do you really think so?" demanded the other eagerly.
"Sure," said Mr. Bingle, delighted. "All girls go through that stage of
development. I don't mind saying to you, Force, she's my favourite.
It's a dreadful thing to say, but I'd rather lose any one of them--or
all of them--than to lose Kathie. I love her with all my heart."
Flanders was shaking hands with the small boys, Mrs. Bingle looking on
with placid approval.
"What's your name, my little man?"
"Abraham."
"Ahem!" coughed Mrs. Bingle, with a violent start.
"Reginald, sir," gasped he whose memory was still faithful when under
the pressure of excitement.
"I see," said Flanders, smiling down into Mrs. Bingle's embarrassed
eyes. "Lapsus linguae, Mrs. Bingle."
"My French is very--" began Mrs. Bingle plaintively.
"Do you like Santa Claus, Reginald?" interrupted Flanders.
"I like him better'n I do Dickens," confessed Reginald with
considerable positiveness. "Say, what's your name?"
"My name is Dick."
"Gee! Deadwood Dick, the road-agent? The feller Melissa is always
telling us about? Hey, kids, here's--"
"Sh!" hissed Flanders, clapping his hand over Master Reginald's mouth.
"Never mind that!"
"Did I understand Mr. Bingle to say, Mr. Flinders, that you report for
the Banner?" It was Mrs. Force who spoke. She was inspecting the young
man through a bejewelled lorgnette, held at an angle which was meant to
establish beyond dispute the fact that she was looking down upon him
from a superior height. She was a tall woman and she had been married
to Mr. Force for twelve long years. Looking down on him had become such
a habit that it was quite impossible for her to look up to any one of
his sex.
"Yes, Mrs. Force, the Banner."
"Can you tell me who put that disgusting item in the paper about my
little gathering last week?" She regarded him with severity.
"Gathering? Oh, I daresay it was one of the hospital reporters, Mrs.
Force," said Flanders suavely. She spent the rest of the evening in
cogitation.
Three words describe Mrs. Force. She detested children.
Joe, the coachman, and Watson were waiting for an opportunity to speak
to Mr. Bingle. They appeared to be crowding each other.
"I beg pardon, Mr. Bingle," began Joe, hurriedly, as the master turned
in response to Watson's cough.
"What is it, Joseph?"
Watson succeeded in speaking first. "If you please, sir, my grandmother
is dying in the city. I've just been sent for, sir. I think it is
possible for me to catch the eight-forty--"
"I beg pardon, sir," broke in Joe. "I've just heard that my sister is
expecting a baby to-night, and I thought I'd speak to you about getting
off--"
"Just a moment," said Mr. Bingle, blinking rapidly. "Wasn't your
grandmother dying last Christmas Eve, Watson?"
"No, sir. It was Hughes's grandmother."
"Did she die?"
"She did, sir," said Watson, with a pleased smile. "Hughes can attend
to my--"
"And your sister, Joe: didn't you get off last month for three days to
attend her wedding? Your only sister, I think you said."
"Yes, sir. Poor girl," said the coachman, without shame or conscience.
Mr. Bingle looked hard at the two men. They coloured. "Very well. You
may go, both of you, but don't let it happen again. I am sorry that you
will not be here to receive your Christmas presents. I shall distribute
the envelopes to-night. By the way, the grandmother season ends about
the middle of October, Watson. Good night, and--a Merry Christmas to
both of you."
"Beg pardon, sir," stammered Watson, sheepishly. "I'm ashamed of
myself, sir. It shan't 'appen again, not so long as I'm in your
service." The coachman shuffled his left foot uneasily and appeared to
find something of great interest in the rug on which he was standing.
At any rate, he scrutinised it very intently. Mr. Bingle smiled as he
turned away.
Miss Fairweather suddenly leaned over and whispered into the ear of
young Wilberforce. He paid no attention to her, so she shook him gently
by the arm. A moment later, obeying an unspoken command, he sheepishly
removed two large wads of cotton from his ears.
"Don't you want to hear about Old Scrooge and Tiny Tim?" she whispered.
"I wish I'd thought of doing that," lamented Mr. Force audibly. He had
witnessed the little incident.
"I'd sooner hear about Melissa's pirates and sea-cooks," whispered
Wilberforce shrilly.
"Order, please!" commanded Mr. Bingle, taking his place at the
reading-table. "Please be seated, Mr. Force. Hi! Look out! Not on top
of Rosemary."
"Good heavens! I might have squashed her--or him. What are you? A boy
or a girl?"
"I'm a woming," piped up Rosemary from the depths of the biggest chair
in the room.
Mr. Bingle cleared his throat and adjusted his spectacles. Then he
benignly surveyed the audience. The row of servants bobbed their heads
and shifted from one foot to the other.
"Friends all," began the master, "I give you greeting. On this glad
evening no line is drawn between master and man, no--What is it, Delia?"
The cook had stepped forward. "Excuse me for interruptin', sor, but for
sivin years I've stud through the Christmas Carol, from ind to ind, and
I'm sivin years older than whin I began. I'm no longer young and
hearty. I'm--"
"Well, why do you hesitate? Go on. Do you mean to say you don't want to
hear it again?"
"God knows, sor, I'm willing to give up wan evenin' to society. We all
are, for that matter. But it takes an hour an' a half to read the
blissed story. If we could only sit down during the recital, sor,
it--it wouldn't be so bad. But as it is, sor, we have to stand and only
our legs and feet can go to sleep. If--"
"I see!" cried Mr. Bingle. "You put me to shame, Delia. I never thought
of it in that light. You must have chairs. We will delay the reading
while you go to the dining-room and--"
"It's all right, sor. We've got the dining-room chairs in the hall. It
was me as thought of thim, sor. Go wan wid yez now, lads, and rush thim
in."
Mrs. Bingle took advantage of this unusual delay--or respite--and
explained to Mrs. Force that she would never go back to Madame Marie
for another gown. All one had to do was to look at the dress she was
wearing to-night for the first time. "It has just come and it
cost--well, you know what a gown like that would cost at Marie's! And
just look at it!" Mrs. Force did look at it--commiseratingly--and said
she would be pleased to take Mrs. Bingle in to see her dressmaker, and
so on and so forth. Mrs. Bingle expressed some doubt as to any
modiste's ability to make her look like Mrs. Force and Mrs. Force
pooh-poohed graciously.
Mr. Force bit off the end of a cigar and glumly watched the revivified
servants arranging the chairs. Occasionally he sent a puzzled glance at
little Kathleen.
Mr. Bingle rubbed his spectacles, while Mr. Flanders confined his
attention solely to the slim, graceful head and neck of the new
governess. He wore the look of one who has much to do to contain
himself in patience. As for Miss Fairweather, a warm glow had settled
upon her fair cheek and her eyes were bright.
"I always cry when any one reads aloud about Tiny Tim," she said to Mr.
Force, who, for obvious reasons, failed to hear her above the
chattering of the children. But Flanders heard.
"Tiny Tim always makes me cry too," he said, very distinctly. He was
rewarded by a slightly increased colour in the young lady's cheek.
"I cry my eyes out over Tiny Tim," Miss Quinlan was saying to Miss
Stokes, and at the same instant Miss Brown was telling Miss Wright that
Tiny Tim was always good for a bucketful, so far as she was concerned.
Imogene was sound asleep, and there were faint sobs in her breathing.
"Before we begin, Swanson," said Mr. Bingle, addressing the
furnace-man, "you might put a couple of fresh Yule logs on the fire.
Pick out good, big ones while you're about it."
"Will dose har fance-post do, Mast' Bingle?" whispered Swanson
hoarsely, as he held up a chunk of firewood for approval.
The fire was crackling merrily by the time the servants were seated and
Diggs had turned out the ceiling and wall lights from the switch,
leaving the big room in semi-darkness. The blazing logs sent a bright,
nickering glow into the faces of Mr. Bingle's auditors. He bowed
gravely and took up the cherished well-worn book.
"My dear friends, we have once more reached a milestone in the march of
Christendom. As you know, children, it comes but once a year, like New
Year's and Fourth of July."
"Hear! Hear!" volunteered three or four of the men-servants diffidently.
"We are all servants of the Lord whose anniversary we celebrate. We
gather here about a warm fireside, with the historic yule log
blazing--er--figuratively speaking, of course. These logs, naturally,
are not historic. They--er--ahem! Ahem!" He floundered. "Still, we
gather about them, just the same, warm and snug and full of good cheer.
Outside, the night is cold and blustery. The wind howls around the--"
The door-bell jangled in the distance. Mr. Bingle hesitated for an
instant and then went on:
"Howls around the corners with the fury of the wintry--ahem!--blast.
And it snows. 'It snows, cries the schoolboy!' You remember the verses,
children. You--See who's there, Diggs. Perhaps it is some neighbour
come to wish us--and, Diggs, no matter who it is, ask him--or them--to
come right in here. I'll--I'll wait a few minutes. Hurry along,
please." Resuming his address he beamed upon the row of wriggling
children. "We have before us eleven little ladies and gentlemen, all
eager for the Christmas dawn. See the stockings? To-morrow morning you
will find that Santy has filled them to the top. Next year Santy will
come provided with gifts for twelve, an even dozen. How many are eleven
and one, Reginald? Speak up. Eleven and one. Good! That's right, my
lad. The year after he will bring gifts for fourteen. We shall avoid
the unlucky number thirteen. Remember, children, that next Christmas
you are to have a little brother. You--"
"I want a sister," shouted Wilberforce.
"Sh!" said four nurses at once.
"As for you, my faithful servitors, it will not be necessary for you to
hang up your little stockings. Santy will find a way to--What is it,
Diggs?"
"If you please, sir, may I speak with you for a moment?" said Diggs
mysteriously, from the doorway. He appeared to be under the strain of a
not inconsiderable excitement.
Mr. Bingle hesitated. "If it's your grandmother who is ill, Diggs, I'm
afraid--"
"It's a man, sir, who says he must see you at once," said Diggs,
lowering his voice and sending a cautious glance over his shoulder.
"If he is seeking food or shelter, do not turn him away. Give freely
from my purse and larder. It is Christmas Eve. We--"
"I'll step out and see him, Bingle," volunteered Mr. Force, with some
alacrity. "Go ahead with the reading."
"He says he must see you, Mr. Bingle," said Diggs. "He isn't after
halms, sir."
"Ask him to come in and hear the story. I've no doubt he would be
benefitted--"
"Go and see what he wants, Thomas," said Mrs. Bingle. "It may be
important. I am sure Mr. and Mrs. Force will not mind the delay. Will
you?"
"Not at all," said Mrs. Force resignedly.
"I shan't mind, if the rest don't," added Mr. Force, turning an ironic
eye upon the row of servants.
"Well, I'll just step out and see what it's all about," said Mr. Bingle
reluctantly.
"Better see that the chap isn't a bomb-thrower, come to demand money of
you, Bingle," said Force. Mr. Bingle waved his hand airily as he
threaded his way among the chairs. "Does he look like a black-hander,
Diggs?"
"No, sir," replied Diggs. Then he let the truth slip out. "He says he
is from a detective agency, but I couldn't catch the name of it."
Mr. Bingle halted. "Detective agency, Diggs?"
"So he said, sir."
Flanders arose. "Perhaps you'd like to have me go with you, Mr. Bingle.
I know most of these fellows. If I can be of any assistance--"
"Thank you, no," said Mr. Bingle nervously. "I--I think I'd better see
him alone. Now, Mary, don't look frightened. I haven't the remotest
idea what he wants, but as I haven't been up to anything--ahem! Keep
your seat, Frederick!"
"I want to see a detective," pleaded Frederick. "Is he disguised,
Diggs? Has he got on false whiskers? Please, daddy--"
"Maybe it's old Santy," cried Wilberforce in a voice that thrilled.
Mr. Bingle left a pleasant atmosphere of excitement behind him when he
disappeared between the portieres. At once the company broke into
eager, speculative whispers that soon grew to a perfect storm of shrill
inquiry. Every one was guessing, and every one was guessing as loudly
as possible in order to be heard above the clamour. It might have been
observed that at least three or four of the servants shot furtive
glances in the direction of the hall, and appeared to be anxious and
uncomfortable.
While the excitement was at its height, Flanders deliberately planted
himself at Miss Fairweather's elbow. She looked up into his face. Every
vestige of colour had left her own. Her eyes were wide with alarm.
"Come with me, Amy," he said in a low tone. "I must have a word with
you. Make believe that you are showing me the--the pictures. We can
talk safely in that corner over there."
She arose without a word and followed him to a far corner of the room,
where they would be quite free from interruption.
"Oh, Dick!" she murmured, in great distress.
"Do you know anything? Who is this detective? Has he come to--"
"Sh! Why, you're actually shivering! Here, sit down in the window
seat--behind the curtain, dearest. What have you to be afraid of?
You've done no wrong."
She sank down on the window seat. The thick lace curtain shielded her
agitated face from the view of all inquiring eyes save those of the
tall, eager young man who sat down beside her.
"They don't know that I was on the stage, Dick. They wouldn't have me
here if they knew that I've been an actress. I--Oh, I hope--"
"Brace up, darling! This detective isn't interested in you. What motive
could he have in looking you up? Bingle is in the dark, so it's evident
he hasn't hired any one to investigate your past. Forget it! That isn't
what I want to talk to you about. I've been half-crazy, dear, for the
past eight months. Why did you run away without giving me a chance to
square myself after that miserable night? Don't get up! I've found you
and I'm determined to have it out with you, Amy. You've just got to
hear what I have to say." His hand was upon her arm, a firm restraining
grasp that checked her attempt to escape. Undismayed by the look of
scorn that leaped into her eyes, he leaned closer and spoke in quick
agitated whispers.
Fully half an hour elapsed before Mr. Bingle returned to the room. His
face was noticeably grey and pinched, and all of the ebullience of
spirit had disappeared. His wife eyed him anxiously, apprehensively.
Slowly, almost with an effort, he made his way to the reading-table,
purposely avoiding the gaze of the inquiring assemblage. His hand shook
perceptibly as he took up the book and cleared his throat--this time
feebly and without the usual authority, it might have been observed.
"Anything wrong, Bingle?" inquired Force, regarding him curiously.
"Nothing, nothing at all," said Mr. Bingle, vainly affecting a smile
that was meant to put every one at ease. "No crime has been committed,
so don't be nervous, any of you. Just a little private matter of--of"--
His gaze went swiftly to the eager, uplifted face of little Kathleen,
and he never completed the sentence. As he turned his face away,
ostensibly to find his place in the book, his lower lip trembled, and a
mist came over his eyes.
The dramatic enthusiasm with which he was wont to read the Dickens
story was sadly lacking. He read lifelessly, uncertainly, and at times
almost inaudibly. There was a queer huskiness in his voice that made it
necessary for him to clear his throat frequently.
[Illustration with caption: Amy Fairweather and Flanders]
Under ordinary conditions, he would have observed the singular
aloofness of Miss Fairweather and the reporter who was there by virtue
of an assignment. They retained their somewhat sequestered position in
the window seat, effectually screened by the curtains, and whispered
softly to each other, utterly oblivious to the monotonous drone of the
reader, quite in a little world of their own.
Flanders was pleading earnestly with the rigid-faced girl. Her
cautious, infrequent responses were not of an encouraging nature, that
was plain to be seen, but he too was obdurate. He held one of her slim
hands in a grip that could not be broken, as she had discovered to her
dismay. Mr. Bingle read on, ignorant of the little drama that went on
under his very nose, so to speak, and those of his auditors who were
not nodding their heads in frank drowsiness, were so completely wrapped
up in extraneous thoughts concerning the visit of the detective that
they had eyes for no one except the person who could explain the
mystery.
Mr. Bingle's voice began to quaver much earlier in the story than
usual. He was always moved to tears, but as a rule he was able to
suppress them until along toward the end of the story. But now he was
in distress from the beginning. He choked up completely, in a most
uncalled-for manner and at singularly unexpected places. He managed to
struggle through the first twenty or thirty pages, and then, seeing for
himself that he was nearing the first of the weepy places and realising
that he was sure to burst into tears if he continued, he deliberately
closed the book, keeping his forefinger between the leaves, and
announced in a strained voice that he would skip over to the final
chapter if the audience did not object. He gave no excuse. It is
doubtful, however, if he was gratified by the profound sigh of relief
that went up from the group of listeners.
At last, he came to the end of the story. He had no voice at all for
the concluding paragraphs: a hoarse, grotesque whisper, that was all.
When the servants had departed and the children were scampering off to
bed, thrilled by promises of the morrow, Mr. Single's arm stole about
his wife's shoulders and she was drawn suddenly, even violently close
to his side. He avoided her puzzled, worried gaze and resolutely
addressed himself to Mr. and Mrs. Force and Mr. Flanders. Miss
Fairweather had disappeared.
"That man was a detective," said he, without preamble. "His agency was
employed nearly a year ago to discover the whereabouts of a certain
child, whose father, repenting a wrong perpetrated years ago, desires
to do the right thing by his luckless offspring. After all these
months, this detective has located the little girl. She is in this
house. She is my favourite--and yours, Mary, God help us."
"Kathleen?" whispered Mrs. Bingle dully.
"Kathleen?" repeated Sydney Force, staring blankly at the little man.
"Yes," said Mr. Bingle, and sat down suddenly in a big arm chair,
burying his face in his hands.
No one spoke for many minutes. Flanders had the grace to turn away from
the group. He was an unusual type of newspaper reporter. Here was
something that would make a splendid "story," and yet he was fine
enough to turn his back upon the opportunity that lay open to him.
Mr. Force's hands were gripping the back of a chair so rigidly that the
knuckles were white and gleaming.
"For a year, did you say, Bingle?" he questioned, steadying his voice
with an effort.
"Almost a year," gulped the little man, looking up through streaming
eyes. "Her mother died when Kathie was about a year old. The father
never saw his child. He had deceived the woman. He cast her off
and--married another, I take it, although I am a bit hazy. I was so
upset that I--I scarcely remember what the man said. Now the--the
father wants to find his child. He--he wants to give her a home--Oh,
Lordy, Lordy! I can't bear the thought of it. Sh! Don't cry, Mary.
Maybe he'll let us keep her. He is married. Perhaps he can't afford to
acknowledge her as his child under the circumstances. I--I put it up to
the detective. He actually grinned in my face and said he was quite
positive his client would be as sensible as most men have to be in
similar straits."
"Are you sure that Kathleen is the one he is looking for, Mr. Bingle?"
inquired Mrs. Force. "They sometimes follow false clues, or something
of the sort. I once heard of a detective who--"
"No such luck," groaned Mr. Bingle. "He has Kathie's history from the
day she was born. There--there isn't any chance for a mistake. She is
the one. Our eldest, our loveliest--Oh, Mary!"
Force shot an unmistakable look of alarm at the newspaper man who stood
in the doorway, staring out into the hall.
"Do you know the mother's name, Bingle?" he inquired. His voice sounded
so strange and unnatural that his wife glanced at him sharply.
"Yes. I know her real name. On the records at the hospital she was
known as Mrs. Hinman. But, you see, she wasn't married. Her name was
Glenn."
Sydney Force's face was bloodless.