To Leslie Melrose had come the very happiest time of her life. She had
always had everything she wanted; it had never occurred to her to
consider a fortunate marriage engagement as anything but a matter of
course, in her case. She was nineteen, she was "mad," in her own terms,
about Acton Liggett, and the engagement was the natural result.
But the ensuing events were far more delightful than Leslie had dreamed,
even in her happy dreams. All her world turned from its affairs of
business and intrigue and amusement to centre its attention upon her
little person for the moment, and to shower her with ten times enough
flattery and praise to turn a much steadier head. Presents rained upon
Leslie, and every one of them was astonishingly handsome and valuable;
newspapers clamoured for her picture, and wherever she went she was
immediately the focus for all eyes. That old Judge Lee should send her
some of his mother's beautiful diamonds; that Christopher and Alice
should order for her great crates of specially woven linen that were
worthy of a queen; that Emanuel Massaro, the painter of the hour, should
ask her to sit for him, were all just so much sheer pleasure added to
the sum total of her happiness in loving the man of her choice and
knowing herself beloved by him.
Leslie found herself, for the first time in her life, a person of
importance with Aunt Annie, too. The social leader found time to advise
her little niece in the new contingencies that were perpetually arising,
lent Leslie her private secretary for the expeditious making of lists or
writing of notes, and bullied her own autocratic modiste into promising
at least half of the trousseau. It was Annie who decided that the
marriage must be at a certain Park Avenue church, and at a certain hour,
and that the reception at the house must be arranged in a certain
manner, and no other. Hendrick or Judge Lee would give away the bride,
Christopher would be his brother's best man, and Leslie would be given
time to greet her guests and change her gown and be driven to Alice's
house for just one kiss before she and Acton went away.
Acton had begged for an Easter wedding, but Leslie, upon her aunt's
advice, held out for June. If the war was over by that time--and
everyone said it must be, for so hideous a combat could not possibly
last more than six or eight months--then they would go to England and
the Continent, but otherwise they might drift through Canada to the
Pacific Coast, and even come back by San Francisco and the newly opened
Canal.
Meanwhile, Annie entertained her niece royally and untiringly. Formal
dinners to old family friends must come first, but when spring arrived
Leslie was promised house parties and yachting trips more after her own
heart. The girl was so excited, so bewildered and tired, even after the
first two weeks, that she remained in bed until noon every day, and had
a young maid especially detailed to take her dressmaker's fittings for
her. But even so she lost weight, her cheeks burned and her eyes
glittered feverishly, and her voice took an unnaturally high key, her
speech a certain shallow quickness. Acton's undeviating adoration she
took with a pretty, spoiled acquiescence, and with old family friends
she was charmingly dutiful and deferential, but always with the air of
sparing a few glittering drops to their age and dulness from the
overflowing cup of her youth and beauty and power. But with her
grandmother and aunts she had a new attitude of self-confidence, and to
her girl friends she was no longer the old intimate and equal, but a
being who had, for the moment at least, left them all behind. She would
show them the new silver, the new linens, the engagement-time frocks
that were in themselves a trousseau, and wish that Doris or Marion or
Virginia were engaged, too; it was such fun! And with older women, the
débutantes of six and eight and ten years ago, who had failed of all
this glory, who could only listen sweetly to the chatter of plans and
honours, and look in uncomplaining admiration at the blazing ring,
Leslie was quite merciless. The number of times that she managed to
mention her age, the fact that Madame Modiste had tried to give her
fittings after three o'clock under the impression that she was a
schoolgirl, and the "craziness" of "little me" going over all the late
Mrs. Liggett's chests of silver and china, perhaps only these
unsuccessful candidates for matrimony could estimate. Certainly Leslie
herself was quite unconscious of it, and truly believed what she heard
on all sides, that she was "adorable," and "not changed one bit," and
"just as unconscious that there was anything else in the world but
Acton, as a little girl with her first doll."
Christopher and Alice, in the first years of their married life, had
built a home at Glen Cove, and Christopher made this his wedding
present to his brother. Necessarily, even the handsomest of country
homes, if ten years old, needs an almost complete renovation, and this
renovation Acton and Leslie, guided by a famous architect, began
rapturously to plan, reserving a beautiful apartment not far from Alice
in Park Avenue for autumn furnishing and refitting.
All these activities and interests kept the lovers busy, and kept them
apart indeed, or united them only in groups of other people. But Acton
could bring his pretty sweetheart home from a dinner now and then, and
come into the old Melrose house for a precious half hour of murmuring
talk, or could sometimes persuade her to leave a tea or a matinée early
enough to walk a few blocks with him.
In this fashion they slipped away from a box party one Friday afternoon,
and found themselves walking briskly northward, into the neighbourhood
of Alice's house. Leslie had had, for several days, a rather guilty
feeling in regard to this lovely aunt. It was really hard, rising at
noon, and trying to see and please so many persons, to keep in close
touch with the patient and uncomplaining invalid, who had to depend
wholly upon the generosity of those she loved for knowledge of them. So
Leslie was glad to suggest, and Acton glad to agree, that they had
better go in and see Aunt Alice for a few minutes.
As usual, Mrs. Liggett had company, although it proved only to be the
pretty Miss Sheridan who had called upon Leslie's grandmother on the
first day of that mysterious indisposition that had kept the old lady
bedridden almost ever since.
Alice looked oddly tired, but her eyes were shining brightly, and Norma
was charmingly happy and at ease. She jumped up to shake hands with
Acton with a bright comment that he was not in the _least_ like his
brother, and recalled herself to Leslie before offering her all sorts of
good wishes. Norma, hoping that it would some day occur, had indeed
anticipated this meeting with Leslie by a little mental consideration of
what she should say, but the effect was so spontaneous and sincere that
the four were enabled to settle down comfortably to tea, in a few
moments, like old friends.
"Miss Sheridan--or Norma, rather--and I have been having a perfectly
delicious talk," said Alice. "She loves Christina Rossetti, and she knew
the 'Hound of Heaven' by heart, and she has promised to send me a new
man's work that sounds delightful--what was it? Something about General
Booth?"
"If I haven't chattered you to death!" Norma said, penitentially. And
Leslie added: "Aunt Alice, you _do_ look tired! Not that talking poetry
ever would tire you!" she hastened to add, with a smile for Norma.
"No, I'm not--or rather, I was, but I feel wonderfully!" Alice said.
"Pour the tea, Kitten. What have you two little adventurers been doing
with yourselves?"
"Mrs. Dupré's party--Yvette Guilbert," Leslie said. "She is quite too
wonderful!"
"I've always wanted to see her, and I've always known I would adore
her," Norma interpolated, dreamily.
Alice glanced at her quickly.
"Does she give another matinée, Leslie?"
"Two----" Leslie looked at Acton. "Is it two weeks from to-day?" she
questioned.
"I'll send you seats for it," Alice said, making a little note on her
ivory memoranda pages, as she nodded to Norma. The colour rushed into
Norma's face, and she bit her lip.
"But, Mrs. Liggett--honestly--I truly didn't mean--I only meant----" she
began to stammer, half laughing. Alice laid her hand upon Norma's
reassuringly.
"My dear, you know I don't think you hinted! But I want to do it. I
can't"--Alice said, smiling--"I can't do anything for little Miss
Aladdin here, and it gives me the greatest pleasure, now and then----"
"I want to tell you something about Mrs. Liggett," Acton said; "she's
got a grasping nature and a mean soul--you can see that! She's the
limit, all right!" He smiled down at her as he gave her her teacup, and
Leslie laughed outright. Acton was a person of few words, but when he
chose to talk, Leslie found his manner amusing. Christopher, coming up
to join them fifteen minutes later, said that from the noise they made
he had supposed at least fifty persons to be in his wife's room.
Did Norma, as she gave the master of the house her hand, have sudden
memory of all her recent absurd extravagances in his name--the games,
the surmises, the wild statements that had had Chris Liggett as their
inspiration? If she did, she gave no sign of it beyond the bright flush
with which she greeted her oldest acquaintance in this group.
Christopher sat down, content to be a listener and an onlooker, as he
sipped his tea, but Norma saw that his wife's look of white fatigue made
him uneasy, and immediately said that she must go.
He made no protest, but said that the car was at the door, and she must
let him send her home. Norma agreed, and Acton asked if he and Leslie
might not use it, too. The three departed in high spirits, Alice
detaining the radiant and excited Norma long enough to exact from her
the promise of another visit soon, and to send an affectionate message
to Mrs. Sheridan from "Miss Alice." Then they went down to the big car,
an exciting and delightful experience to Norma.
Leslie was left first, and Acton, pleading that he was already late for
another engagement, was dropped at his club. Then Norma had the car to
herself, and as it smoothly flew toward the humble doorway of the
Sheridans, could giggle, almost aloud, in her pleasure and exhilaration
at an afternoon that had gone without a single awkward minute, all
pleasant, harmonious, and vaguely flattering. And the wonderful Mrs.
Liggett had asked her to come soon again, and had made that delightful
suggestion about the concert. The name of Yvette Guilbert meant little
to Norma, but the thought that Alice Liggett really wanted to hold her
friendship was nothing less than intoxicating.
She looked out of the car, the streets were bare of snow now, there was
not a leaf showing in the park, and the ground was dark and unpromising.
But a cool, steady wind was blowing through the lingering twilight, men
were running after rolling hats, and at least the milliners' windows
were radiant with springtime bloom. Children were playing in Norma's
street, wrapped and muffled children, wild with joy to be out of doors
again, and a tiny frail little moon was floating in the opal sky just
above the grim line of roofs. Norma looked up at it, and the pure
blowing air touched her hot face, and her heart sang with the sheer joy
of living.