THE OTHER COUPLE.
As Harry and Fenie had no prospective fortunes complicated by scraps
of paper in another man's pocket, they had every reason to be entirely
happy, yet soon they found themselves very much to the contrary. Fenie
had begun early, like a loyal wife that was to be, to tell Harry of
everything that was on her mind, and Harry, like a good brother, began
to be concerned about his sister's prospects. The family fortunes were
not in as bad condition as Trixy had led the Admiral to fear, but what
loving brother could be entirely cheerful while his sister was in
danger of losing fifty thousand dollars?
He began to be absent-minded at home, and Kate quickly noticed it, and
asked him what was the matter, and when he replied, "Nothing," he did
it in a tone that whatever was the matter was the reverse of nothing,
so she set herself to discovering what it could be. She at once assumed
that it was trouble of some sort between him and Fenie, and she
determined to rectify it, no matter what it might be. They were mere
children, Harry and Fenie, in Kate's estimation, and would need her
sisterly care and supervision until they were safely married.
With the best of intentions she called upon Fenie to find out all about
it, and she found the girl in a state of high excitement, for she had
been helping Trif to search every place in the house where those awful
sketches could possibly have been put, for Phil, like many another man,
was an adept at dropping the contents of his pockets in unexpected
places. Kate was thinking of nothing but the business on which she had
come, so she proceeded promptly to business.
"Harry seems quite unhappy," she began bluntly. "He is entirely unlike
his usual merry self."
"Indeed?" replied Fenie vacantly.
"Yes; he looks as if he had slept scarcely a wink last night."
"Pshaw!" exclaimed Fenie with a slight frown.
Kate was somewhat provoked at this, but she controlled herself and
continued:
"I asked him what was troubling him, but he wouldn't tell me, although
he has always made me his confidant."
Fenie looked uncomfortable, but she showed no sign of becoming
communicative, so Kate went on:
"Don't you suppose I would be of any service to you or him in the
matter?"
"Not in the slightest degree," said Fenie, with a start. She was
thinking only of the ridiculousness of Kate assisting at the work of
rummaging the pockets of the various garments which Phil had worn since
he missed the sketches, but Kate naturally failed to imagine that, so
she misconstrued the gesture.
"I do hope, dear," she said, as sympathetically as she could, "that it
isn't anything serious!"
"But it is," said Fenie, looking as if she would like the subject
dropped. For that very reason Kate clung to it determinedly.
"Serious?--for two people who ought to love each other very dearly?"
"Yes," replied Fenie bluntly. She was afraid to say much, for, if she
gave Kate any clue to the matter, she did not know how much further she
might be persuaded to go. She knew that her tongue sometimes ran away
with her, and she was not going to let Kate know anything about the
missing letter and its double contents.
Suddenly Trif, who did not know that there was a visitor in the parlor,
called Fenie, and the girl, glad of an excuse, hurried away with the
promise that she would return in a moment. When, however, she explained
to her sister, Trif told her she was very silly not to see that Kate
was misunderstanding matters, and supposing there was trouble between
Fenie and Harry.
"But," said Fenie, "as she already knows that it concerns a couple who
ought to love each other very dearly--those were her own words--she
will think there is something wrong between her and Jermyn, or between
you and Phil." Trif was perplexed by this view of the matter, so she
and her sister set themselves to devise some way of throwing Kate off
the scent, and, as neither of them had any experience in deceit, they
evolved and discarded several plans in rapid succession.
Kate was becoming restive. She had a woman's sense of the courtesy that
was due her, and she began to feel hurt by what seemed to be neglect.
Just then Trixy meandered into the parlor, from nowhere in particular,
and Kate had no scruples about questioning her.
"Trixy, dear," she said, "I'm very glad to see you."
Trixy indulged in a long stare before she replied:
"That's funny! You don't look as if you was."
"Don't I? I'm very sorry for it. The truth is, I'm greatly troubled
about several things. I'm afraid, for one thing, that Harry and Fenie
aren't as happy as they have been."
"I guess you're right," was the reply, "though I wouldn't have thought
of it if you hadn't said so. They talked awful solemn to each other
last night. I don't know what they was talkin' about, but once Harry
put his hands all over his face and said: 'Oh, 'twill be awful--awful!'"
"Dear me! And what did your Aunt Fee say?"
"She didn't say nothin' for a long time, and then she said she thought
he was makin' altogether too much fuss about it."
"About what?"
"I don't know, except she said somethin' about Mr. Jermyn bein' a real
fine fellow anyway, so she thought Harry ought to be quiet, and make
the best of it."
Jermyn! Aha! Harry was jealous! How much cause had he? If any, then
she, Kate, had quite as much. Oh, the ways of very young women! Was
Fenie's head still turned by the attention which Jermyn had paid her
at Old Point? Had she really lost her heart to him? Was she tiring
of Harry, and wishing she might yet capture the officer? Jermyn had
admitted to Kate that he had been greatly impressed by Fenie until she,
Kate, herself appeared on the scene, but it couldn't be possible that
he----
"Trixy?" said Kate suddenly, "does Lieutenant Jermyn come here often?"
She was ashamed of herself as soon as she had spoken, for when could he
call? Was he not at the proving-grounds all day, and at Kate's own home
every evening until late? Still, the question had been asked, so she
awaited the answer.
"Why, no. He came here this mornin', very early, and----"
"And your mamma saw him?"
"No, mamma was out."
"So you entertained him?"
"No, I didn't either. I wanted to, 'cause I like him lots, but he and
Aunt Fee began talkin' about a letter, and then Aunt Fee told me to get
all my new dolls to show him, now that they've all got new dresses, and
it took me a lot of time to get them all together, and when I came back
with 'em he was gone."
Kate was angry, but of one thing she informed herself at once--it was
that she was not going to lose Bruce Jermyn because of any flirtation
he might have had with that flighty girl, or of any letters that might
have passed between them. Men would be flirts, she supposed--that is,
bachelors would--but she would marry Bruce Jermyn, even if he had
flirted with half the women in creation. She had long cherished the
fine belief that no man ever strays from a woman who appreciates him;
when she became Mrs. Jermyn she would be everything to him that wife
could be to husband, and then she would defy anyone, even a girl as
pretty as Fenie, to get and keep a bit of his heart.
As to Fenie, it would break Harry's heart to lose her, and if
temptation were out of her way she probably would love Harry sincerely
after they were married. Jermyn would be out of the way in a day or
two,--but, oh, how she did wish she knew what was in the letter which
the two had talked about?
Fenie finally returned and Kate said to her:
"You expect Harry this evening, I suppose?"
"Oh, yes, I suppose so."
"I hope you will have a very pleasant evening with each other."
"Oh, so do I. I hope it will be pleasanter than last evening. If that
dreadful let----"
Fenie stopped abruptly, but it was too late. Kate was regarding her
searchingly, and Fenie's face became scarlet.
"What letter do you refer to?"
"Oh, don't ask, please." Fenie felt that she should scream.
"A letter which has made much unhappiness for you and Harry?"
"Yes; yes; oh, yes!" Fenie looked so miserable that Kate almost forgave
her. After all, was she not a mere girl? Perhaps a womanly word, spoken
in season, might do her good, beside providing peace for Kate's own
mind in the future. So she began:
"I believe you're real sorry about it."
"Oh, indeed I am; sorrier than I can begin to tell you."
"Then, dear," said Kate, compelling a genuine pardoning spirit to take
possession of herself, "try to think no more about it, no matter what
the contents of the letter may be. Let bygones be bygones. Some things
must be lived down, if we are to be all we should. Do your share toward
it, and all may yet be well."
"But you--and Jermyn--"
So Jermyn really was implicated! Nevertheless, Kate set her lips firmly
and replied:
"Jermyn shall live it down; I shall never recall the matter to his
attention, but shall do all in my power to make him forget the letter."
"But," said Fenie, with a wondering look, "how did you chance to know
anything about it?"
"Never mind about that. You still love Harry, don't you?"
"Indeed, yes!"
"And you will show him that letter--after you are married?"
"Why, yes--if it is ever found."
Kate wanted one more proof of Fenie's repentance; it was a hard one to
exact, but she was determined to have it.
"You will show the letter to me too?"
"Yes--after you are married, and if you'll promise to forgive us."
"I do promise--now!" said Kate, and departed with the air of one who
had done a noble deed, while Fenie hurried to Trif and told her that
Kate already knew about that letter, despite all that had been done to
keep any knowledge of it from her, and Trif wondered how she could have
learned, and said that Harry must have told her, and Fenie retorted
that Harry was no tell-tale child, and that it must have been Jermyn
or the Admiral, and that whichever it was he was real mean, for hadn't
Trif, while writing the letter, planned merely what had come to pass,
to the manifest delight of the parties most nearly interested?
Kate improved her first opportunity to warn her brother against long
engagements, and Harry asked whether she herself was willing to
practice what she preached, and Kate bravely answered that she was.
"But let that subject rest, for the present," she said. "I've learned
some things accidentally to-day, and I don't wonder that you have been
so unhappy for a day or two. You needn't be afraid to call on Fenie
this evening. There will be nothing unpleasant."
"My dear sister!" exclaimed Harry, "what are you talking about? What
have you learned, and where, and how?"
"Entirely by accident. Trixy----"
"Trixy? Goodness! Will that child never cease to make trouble?"
Then Harry dashed out of the room.