one by one the years slipped by, swiftly, with little change. in boston, the doctor, trying not to count them, still had not forgotten. from helen, through his sister, came glowing accounts of concerts, lectures, travels, and language-lessons for herself and betty. from dalton, both directly and indirectly, began to come reports of a new gayety at the old denby mansion. dinners and house-parties, and even a ball or two, figured in the reports.
vexed and curious, the doctor—who had, of late, refused most of his invitations to dalton—took occasion, between certain trips of his own, to go up to the little town, to see for himself the meaning of this, to him, unaccountable phase of the situation.
there was a big reception at denby mansion on the evening of the day of his arrival. the hotel parlor and office were abuzz with stories of the guests, decorations, and city caterer. there came to the doctor's ears, too, sundry rumors—some vague, others unpleasantly explicit—concerning a pretty little blonde widow, who was being frequently seen these days in the company of burke denby, the son.
"of course he'd have to get a divorce—but he could do that easy," overheard the doctor in the[pg 259] corridor. "his wife ran away, didn't she, years ago? i heard she did."
uninvited and unheralded, the doctor attended the reception. passing up the old familiar walk, he came to an unfamiliar, garish blaze of lights, a riot of color and perfume, a din of shrieking violins, the swish of silken skirts, and the peculiarly inane babble that comes from a multitude of chattering tongues.
gorgeous lackeys reached unfamiliar hands for his hat and coat, and the doctor was nearly ready to turn and flee the delirium of horror, when he suddenly almost laughed aloud at sight of the half-perplexed, half-terrified, wholly disgusted face of benton. at that moment the old manservant's eyes met his own, and the doctor's eyes grew suddenly moist at the beatific joy which illumined that harassed, anxious old face.
regardless of the trailing silks and billowing tulle between them, benton leaped to his side.
"praise be, if it ain't dr. gleason!" he exulted, incoherent, but beaming.
"yes; but what is this, benton?" laughed the doctor. "what is the meaning of all this?"
the old butler rolled his eyes.
"blest if i know, sir—indeed, i don't. but i'm thinking it's gone crazy i am. and sometimes i think maybe the master and young master burke, too, are going crazy with me. i do, sir!"
"i can well imagine it, benton," smiled the doctor dryly, as he began to make his way toward the big[pg 260] drawing-room where john denby and his son were receiving their guests.
the doctor could find no cause to complain of his welcome. it was cordial and manifestly sincere. he was introduced at once as an old and valued friend, and he soon found himself the center of a plainly admiring group. it was very evidently soon whispered about that he was the dr. frank gleason of archæological and arctic fame; and his only difficulty, after his first introduction, was to find any time for his own observations and reflections. he contrived, however, in spite of his embarrassing popularity, to see something of his hosts. he talked with them, when possible, and he watched them with growingly troubled eyes.
many times that evening he saw the mask drop over john denby's face. twice he saw a slow turning away as of ineffable weariness. once he saw a spasm as of pain twitch his lips; and he noted the quick, involuntary lifting of his hand to his side. he saw that usually, however, the master of denby house stood tall and straight and handsome, with the cordial, genial smile of a perfect host.
as to burke—it was when the doctor was watching burke that the trouble in his eyes grew deepest. true, on burke's face there was no mask of inscrutability, in his eyes was no weariness, on his lips no quick spasm of pain. he was gay, alert, handsome, and apparently happy. nevertheless, the frown on the doctor's face did not diminish.[pg 261]
there was a look of too much wine—slight, perhaps, but unmistakable—on burke denby's face, that the doctor did not like. the doctor also did not like the way burke devoted himself to the blonde young woman who was so eternally at his elbow.
this was the widow, of course. the doctor surmised this at once. besides, he had met her. her name was mrs. carrolton, and mrs. carrolton was the name he had heard so frequently in the hotel. the doctor did not like the looks of mrs. carrolton. she was beautiful, undeniably, in a way; but her blue eyes were shifting, and her mouth, when in repose, had hard lines. she was not the type of woman he liked to have burke with, and he would not have supposed she was the sort of woman that burke himself would care for. and to see him now, hanging upon her every word—
with a gesture of disgust the doctor turned his back and stalked to the farther side of the room, much to the surprise of a vapid young woman, to whom (he remembered when it was too late) he had been supposed to be talking.
a little later, in the dining-room, where he had passed so many restful hours with burke and his father, about the softly lighted table, the doctor now, in the midst of a chattering, thronging multitude, attempted to keep his own balance, and that of a tiny, wobbly plate, intermittently heaped with salads, sandwiches, cakes, and creams, which he was supposed to eat, but which he momentarily and terrifyingly[pg 262] expected to deposit upon a silken gown or a spotless shirt-front.
the doctor was one of the first of john denby's guests to make his adieus. he had decided suddenly that he must get away, quite away, from the sight of burke and the little widow. otherwise he should say something—a very strong something; and, for obvious reasons, he really could say—nothing.
disgusted, frightened, annoyed, and aggrieved, he went home the next morning. to his sister he said much. he could talk to his sister. he gave first a full account of what he had seen and heard in dalton, omitting not one detail. then, wrathfully, he reproached her:—
"so you see what's come of your foolishness. burke isn't building bridges for the hottentots now. he's giving pink teas to flighty blondes."
mrs. thayer laughed softly.
"but that's only another way of trying to get away from himself, frank," she argued.
"yes, but i notice he isn't trying to get away from the widow," he snapped.
a disturbed frown came to the lady's face.
"i know." she bit her lips. "i am a little worried at that, frank, i'll own. i've wondered, often, if—if there was ever any danger of something like that happening."
"well, you wouldn't wonder any longer, if you should see mrs. nellie carrolton," observed the doctor, with terse significance.[pg 263]
there was a moment's silence; then, sharply, the doctor spoke again.
"i'm going to write to helen."
"oh, frank!"
"i am. i've got to. i don't think it's right not to."
"but what shall you—tell her?"
"that she'd better come home and look after her property; if she doesn't, she's likely to lose it. that's what i'm going to tell her."
"oh, frank!" murmured his distressed sister again; but she made no further demur. and that night the letter went.
in due course came the answer. it was short, but very much to the point. the doctor read it, and said a sharp something behind his teeth. without another word he handed the note to his sister. and this is what she read:—
dear dr. gleason:—
he isn't my property. i can't lose him, for i haven't him to lose. he took himself away from me years ago. if ever i'm to win him back, i must win him—not compel him. if he thinks he's found some one else—all the more reason why i can't come back now, until he knows whether he wants her or not. but if i came now, and he should want her— really, dr. gleason, i don't want the same man to tell me twice to—go.
helen d.
"hm-m; just about what i expected she'd say," commented the doctor's sister tranquilly, as she laid the letter down.[pg 264]
"oh, you women!" flung out the doctor, springing to his feet and turning wrathfully on his heel.
the doctor was relieved, but not wholly eased in his mind some days later when he heard indirectly that denby mansion was closed, and that the denbys were off again to some remote corner of the world.
"well, anyhow, the widow isn't with him now," he comforted himself aloud.
"building bridges for the hottentots again?" smiled his sister.
"yes. australia this time."
"hm-m; that's nice and far," mused the lady.
"oh, yes, it's far, all right," growled the doctor, somewhat belligerently. "anyhow, it's too far for the widow, thank heaven!"
the doctor went himself "far" before the month was out. already his plans were made for a six months' trip with a research party to his pet hunting-ground—the grotto land of northern spain. once more the calmness of silence and absence left edith thayer with only helen denby's occasional letters to remind her of burke denby and his matrimonial problem.
