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I told you about them, didn't I?" she said, suddenly glancing at Aldous. "I was going to ask you to-day, if you could help them?" Her prophetess air had altogether left her. She felt ready to cry; and nothing could have been more womanish than her tone. He bent across to her.
Her body was bent forward; her two hands were clenched tightly at her side. Even more slowly than she had advanced she turned toward Aldous and MacDonald. Her face was dead white. She lifted her hands to her breast, and clenched them there. "It is his name," she said, and there was something repressed and terrible in her low voice. "It is his name!"
"Miss Boyce, may we see the house? Aldous has told me much of it." Presently, in the midst of their straggling progress through the half-furnished rooms of the garden front, preceded by the shy footman carrying a lamp, which served for little more than to make darkness visible, Marcella found herself left behind with Aldous.
Meanwhile, in the tea-room, Betty was daintily sipping her claret-cup, while Aldous stood by her. "No," said Betty, calmly, looking straight at the lady in the tiara who was standing by the buffet, "she's not beautiful, and I've torn my dress running after her. There's only one beautiful person here to-night!" Aldous found her a seat, and took one himself beside her, in a corner out of the press.
And as he stood beside the tea-table, waiting for Marcella to entrust some tea to him for distribution, he turned and made a profound bow to his candidate cousin. Everybody joined in the laugh, led by Wharton. Then there was a general drawing up of chairs, and Marcella applied herself to making tea, helped by Aldous. Wharton alone remained standing before the fire, observant and apart.
That's the queer thing about it! Why didn't they jump on us when they had the chance?" "We'll hope that it was a dream," replied Aldous. "If Joanne was dreaming of FitzHugh, and while still half asleep saw something in camp, she might easily imagine the rest. But we'll keep watch. Shall I move out there?" MacDonald nodded, and the two men separated.
Neither could have told the other what it was. When their eyes met again, it was in their faces. "I have planned to have supper in my cabin to-night," said Aldous, breaking the tension of that first moment. "Won't you be my guest, Ladygray?" "Mrs. Otto " she began. "I will go to her at once and explain that you are going to eat partridges with me," he interrupted.
Aldous rose from his seat as he spoke. "You turn in, Mac," he said. "You're about bushed after the work you've done to-day. I'll keep first watch. I'll conceal myself fifty or sixty yards from camp, and if we have visitors before midnight the fun will all be mine." He knew that MacDonald was asleep within fifteen minutes after he had stationed himself at his post.
She had risen from her seat, and he, whose thoughts had been wrapped up for months in one of the smallest of the sex, was suddenly struck with her height and stately gesture as she moved away from him. "By Jove! Why didn't she stick to Aldous," he said to himself discontentedly as his eyes followed her. "It was only her cranks, and of course she'll get rid of them. Just like my luck!"
As they entered the bungalow, Aldous whispered to Joanne: "Will you please go right to your room, dear? I want to say something to you alone." When she went up the stair, Peggy caught a signal from her husband. Aldous remained with them.
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