polly awoke early. her first feeling was one of vague depression. then her mind cleared, and she knew what had happened—it was all over between her and david. and this was the day of the fête, the day which she had anticipated with such pleasure! she had planned to write a full account of it to her lover. now—! thoughts came fast, bringing only pain. she sprang out of bed and began to dress.
of course, she must go to samoosic point. if she stayed at home it would cause too much talk. but how could she meet people with gayety, when she longed to run away from everybody, to hide, to rest, to think! she went down to breakfast with a forced smile, and managed to go through the meal without evoking any inquiries. she did not wish to tell even her father and mother any sooner than was needful.
by the time the car came she had in large measure regained her usual composure, and she hoped nobody would guess that she was playing a part.
arrived at the cottage all was gay with flags and flowers and festival dress. merry talk and laughter mingled with music from a hidden orchestra, the wide, glittering waters of the harbor, the arch of[22] blue above, made one glad to be part of such gladness. it would have been a sorrowing heart indeed that could hold to its grief amid such surroundings.
polly was young and she was human. she was at once drawn into the heart of the festivities, until she nearly forgot that she had awakened that morning in company with trouble.
one of a group of merrymakers, she was strolling down towards cliff grove, when along the drive by the sea-wall came a trim motor car. polly’s breath seemed to stop—the driver was david collins, the girl at his side was marietta converse!
several spied the pair and ran to head them off. lilith brooks, who had polly’s arm, glanced sidewise. polly was white, and her eyes had a look that made lilith shrink. yet she clung tightly to her friend, as if she feared she was going to break away. polly, however, to lilith’s astonishment, resumed her talk with the others and did not even glance in the direction of the newcomers.
“did you know david was here?”—“have you seen marietta converse? she came with him!”—“i thought they were both in the adirondacks. when did they come back?”—“polly had better be looking after david! he has a new girl!”—these, with many variations—all innocently for the most part—were flung in polly’s ears through the hours before luncheon. how she met them she hardly knew; yet lilith, loyal lilith, reported to her afterwards that nobody would have known but[23] that she had planned the surprising occurrence herself.
polly dreaded the evening. during the day she had managed to keep as far away from david as possible, and john eustis had unconsciously assisted her efforts by inviting her, with several others, to take a sail to one of the neighboring islands. but now, as the sun was dropping low, she wondered what disagreeable circumstances the dance would bring. what predicaments might it not have in store! at first she thought she would not dance at all. but directly she decided that such a course would draw unpleasant attention her way, and david might think that she was keeping out of the frolic for fear of him. she concluded to give herself free rein rather than run the risk of such conjecture on his part.
as daylight waned it was forced upon polly’s notice that david was holding himself somewhat apart from the general merrymaking.
“i wonder if he is going to mull out the evening,” she mused. “anyway, he shall have no opportunity to think that i am forlorn on his account.” and she threw herself into the fun with a zest that left little doubt in the minds of her friends that she was not grieving for her lover, whatever might be the trouble between them.
the musicians gathered on the broad veranda, the young folks flocked inside. patricia and a new york guest led the dance.
[24] once polly and russell ely waltzed so close to david, who was standing alone near a window, that polly’s dress must have brushed him as she passed.
“he looks as if he wanted to shoot somebody,” said russell in an undertone—“probably me,” he added with a tiny smile. “what’s the matter with him, anyhow?”
polly laughed, a little light laugh which she let do duty for an answer.
“i used to like david collins,” russell went on; “but lately, i can’t understand him.... i thought i’d never tell you; but i believe i will.”
“what?” responded polly.
“in a moment.”
the music stopped as the two neared an outside door. russell led his partner to a small balcony, and they sat down.
“it is what he said to me a few weeks ago,” he began at once, “and to this hour i cannot think what could have called it out. we met on the street, and he walked up to me and said in the most abrupt way, ‘ely, i’d rather you would steal money out of my pocket than to do as you are doing!’—i replied, ‘what have i done?’—‘done!’ he ejaculated, and walked off scowling. i’d give a good deal to know what he meant.”
“david is peculiar,” sighed polly.
“all of that,” he returned. “if you’ll excuse my saying it—i don’t want to meddle or give advice[25] where it isn’t desired—i have told myself more than once, ‘if polly dudley marries david collins i am afraid she will rue it.’ from my outlook he is not a man calculated to make any woman happy, least of all one of your make-up. forgive my candor.” for the girl was silent.
a dark figure passed below the balcony, and as the light of a lantern struck across his face they discerned the features of david.
“‘speak of angels...’” quoted russell with a soft laugh. “you are not offended?”
“you are too old a friend to give offense in that way,” said polly. “i thank you.”
“you needn’t. are you engaged for the next dance?”
“yes, to me,” spoke up a voice outside.
polly started. how much had he overheard?
the musicians began another waltz.
“i’d better get out of the way,” said russell in polly’s ear. “sorry i can’t have the pleasure—”
david collins leaped the low rail. “come, polly!” he said.
the girl did not stir as russell with a pleasant word passed inside. she was thinking hard.
“come!” reiterated david. his voice was stern as he laid his hand on her arm. the motion was one of proprietorship.
“you take a good deal for granted,” spoke polly at last. “hadn’t you better sit down?”
[26] “don’t be a fool! come on!”
“your implication sounds rather rude to my ears,” smiled polly.
he paid no heed. “are you coming or not?” he asked with a tinge of impatience.
“not,” answered polly. “i am used to being asked, rather than commanded.”
“pshaw!” david scorned. “do you want a scene?”
“no. i want to sit still. i am tired.” she sighed wearily.
“why didn’t you say so before?” pettishly. he took the chair that russell had vacated.
“let’s go home,” he resumed. “you are as sick of all this as i am.”
“i am sick of the way you behave,” she returned. “you make me ashamed of you.”
“that should be reversed,” observed david coldly.
a tiny smile puckered polly’s lips.
“oh, yes, laugh!” he burst out. “it is what you have been doing all day.”
marietta and her partner whirled past the doorway.
polly arose. “if we must talk in this fashion,” she responded, “we had better find a more secluded spot.”
“i will take you home,” he decided, offering his arm.
many glances followed them as they picked their[27] way between the dancers. polly wore a mask of smiles. david looked straight ahead. so they reached the front entrance.
“i will bring the car round,” he said.
“not for me,” answered polly softly. and she stepped outside.
“are you refusing to go with me?” he questioned severely.
“we cannot talk here,” she demurred, and led the way to a seat under a tree.
“will you answer me?” he scowled.
“you brought marietta down, and i think you had better take her home.”
“oh! if that is all, i can come back for her. or she can go along with somebody else.”
“no,” polly replied quietly, “that will not do. i’ll return as i came.”
“h’m! i might have known you would not miss going with ely.”
polly did not reply. “what do you wish to say to me?” she asked.
with a little growl of disapproval, he dropped to the seat beside her.
“if you won’t,” he began, “i suppose you won’t; and i want this business disposed of. i am tired of our everlasting squabbling. perhaps a girl likes it—i don’t.”
polly sat silent. she was resolved not to be brought into another argument; she knew how little it would avail.
[28] “well?” spoke up david, after a moment of stillness.
polly drummed lightly the arm of the bench.
“why don’t you say something?” david’s voice was a bit impatient.
“i have nothing to say,” she sighed.
“not even an apology?” he asked in a surprised tone.
“for what?”
“now, don’t pose as a martyr!”
“i might,” she replied with a little bitter laugh. “to-day has given me sufficient excuse for it.”
“to-day!” he echoed, “to-day! when i have accorded you full reign, and let you do exactly as you pleased!”
she made no response, and he continued. “do you think it meant no self-sacrifice on my part to allow you to come to such a party in company with another man? is it nothing for me to let you run about with other fellows? to let you dance with those men?”
polly smiled.
“and you sit there and laugh!” he fumed.
“forgive me, david! but it does sound funny. you talk about letting me do this and that! as if you were my master! it is enough to make anybody laugh.”
“so you think it is perfectly right, i suppose, for you to go round with anybody and everybody, without reference to me!”
[29] “that was the agreement,” she replied.
“it was a one-sided agreement, anyway,” he grumbled. “it left me nowhere.”
“i am afraid no agreement would stand,” polly returned. “i only wish you could see things from my viewpoint.”
“oh, yes! you are on don’t-care-hill. that’s your viewpoint! if i were there, it wouldn’t make any difference to me what you did.”
“so you think i don’t care!” polly shook her head with a queer little smile. “but what is the use of going over all this again!” she cried. “how came you to stay over for the fête?” she was sorry the instant the words had crossed her lips fearing what it might lead to.
“marietta wished it for one thing. and you don’t suppose i would allow you to come down here without me, where i couldn’t keep an eye on you—where—oh, darn it! i’m not going to let you go round with ely and his crowd—not if i can help myself!”
“tell me about your trip down,” said polly, ignoring his answer.
“there isn’t anything to tell,” sulked david.
“guess i’ll get russell to take me up to your camp some day,” said polly quietly. “i should like to see if there isn’t something on that long road worth talking about.”
the young man’s face grew dark.
“you’d better try it!” he cried. “if you ever[30] do, you’ll see me when you get there! and you’ll hear me, too!”
“why should it be any worse for me to ride up there with him than it was for you to drive down here with marietta?”
for an instant david stared, a singular, astonished expression on his face. then it changed. “oh! you’re jealous of marietta, are you?” he sneered.
“no, david,” she answered, “not a bit. but one looks to me about the same as the other.”
“well, it isn’t. i was speaking of coming, and marietta said she wanted some things at the house, and i told her i would drive her down—just a sort of business arrangement.”
“yes,” laughed polly, “i guess that’s a good name for it, just a business arrangement.” she laughed again, a queer little laugh that made david look at her in a puzzled way.
“you know i don’t care anything about marietta converse,” he said.
“and you know that i care nothing for russell ely,” returned polly.
“huh! looks like it!” scorned david.
“you wouldn’t believe me if i told you that a thousand times. i am tired of being doubted and watched. if you ever reach the point of trusting me, i will—”
as she arose a little group of merry young folks came chattering down the path. one girl spied polly and david.
[31] “oh, come on, you two!” she called. “we’re going for a row.”
they halted opposite.
“give you just three seconds!” cried clay boynton, pulling out his watch and striking a match.
polly returned a light refusal, which started a string of remonstrances.
a boy laid hold of david; but he slipped the grasp and catching polly’s arm pulled her down beside him on the bench.
“nice, refined crowd you train with!” he growled before they were well out of hearing.
polly attempted no apology, only drew away with a quiet good-night.
without an answering word he let her go, a slim white figure, across the lawn.
