第16章

It was an evening Martin would never forget.

His suggestion that they should dine at Delmonico's and go to the Empire to see Ethel Barrymore, accepted with avidity, had stirred Joan to immediate action.She had hailed a taxi, said, "You'll see me in an hour, Marty," and disappeared with a quick injunction to have whatever she bought sent home C.O.D.

It was actually two hours before he saw her again.He thanked his stars that he had enough money in the bank to meet the checks that he was required to make out in quick succession.Joan had not wasted time, and as she got into the car to drive away from that sandwich house of excited servants, two other milestones had been left behind.She was in a real evening frock, and all the other things she had bought were silk.

They drove straight home from the theater.Joan was tired.The day had been long and filled with amazements.She was out in the world at last.Realization had exceeded expectation for the first time in history.

The sand-man had been busy with Martin's eyes too, but he led the way into the dining room with shoulders square and chin high and spring in his blood.This was home indeed.

"What a tempting little supper!" said Joan."And just look at all these flowers."They were everywhere, lilacs and narcissi, daffodils, violets and hothouse roses.Hours ago he had sent out the almost unbelieving footman for them.Joan and flowers--they were synonymous.

She put her pretty face into a great bowl of violets."You remembered all my little friends, Marty," she said.

They sat opposite each other at the long table.Martin's father looked down at Martin's wife, and his mother at the boy from whom she had been taken when his eager eyes came up to the level of her pillow.And there was much tenderness on both their faces.

Martin caught the manservant's eyes."Don't wait," he said."We'll look after ourselves."Presently Joan gave a little laugh."Please have something yourself.

You're better than a footman.You're a butler."His smile as he took his place would have lighted up a tunnel.

"I like Delmonico's," said Joan."We'll often dine there.And the play was perfectly splendid.What a lot of others there are to see!

I don't think we'll let the grass grow under our feet, Marty.And presently we'll have some very proper little dinner parties in this room, won't we? Interesting, vital people, who must all be good-looking and young.It will be a long time before I shall want to see anyone old again.Think what Alice Palgrave will say when she comes back! She'll underline every word if she can find any words.She wasn't married till she was twenty."And presently, having pecked at an admirable fruit salad, just sipped a glass of wine and made close-fitting plans that covered at least a month, Joan rose."I shall go up now, Marty," she said.

"It's twelve o'clock."

He watched her go upstairs with his heart in his throat.Surely this was all a dream, and in a moment he would find himself rudely and coldly awake, standing in the middle of a crowded, lonely world? But she stopped on the landing, turned, smiled at him and waved her hand.He drew in a deep breath, went back into the dining room, put his lips to the violets that had been touched by her face, and switched off the lights.The scent of spring was in the air.

"Come in," she said, when presently, after a long pause, he knocked at her door.

She was sitting at a gleaming dressing table in something white and clinging, doing her hair that was so soft and brown and electrical.

He dared not trust himself to speak.He sat down on the edge of a sofa at the foot of the bed and watched her.

She went on brushing but with her unoccupied hand gathered her gown about her."What is it, Marty?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing," he said, finding something that sounded curiously unlike his voice.