“The streets are not safe at this hour, and you 've had frights enough
for one night.”
She made no further objections, and with the watermelon poised on his
shoulder he walked by her side, neither speaking a word, till they
reached the gate of the Seminary grounds. There she stopped, and,
turning, extended her hands for the melon. As he gave it to her their
eyes met a moment, and their mutual appreciation of the humor of
the situation expressed itself in an irrepressible smile that seemed
instantly to make them acquainted, and she responded almost kindly to
his low “Good-evening.”
Amy came home jubilant next day. Lina May-nard had invited her to her
party, and had been ever so good to her, and there was nobody in the
world like Lina. Arthur listened and said nothing. All the next week
it was the same story of Lina's beauty, good-nature, cleverness, and
perfections generally, and, above all, her goodness to herself,
Amy Steele. Lina was indeed fulfilling her promise with generous
over-measure. And after once taking up with Amy, the sweet simplicity
and enthusiastic loyalty of the child to herself won her heart
completely. The other girls wondered, but Lina Maynard's freaks always
set the fashion, and Amy, to her astonishment and boundless delight,
found herself the pet of the Seminary. The little blonde, Lina's
sweetheart, alone rebelled against the new order of things and was
furiously jealous, for which she was promptly snubbed by Lina, and Amy
taken into her place. And meanwhile Lina caught herself several times
wondering whether Arthur Steele was satisfied with the way she was
keeping her pledge.
It was Wednesday night, and Arthur was to return to New York Thursday
morning. Although he had walked the street every afternoon and had met
nearly all the other girls at the Seminary, he had not seen Lina again.
His mother, whom he took about a good deal on pleasure drives, seriously
wondered if the eagerness of city life was really spoiling his faculty
for leisurely pleasures. He always seemed to be looking out ahead for
something, instead of quietly enjoying the passing sights and scenery.
He had consented to accompany Amy to a little church sociable on the
evening before his departure. It was a species of entertainment which he
detested, but he thought he might possibly meet Lina there, as Amy had
said some of the Seminary girls would be present.
At once, on entering the vestry, he caught sight of her at the other end
of the room among a group of girls. At the sound of the closing door
she glanced up with an involuntary gesture of expectancy, and their
eyes met. She looked confused, and instantly averted her face. There was
plenty of recognition in her expression, but she did not bow, the real
reason being that she was too much embarrassed to think of it. But
during the week he had so many times canvassed the chances of her
recognizing him when they should meet that he had become quite morbid
about it, and manifested the usual alacrity of persons in that state of
mind in jumping at conclusions they wish to avoid. He had been a fool to
think that she would recognize him as an acquaintance. What had he done
but to insult her, and what associations save distressing ones could she
have with him? He would exchange a few greetings with old friends, and
then quietly slink off home and go to packing up. He was rather sorry
for his mother; she would feel so badly to have him moody and cross on
the last evening at home. Just then some one touched his sleeve, and
looking around he saw Amy. She put her flushed little face close to his
ear and whispered:--
“Lina said I might introduce you. Is n't she beautiful, though,
to-night? Of course you 'll fall in love with her, but you must n't try
to cut me out.”
Arthur was Amy's ideal of gentlemanly ease and polish, and she had been
very proud of having so fine a city brother to introduce to the girls.
Imagine her astonishment and chagrin when she saw him standing before
Lina with an exaggeration of the agitated, sheepish air the girls made
such fun of in their rural admirers! But if that surprised her, what
was her amazement to see Lina looking equally confused, and blushing to
where her neck curved beneath the lace, although the brave eyes met
his fairly! A wise instinct told Amy that here was something she didn't
understand, and she had better go away, and she did.
“The melon was very good, Mr. Steele,” said Lina demurely, with a
glimmer of fun in her black eyes.
“Miss Maynard, I don't know how I shall beg pardon, or humble myself
enough for my outrageous treatment of you,” burst forth Arthur. “I
don't know what I should have done if I had n't had an opportunity for
apologizing pretty soon, and now I scarcely dare look you in the face.”
His chagrin and self-reproach were genuine enough, but he might have
left off that last, for he had n't been looking anywhere else since he
came into the room.
“You did shake me rather hard,” she said, with a smiling contraction of
the black eyebrows.
Good heavens! had he actually shaken this divine creature,--this
Cleopatra of a girl, whose queenly brow gave her hair the look of
a coronet! He groaned in spirit, and looked so self-reproachful and
chagrined that she laughed.
“I don't know about forgiving you for that, but I 'm so grateful you
did n't take me to the lock-up that I suppose I ought not to mind the
shaking.”
“But, Miss Maynard, you surely don't think I was in earnest about that?”
he exclaimed, in strenuous deprecation.
“I don't know, I 'm sure,” she said doubtfully. “You looked as if you
were capable of it.”
He was going on to protest still farther when she interrupted him, and
said laughingly:--
“You take to apologizing so naturally that I 'd nearly forgotten that
it was not you but I who was the real culprit. I must really make a few
excuses myself before I hear any more from you.”
And then she told him all about her brother Charley's letter, and the
spirit of emulation that had got her into trouble. It was easy enough to
joke about certain aspects of the matter; but when she came to talk in
plain language about her performances that night, she became so much
embarrassed and stumbled so badly that Arthur felt very ill at ease.
“And when I think what _would_ have happened if I 'd fallen into
anybody's hands but yours, you seem almost like a deliverer.” At which
Arthur had another access of humiliation to think how un-chivalrously
he had treated this princess in disguise. How he would like to catch
somebody else abusing her that way! And then he told her all that he had
thought and felt about her during the stealing scene, and she gave her
side of the drama, to their intense mutual interest.
“Is n't it about time we were going home, Arthur?” said Amy's voice.
He glanced up. The room was nearly empty, and the party from the
Seminary were waiting for Lina.
“Miss Maynard, may I call upon you in New York during vacation?”
“I should be happy to see you.”
“_Au revoir_, then!”
“_Au revoir!_”