Two days later found Norma happily seated beside the big bed she and
Rose had shared less than two years ago, where Rose now lay, with the
snuffling and mouthing baby, rolled deep in flannels, beside her. Rose
had come home to her mother, for the great event, and Mrs. Sheridan was
exulting in the care of them both. Just now she was in the kitchen, and
the two girls were alone together, Norma a little awed and a little
ashamed of the emotion that Rose's pale and rapt and radiant face gave
her; Rose secretly pitying, from her height, the woman who was not yet a
mother.
"And young Mrs. Liggett was terribly disappointed that her baby was a
girl," Rose marvelled. "I didn't care one bit! Only Harry is glad it's a
boy."
"Well, Leslie was sure that hers was going to be a boy," Norma said,
"and I wish you could have heard Aunt Annie deciding that the Melroses
usually had sons----"
"She'll have a boy next," Rose suggested.
Norma glanced at her polished finger-tip, adjusted the woolly tan bag
she carried.
"She says never again!" she remarked, airily. Rose's clear forehead
clouded faintly, and Norma hastened to apologize. "Well, my dear, that's
what she _said_," she remarked, laughingly, with quick fingers on Rose's
hand.
"It's sad that Mrs. Chris Liggett didn't have just one, before her
accident. It would make such a difference in her life," Rose mused, with
her eyes fixed thoughtfully on Norma's face. There was something about
Norma to-day that she did not understand.
"Oh, it's frightfully sad," Norma agreed, easily. And because she liked
the mere sound of his name, she added: "Chris is fond of children, too!"
Then, with a sudden change of manner that even unsuspicious Rose thought
odd, she said, gaily: "Isn't Aunt Kate perfectly delicious about the
nurse? I knew she would be. Of course, she does everything, and Miss
Miller simply looks on."
"Well, almost," Rose said, with an affectionate laugh. "She didn't want
a nurse at all, but Harry and Wolf insisted. And then--night before
last--when I was so ill, it almost made me laugh in spite of feeling so
badly, to hear Mother with Miss Miller. 'You'd better get out of here,
my dear,' I heard her say, 'this is no place for a girl like you----'"
Norma's laugh rang out. But Rose noticed that her face sobered
immediately almost into sadness, and that there was a bitter line about
the lovely mouth, and a shadow of something like cynicism in her blue
eyes.
"Norma," she ventured, suddenly storming the fortress, "what is it,
darling? Something's worrying you, Nono. Can't you tell me?"
With the old nursery name Norma's gallant look of amusement and
reassurance faltered. She looked suddenly down at the hand Rose was
holding, and Rose saw the muscles of her throat contract, and that she
was pressing her lips together to keep them from trembling.
A tear fell on the locked hands. Norma kept her eyes averted, shook her
head.
"Is it a man, Nono?"
Norma looked up, dashed away the tears, and managed a rueful smile.
"Isn't it always a man?" she asked, bravely.
Rose still looked at her anxiously, waiting for further light.
"But, dearest, surely he likes you?"
The other girl was silent, rubbing her thumb slowly to and fro across
Rose's thin hand.
"I don't know," she answered, after a pause.
"But of course he does!" Rose said, confidently. "It'll all come right.
There's no reason why it shouldn't!" And with all the interest of their
old days of intimacy she asked eagerly: "Nono, is he handsome?"
"Oh, yes--tremendously."
"And the right age?"
Norma laughed, half protestant.
"Rose, aren't you a little demon for the third degree!" But she liked
it, in spite of the reluctance in her manner, and presently added: "I
don't think age matters, do you?"
"Not in the least," Rose agreed. "Norma, does Mrs. Melrose know?"
"Know what?" Norma parried.
"Know that--well, that you like him?"
Norma raised serious eyes, looked unsmilingly into Rose's smiling face.
"Nobody knows. It--it isn't going right, Rose. I can't tell you about
all of it----" She paused.
"Well, I wouldn't know the people if you did," Rose said, sensibly. And
suddenly she added, timidly, "Norma, there isn't another girl?"
"Well, yes, there is, in a way," Norma conceded, after thought.
"That he likes better?" Rose asked, quickly.
"No, I don't think he likes her better!" Norma answered.
"Well, then----?" Rose summarized, triumphantly.
But there was no answering flash from Norma, who was looking down again,
and who still wore a troubled expression, although, as Rose rejoiced to
see, it was less bitter than it had been.
"Rose," she said, gravely, "if he was already bound in honour; if he
was--promised, to her?"
Rose's eyes expressed quick sympathy.
"Norma! You mean engaged? But then how did he ever come to care for
you?" she followed it up anxiously.
"I don't know!" Norma said, with a shrug.
"But, Nono, why do you think he _does_ like you? Has he said so?"
Norma had freed her hand, and pulled on her rough little cream-coloured
gloves. Now she spread her five fingers, and looked at them with
slightly raised brows and slightly compressed lips.
"No," she said, briefly and quietly.
Rose's face was full of distress. Again she reached for Norma's fingers.
"Dearest--I'm so sorry! But--but it doesn't make you feel very badly,
does it, Norma?"
Norma did not answer.
"Ah, it does!" Rose said, pitifully. "Are you so sure you care?"
At this Norma laughed, glanced for a moment into far space, shook her
head. And for a few minutes there was utter silence in the plain little
bedroom. Then the baby began to fuss and grope, and to make little
sneezing faces in his cocoon of blankets.
"Just one more word, dear," Rose said, later, when Aunt Kate had come
flying in, and carried off the new treasure, and when Norma was standing
before the mirror adjusting her wide-brimmed summer hat. "If he cares
for you, it's much, much better to make the change now, Norma, than to
wait until it's too late! No matter how hard, or how unpleasant it
is----"
"I know," Norma agreed, quickly, painfully, stooping to kiss her. "We'll
be down next month, Rose, and then I'll see you oftener!"
"When do you go?" Rose said, clinging to her hand.
"Go back to Newport? To-morrow. Or at least we get to Great Barrington
to-morrow, and we may stay there with the Richies a few days. Aunt
Marianna hates to make the trip in one day, so we stayed there last
night. But she had to come down to sign some papers. Chris has been down
all the week and he wired for her, so she and I drove down together."
"And is the country lovely now?" Rose asked.
"Well--dry. But it is beautiful, too; so hot and leafy and thunderous."
"And where are you--at the old house?"
"No; at a hotel, up near the Park. I wish you and little Peter Pan could
get away somewhere, Rose, for we'll have another three weeks of the
heat!"
"Oh, my dear, Mother Redding and the baby and I are going to the
Berkshires for at least two whole weeks," Rose announced, happily. "And
I thought that my bad boy was coming in early August," she added, of
the baby, "or I would have gone first. Try to come oftener, Norma," she
pleaded, "for we all love you so!"
And again, Norma's manner worried her. What was there in the sisterly
little speech to bring the tears again to Norma's eyes?
"I know you do, Rosy," Norma said, very low. "I wish I could go up to
the Berkshires with you."
"Well, then, why don't you, dear?"
"Oh"--Norma flung back her head--"I don't know!" she said, with an
attempt at lightness. And two minutes later she had kissed Aunt Kate,
and greeted Wolf, in the kitchen, and Rose heard their laughter, and
then the closing of the front door.