Bab - A Sub Deb - Page 36/77

I took it, and my heart gave a great leap of joy. I was saved.

"Now," he said, "we'll order a taxicab and get you home. And while it is

coming suppose you tell me the thing over again. It's not as clear to me

as it ought to be, even now."

So then I told him--about not being out yet, and Sis having flowers sent

her, and her room done over, and never getting to bed until dawn.

And that they treated me like a mere Child, which was the reason for

everything, and about the Poem, which he considered quite good. And then

about the Letter.

"I get the whole thing a bit clearer now," he said. "Of course, it

is still cloudy in places. The making up somebody to write to is

understandable, under the circumstances. But it is odd to have had the

very Person materialise, so to speak. It makes me wonder--well, how

about burning the Letter, now we've got it? It would be better, I think.

The way things have been going with you, if we don't destroy it, it is

likely to walk off into somebody else's pocket and cause more trouble."

So we burned it, and then the telephone rang and said the taxi was

there.

"I'll get my coat and be ready in a jiffey," he said, "and maybe we can

smuggle you into the house and no one the wiser. We'll try anyhow."

He went into the other room and I sat by the fire and thought. You

remember that when I was planning Harold Valentine, I had imagined him

with a small, dark mustache, and deep, passionate eyes? Well, this

Mr. Grosvenor had both, or rather, all three. And he had the loveliest

smile, with no dimple. He was, I felt, exactly the sort of man I could

die for.

It was too tradgic that, with all the world to choose from, I had not

taken him instead of H.

We walked downstairs, so as not to give the elevator boy a chance to

talk, he said. But he was asleep again, and we got to the street and to

the taxicab without being seen.

Oh, I was very cheerful. When I think of it--but I might have known, all

along. Nothing went right with me that week.

Just before we got to the house he said: "Goodnight and goodbye, little Barbara. I'll never forget you and this

evening. And save me a dance at your coming-out party. I'll be there."

I held out my hand, and he took it and kissed it. It was all perfectly

thrilling. And then we drew up in front of the house and he helped me

out, and my entire Familey had just got out of the motor and was lined

up on the pavment staring at us!