"_Sisters under the Skin_"
After a little while the silence between the girl and man grew self
conscious. Both of them seemed to recognize this at the same moment, and
Dick turned apologetically toward his companion.
"I am sorry to continue so stupid," he explained, "but I have been
thinking something over for the nine hundred and ninety-ninth time."
In spite of the coolness of the October afternoon Dick now took off his
hat and in a boyish fashion ran his fingers through his hair.
Immediately the curly pompadour he so detested arose, while under his
dark skin the color was rushing in warm waves.
"I say, Nona," he began in an awkward fashion, his charming manners
entirely deserting him, "has it ever struck you that I have had
something very much at heart for the past few months, something I have
not been able to mention? It has seemed to me as if the whole world must
know of it, although I have never spoken a word. Yet even Mildred has
appeared totally blind. Of course there was a reason once why I should
keep my dream to myself, but lately that reason no longer exists." Then
Dick laughed unexpectedly.
"Here I am talking like a school-boy who does not know his lesson! I
don't suppose you have the faintest idea of what I am trying to say?
Wonder if you have ever guessed my secret, Nona?"
Dick had swung himself around on the bench so that he might be able to
gaze more directly at his companion. But Nona Davis' head was for the
instant in profile.
Just then she preferred not to catch Dick's glance. Her own cheeks were
delicately flushed and indeed the world had acquired a new fragrance.
Yet oddly Nona wished to hug her emotion to herself.
There is a moment when the spirit of romance appears to every girl in
some lovely guise. Now Nona Davis felt that no moment and no scene
could be more picturesque than her own.
Dick Thornton was ideally handsome; moreover, the fact that one of his
arms was now useless only added to his value. For was not Dick a soldier
of peace rather than of war, yet one who had made the same sacrifice?
And he had given himself for a cause that was not his own.
"No, I have not guessed, Dick," Nona replied an instant later. "How
could I? If you have a secret you have certainly not betrayed yourself.
Besides, if I had been able to discover what you had in mind, I should
not have allowed myself to know. No one has the right to interpret
another person's thoughts."
Nona made this speech with entire innocence, but she was to recall the
last phrase within a few moments.
"Well, I'll start off with a piece of news I am sure you will be pleased
to hear," Dick began. "I wanted to tell Barbara first, but we were
interrupted the other afternoon. It is only that I think I am to have
better luck with this lame arm of mine than I deserve. When I was in
Paris the surgeons told me to leave it alone, that I stood a chance of
being able to use it later on. So I tried to forget the whole matter.
Then one day several weeks ago without thinking I discovered that I
could use my arm the least bit. Of course, it is by no means well, but
each day the arm grows stronger----"
With this news Nona stretched out her hand toward her companion. But
Dick did not see her, as he chanced to be gazing at his afflicted arm in
the half tender, half apologetic fashion in which one surveys a backward
child.
"The doctors I have seen since I made the discovery say my arm will be
as good as new in another few months," Dick went on. "I have only to
have it massaged daily and wait for the vigor to come back. So I may be
able to amount to a little something in the world after all. Perhaps a
man with a lot of brains may manage to get along with no arms, but I'm
afraid _I_ require the full amount."
By nature Nona Davis was inclined to be serious. Therefore she could
never understand the fashion in which Barbara and Dick were able to jest
over their deeper emotions.
Her yellow-brown eyes were serious now.
"I am sure _I_ have never doubted your future for a moment, Dick. It
sounds ridiculous to hear you make a speech like that. I am sure your
father is a distinguished man, yet I feel sure you will be a greater one
some day."
For half a moment Dick smiled upon his companion. "You are an optimist,
Nona, but just the same I am tremendously grateful to you."
Then in a surprising fashion his gay spirits suddenly deserted him. For
he frowned moodily toward the purple and rose colored sky on the far
western side of the horizon.
The sun was by this time about to retire and the colors in the evening
sky were merely the garments she had cast off in passing.
"I wish you could persuade Barbara Meade to share that idea of yours,
Nona?" Dick continued a moment later. "If you could you would be doing
me an immense service."
"Barbara?" Nona repeated her friend's name dully. She was so far away
from any thought of her at the time that it was difficult to readjust
her point of view. "What is it you wish me to persuade Barbara to
believe?" she demanded the next instant. For in her surprise she had
forgotten her own remark.
"Oh, that I am worthy of bearing my father's name and that there is a
chance I may not turn out a hopeless good-for-nothing," Dick went on,
with a scarcely concealed bitterness in his voice.
"Two years ago when I first met Barbara I suppose I was only a society
fellow, but really I was not so bad as I painted myself. Fact is, I
rather enjoyed arousing Mildred's little western friend in the early
days. Well, I accomplished my purpose with a vengeance, for Barbara has
never had an ounce of respect for me. Even if you and Mildred have never
guessed how much I care for her, the fact has been plain enough to
Barbara. What other reason could she have, except to spare me
humiliation, for refusing to have anything to do with me since I came to
Brussels? But you have understood the situation better than you confess,
Nona. Be sure that I appreciate your kindness immensely."
Still Nona made no reply. However, as Dick had been holding his emotions
in check for many weeks, he was glad now to have a chance to let them
overflow.
"I appreciated that you understood when I first asked you to write me,
after you left Paris," the young man continued. "Your letters meant so
much to me, for they used to tell me so many things of Barbara and your
life together in the little French farmhouse."
Interrupting himself, Dick glanced at his watch and then at his
companion.
"You look tired, Nona, and I am sorry, but I expect we must hurry if we
are to get to the station in time for the six o'clock train to Brussels.
You have been wonderfully patient with me this afternoon and I hope not
too bored. Perhaps I should have kept all this to myself, but at last it
has overflowed. I shall never refer to the matter again and shall be
grateful if you do not mention it."
Dick held out his right hand to help his companion arise.
But for another instant Nona did not stir. Neither did she glance
upward. Her eyes had dropped to her lap and were evidently fastened upon
her slender hands, which she held lightly clasped together.
Possibly she had become a shade paler, but not by a flicker of an
eyelash did she betray that her house of cards had suddenly fallen.
The next moment she gave her hand to Dick and got up.
"I am not tired, so let us walk on quickly if you think best. I am going
to be honest and tell you, Dick, that I have never dreamed you were
seriously interested in Barbara until this hour. I knew you were friends
at one time and that Barbara had done a beautiful thing for you. But I
thought you had probably quarreled, or that you did not find each other
so interesting as you had at first."
The girl was walking along swiftly as she talked.
Her delicate chin was lifted a little higher than usual and because of
her pallor her lips showed a deeper crimson. She was a lovely height and
slender and graceful, but beyond everything else she had the air of
perfect breeding.
Dick's own train of thought was diverted for a moment by a glance at
her.
"After all, it is not an impossibility, Nona Davis' mother may turn out
a foreign princess," he thought, and then smiled. For Dick was a typical
American man and to him a mystery in one's family was ridiculous when it
was not unpleasant.
On the train returning to Brussels neither he nor his companion cared to
talk a great deal. Indeed, Nona frankly explained that there was
something she wished to think about, and if Dick did not mind, would he
please leave her alone. So he was satisfied to continue sympathetically
silent.
He had unloosed certain thoughts of his own which were not so easy to
chain up again.
However, they still had a half hour before their arrival in Brussels
when Nona unexpectedly returned to their former subject of conversation.
"You asked me never to refer to your confession, Dick, and I won't again
after today. But first I must tell you something. Then if you'll forgive
me I want to offer you a piece of advice. I know it is an ungrateful
present, but you'll listen, won't you?" Nona pleaded.
Dick's brown eyes were very friendly. "I'll listen to whatever you wish
to tell me forever and ever," he insisted. "For there was never quite so
kind an audience as you have been to me!"
The girl was glad of the flickering lights in the railroad carriage,
when she spoke again.
"It is only that I have been thinking of you and Barbara ever since we
left Louvain," she added. "I told you I was surprised at the news. But
now I think it was stupid of me. What I want is to ask you to tell
Barbara what you have confided to me this afternoon. I understand that
when you were uncertain about your arm, you may have felt that a
drawback. Now you have every right to believe in your recovery
and"--Nona hesitated and smiled directly into Dick's somber brown
eyes--"oh, well, it is only fair that Barbara be allowed the same
information that I have received under the circumstances!"
At this moment it was Dick who would not be humorous.
"I suppose you think I ought to give Barbara the satisfaction of telling
me what she really thinks of me. But I am afraid I am not willing to
amuse her to that extent."
Nona shook her head. "That wasn't worthy of you, Dick; I know you did
not mean it. I am not going to give up. I want you to promise me that
whenever the chance comes you will let Barbara have some idea of your
feeling for her."
This time Nona held both her hands tight together.
"I can't explain to you, Dick, so please don't ask me why," she
continued. "But I have been thinking that there may be another reason
why Barbara has seemed less friendly with you since your arrival in
Brussels. Girls sometimes get strange ideas in their minds. But there we
are coming into Brussels. Thank you for my day in Louvain, I shall not
forget it!"