Where Two Ways Met (4 page)

But, on the other hand, the Madison dining room was on her side of the house, and she could see them sitting at their table in the evening when the lights were on, and that was an advantage. She would be able to tell later whether any of the Chalmerses were invited to dine next door; that of course would be a conclusive proof that they were going to be socially accepted by the Chalmerses.

When it came to Saturday afternoon, Mrs. Harmon took her needlepoint and the latest of her “book-of-the-month” novels, a pitcher of iced lemonade and a box of chocolates, and established herself where she had a good view from both front and side windows. She planned to stay there until the momentous question of whether Paige Madison was really going out to dinner that night or not was settled. Her husband was away in Washington for the weekend or she could not so easily have arranged this matter of spying on her neighbor. She let her maid have the afternoon and evening off and resolved that if anybody came, she would simply not answer the doorbell. This matter was important, and there wouldn’t be likely to be any interesting callers, so she would have no interruptions unless it was from the telephone.

It occurred to her that she was taking a great deal of trouble for a simple matter, but really, it was better to go cautiously in a matter of social prestige, and anyway, it was better to be sure before she took any step in this matter. It was easy enough to go on just living her own life and ignoring her neighbors as she had been doing for years, in case this was all a fantastic dream of Priscilla Brisco’s imaginative brain.

Paige Madison came home hurriedly just at the edge of dark and went into the house. Presently the light flashed on his window but was soon turned off. It didn’t look as if he were spending much time on his toilet for a great occasion.

Surely he must have gotten a new suit and wouldn’t still be wearing his uniform. Well, she didn’t have much to go on. It was quite dark now, and there seemed to be nothing unusual going on next door. Probably this was all wrong. Miss Brisco likely hadn’t heard very distinctly. That was it, and her fine imagination filled in the way she thought it ought to be.

So Mrs. Harmon hurried to the kitchen and put on the coffeepot. She just must have some more coffee after all this strenuous watching. And it was just at that moment that Paige drove his father’s old car out of the garage and down the driveway that passed her window. She heard the rattle of the old engine and hurried back to the window. But she was too late. She caught but one glimpse of the back of the old car, just its well-worn back as it swung into the road. Somebody at the wheel, of course, for it obviously could not drive itself, but surely the young man would never go to such an important place in the old car. At least he could have sent for a taxi. And most perplexing of all, she was sure, as the car turned the corner by the streetlight, she had caught the flash of bright buttons on a uniform. Surely he wouldn’t go to the Chalmerses’ to dinner now, when he was supposed to be out of the service, wearing his old shabby uniform. Or, perhaps he had a dress uniform. But he hadn’t had a light up in his room but a minute or two. He couldn’t have changed in that short time. It must all be a mistake, and she was glad she hadn’t yielded to the impulse she had had to run over and talk to Mrs. Madison in the afternoon when she first thought of it.

So she settled down with a book and the rest of her box of chocolates and put the whole thing out of her mind. At least she could tell later when he returned if there had been time for him to eat a dinner in a really fashionable place. But then, there was no telling what a Madison might not do. They were unpredictable. They had ways of their own and cared not whether they were popular and considered “smart” or not. It was just as well. She better keep out of their affairs. Even if the young man should get a good job with the Chalmers firm, he probably wouldn’t be keen enough to hold it.

But Paige Madison was not altogether unaware of what was required of a guest in the Chalmers home when one was going to dine with his new employer. He drove the old car to a garage not too far from the pretentious mansion for which he was bound, and strode out boldly into the darkness. He had well calculated his time. Dinner was at seven thirty. He would be there on the dot, and the shabby old car wouldn’t be at all in evidence.

Paige Madison stepped into the Chalmerses’ house a full minute before the costly clock chime in the hall pealed out the half hour.

The young man went through the introductions to the family with dignity and a quiet poise that astonished the girl Reva. She didn’t understand it. He didn’t look old enough to be so grave and thoughtful.

He had not been much attracted by Reva, and beyond the mere courtesies of the occasion paid little attention to her, which of course did not add to his popularity with the girl. She was not accustomed to being ignored and before the meal was concluded had determined that this sort of thing should not go on. She
would
not be ignored. She began by firing questions at him about the war, where he had been located, what were his rank and duties. Of course, she was fairly up on these things, as she had been going around with a lot of soldiers and sailors, playing at work in canteens, just naturally having a good time playing at war, for she had never been known to do any real work in her life and well knew how to slip out of anything useful, while making it appear that she was very active and quite necessary to any outfit with which she chose to associate herself.

At first Madison’s answers were exceedingly brief, but the girl refused to let him evade anything she really wanted to know, until her father caught a phrase from the young man’s words and chimed in with his questions, and at last they got him telling of some of his experiences.

Mr. Chalmers was a sharp man and knew how to ask questions, knew the names of the big men in the army and navy, knew the location of the strategic points where notable fighting had been going on, and drew out his new man to tell his experiences. Not that Madison wanted to bring himself forward in any way, but the questions were so worded that if he replied at all, he must make it apparent that these things had happened to him. And at last they got him to talking, with a fire of memory in his eyes. And Paige Madison could talk when he wanted to. He could mingle facts with pathos and tragedy and tenderness, until he had the whole table listening while he quietly told of happenings that were most dramatic, and if it had not been for Chalmers’s questions interspersed throughout—“And were you there, Madison? Did you see that yourself?”—nobody would have known that the young man had ever been near.

For once Reva was silenced. She sat watching the young man, with astonishment on her face. He was good looking, of course, and that was what had appealed to her in him at first, but he didn’t respond in the least to her, and she couldn’t quite make it out. She set her vivid red lips determinedly. He wasn’t going to get away with this lofty ignoring business. She would fix him somehow so that he would have to come crawling at her feet, demanding her attention. She would teach him that she was not one to be ignored. She, an heiress, daughter of one of the most influential men in town. She might have to change her tactics perhaps, but she would get him. She would teach him what he had done and punish him well.

Her jealous eyes watched him sharply as he talked. It was incredible, that he looked so young, and yet when he was talking he seemed so mature.

But suddenly Paige became aware of the interest his story was creating at the table. Even the haughty Mrs. Chalmers had fixed her cold eyes on the young man’s face as if she had seen him for the first time and was taking account of him most carefully. The young man relapsed into a shy silence, and his innermost heart told him that he was out of his natural sphere. Then, try as they would, they could not get him started again on any thrilling adventures.

But the deed was done. The mother and daughter were intrigued, and determined each within herself to cultivate this brilliant young man.

Quite willingly, Paige withdrew into the library with his new boss and entered into matters of business, matters that had been carefully planned beforehand with the intent to impress the young man with the benevolent character and spiritual-mindedness of his new employer. It was quite necessary, if they were to go on together in the business relations that the Chalmers outfit had planned, that the young man should be deeply impressed with the Christian character of the head of the firm. And this was especially the case since the morning interview in which Madison had objected to certain phraseology in the contracts given him to sign. If there were any questions in the mind of young Madison on such a score, he would not be the asset to the firm that they had expected him to be. Of course, the young man had been away overseas and might have changed, but before he went he was known in the vicinity to be most exemplary, and his people were careful, conscientious Christians. It was most important to Mr. Chalmers that his firm should be known as most honorable in every way, so it behooved him to find out thoroughly all about the young man. And the evening’s conversation had pleased him well. He must remember to warn Reva that she was not to interfere with this young man, for the father well knew his daughter was not calculated to help any young man to maintain a quiet manner and keep in the background.

It was not desirable that his new assistant should take a place in the worldly circles, not at least until he had thoroughly established himself as one to be depended upon in every way.

So the keen businessman sat and conversed pleasantly with his new employee, guiding the conversation in the lines he had planned, that he might get a line on him from every angle. And Paige felt more at his ease now that the family were eliminated from the picture, for he had not liked the role of being on display, which the hostess, even more than her forward daughter, created. Of course he did not realize that the mother, recognizing certain interest in her daughter’s eyes, was studying him to see just what attitude she should take regarding him in case Reva decided to take him over. Would this be an alliance—the mother called it in her mind a “friendship”—that she could approve and do nothing about, or something that would have to be fought out, even to the length of sending the girl away somewhere on an expensive trip till the danger was over?

Back in the living room they were talking it over, the mother and the sulky daughter.

“I think Dad’s perfectly horrid,” said Reva, pouting in the corner of the big comfortable couch and lighting a cigarette, “making me stay home to entertain his new henchman and then carrying him off for a private talk just when he was getting interesting.”

“I didn’t know you had any particular interest in him, Reva,” said her mother, watching the girl sharply.

“Oh, I don’t, of course,” laughed the girl with a sneer. “He probably belongs to some common family, but all the same, he’s good looking. Don’t you think so, Mother?”

“Oh, fairly so,” said the mother indifferently. “Of course, being in the service, the uniform can make almost any ordinary fellow look really more or less distinguished. Go carefully, Reva, even at your father’s request. He really has very little sense about looking after you.”

“I don’t need any looking after,” said the girl, with a scornful toss of her pretty head. “I’ve been around a lot, and I think I’m a better judge than you are of young men. I think he’s rather swell, myself. Of course, he’s a bit stuffy in his attitude, doesn’t fall for a girl very easily. Seems terribly on his guard. But I can easily break that down if I decide I want to. But Dad invited him here for us to look him over, and now he carries him off to the library and keeps him there, and I don’t like it! But he needn’t think he can do that to me. I’ll give him just five minutes more, and then I’m going in there and start something.”

“Now, Reva,” protested her mother, “you know your dad won’t like that.”

“I should worry,” said the girl, with another toss of her head. “I know how to manage Dad, and if he wants my help with his hired assistants, he’ll have to do as I say.”

“My child, that is no way to speak about your father. You know he insists upon your being respectful to him.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, if he wants me respectful, he’ll have to be respectful to me, see? This is the day of young people, and their parents can’t lay down the law the way they used to do when you folks were young!”

“Reva! How perfectly terrible you are! I insist that you shall not talk in that ridiculous modern way! And you mustn’t think of going into the library until your father calls you. Stop! Reva! Where are you going? I tell you, you mustn’t think of it.”

“Oh, I’m not thinking!” laughed the girl derisively. “It doesn’t take thinking to defy Dad. You just do what you want to and then act all innocent! He wouldn’t lift his finger to get it back on you.”

Then the willful girl turned and flaunted herself toward the library door.

“Reva! Stop, child! You simply mustn’t interrupt your father when he’s talking business.”

“Ta-ta!” said Reva as she vanished into the library and shut the door.

Mr. Chalmers had just been explaining some of his methods to his new assistant.

“You know, you have all classes to deal with in a business like this, and you have to learn to be all things to all men. That’s where you come in. I hear that you have been well brought up and know how to be courteous, even to the people you would naturally despise. We naturally get all classes of people in our business, and almost any of them will work things to their own advantage if they possibly can, regardless of honesty. It will be your job to be both firm and courteous, kid ’em along, you know, till you make them see they can’t play their game with us. We mean business, and if they don’t come to time according to agreement, we’ll take their property away from them.

“Now there are those people we were discussing last night. They are good-living people but a bit shiftless perhaps, and if they don’t feel inclined to pay on the dot they will perhaps expect us to let things run along. For that reason I have made their contract a bit ironclad. And if they try to slide out of things, we have other men in our number who can deal with them, if we have to get rough. But they’ll soon learn—”