The Unsuspected

Grandy said to her, That's it, dear.''

'Then?'

'I went back.'

'You were still at the radio?'

'Yes. I turned it up again.' Her thoughts seemed to stick at something. Francis dared not interrupt her now. A log fell in the fire, Flames murmured over it. 'Burn tenderly,' said Althea.

'What—was that?'

'Burn tenderly,' Althea smiled. 'That's exactly what he said. It sounded so silly, blurted out loud without the context. He's pretty precious, anyhow. He can't do it the way Grandy can; although, of course, he tried to imitate.'

'Who?'

'The man on the radio.'

'Who said, 'Burn tenderly'?'

'The Phantom Chef. He did. That's the way he talks.'

'He said 'Burn tenderly/' said Francis gently. 'Go on. Grandy had just, what?'

'Closed the study door.' She shut her eyes again. 'I said, I'm making bread.' I don't remember every word we said.'

'Doesn't matter.'

'I showed him the icebox light. He said it was the bulb. He'd fix it'

'Did he?'

'Fix it? Yes, I guess he did '

'Did he go down cellar?'

'To get the apples?'

'Yes'

'Yes, he got the apples. Oliver came home. We put the dough together.'

Francis thought, Don't let her see the trail. Don't let her see the point. Don't let her realize what she's told me.

'Now!' he said breathlessly, and she tensed. 'Did the phone ring?'

'No. No-o.'

'Any bell?'

'No.'

'Did you—was there a draft?'

'Draft?'

'Current of cold air.'

'I don't think so.'

'Someone came in the front door?'

'I don't know.'

'Might have?'

'If it wasn't locked,' she said.

No need to keep on with this any longer. He'd got what he wanted and covered it up enough.

'What is it?' she demanded. 'What are you thinking?'

He shook his head. Althea said tartly, 'And now you're going to be a little gentleman and tell no secrets.'

Francis grinned at her. 'That's right.'

She settled back on the cushions. 'Tell me something,' she asked lazily. 'Are you as much in love with Tyl as you . . . made out?'

He let his eyes look startled, and make a tiny negative sign. He felt he owed her that. He turned to the fire. He was thinking he'd have to send Jane in to New York tomorrow. That meant one night more. He was thinking he'd better remember to be dejected, not let

excitement show. For the old man was keen.

What Althea was thinking, he neither knew nor cared. Her hand was warm in his, and from time to time he pressed it. He was thinking of Mathilda. A little while and he could explain to her and beg her pardon. He could explain why he'd had to go into that song

and dance about love. Because the story made no sense without it. He'd explain. Then he was thinking of Rosaleen, of her gallant little figure that seemed to diminish with the days, as if she were traveling away from him toward a horizon beyond which she would

someday vanish entirely. He was thinking that sometimes she seemed to be looking back at him. But when it was done, when he had finished his task, then she would turn her face away forever.

Chapter Fourteen

'Grandy, can't we talk now? Alone, I mean. Please, darling. It's important.' Mathilda hadn't seen them come in.

'What's important?' drawled Althea.

Oliver turned around to look at her, and his face flushed vividly with anger. Francis was a dark background, where the firelight and the lamplight barely touched him, as they stood there, just inside the room from the kitchen.

'Where have you been?' exploded Oliver. Her insolence set him off. The anger was genuine.

'Oh,' said Althea, 'talking.'

'Talking about what?'

'Nothing worth repeating now,' she said, and yawned daintily. “I do think I'll go up to bed,' she said in the awkward silence. 'After all, my first day out of it.'

'Yes, do,' said Grandy hastily. 'Do, dear.'

Jane got out of her chair. Mathilda thought she saw a glance pass between Jane and the white blur of Francis' face. 'I think I'll say good night,' said Jane primly. 'Good night, Althea. Miss Frazier. Mr. Grandison, Mr. Keane.' She murmured all their names politely.

All but one. She forgot to say good night to Francis. Mathilda thought it was odd. There was something in that forgetfulness that assumed he was different; either he didn't matter, or he would understand, or, thought Mathilda, he mattered most. Nobody else seemed to notice. Nobody else seemed to notice that she'd said 'Miss Frazier.'

'Good night,' they said to Jane, raggedly.

Grandy said benignly, 'Good night, child.'

Jane showed them all her pretty smile and went away, withdrawing from the family, sweet, pretty and dutiful.

Althea stood where she was, looking strange, as if she'd been only half waked out of a hypnotic state or as if she were sleepwalking.

'Good night, Althea,” said Francis. His voice had no caress or even much meaning.

'Good night,' she murmured.

Oliver said, 'Good night, all.' He hadn't even a special word for Tyl, the returned one. He didn't even look at Francis. He was furious. His fury had a female quality. Oliver was in a tizzy.

'Now, Oliver,' said Grandy with remarkable clumsiness.

Oliver bared his teeth as if to say 'Keep out of this.' He took his wife's arm to pull her along, but his hand slipped. The gesture was pitiful and ineffective.

'Oh, Oliver, don't grab at me,' said Althea crossly.

'Very well,' said Oliver. He was shrill. Tyl wanted to hide her eyes.

Althea swayed a little, standing there, looking down at Tyl. She wasn't very tall, but she looked tall at that moment, and slender, and mysteriously malicious. Tyl's heart contracted with a little fear.

Althea laughed softly. 'Well, Tyl, you're back, aren't you? All the way back.'

She bent her silver head and Grandy kissed her. She walked down the long room, vanishing into the dark at the far end. In a moment, Oliver snapped on the light in the hall and she was outlined in brilliance briefly. Then she was gone.

The three of them, by the fire, were silent until Francis threw his cigarette into the flames decisively.

'I'll go back to the guest house now,' he said, with no emphasis at all. Tyl looked at him, but his face was turned away.

Grandy said softly, quickly, 'Yes, yes, of course. For tonight.'

Mathilda got up. She didn't know whether she wanted to run or fight it out now and smash that lie, this heroic suffering pose of his that lied so expertly. She looked at him with her anger and her suspicion and her resentment and her defiance in her eyes. But as he moved closer, she didn't shrink away. It came to her that she was not afraid of him. She would enjoy a good fight, a good, bold, hard-hitting clash.

'Don't run,' he said surprisingly. But when he stood over her very close, although he didn't touch her, she could tell that he wanted to, and not so much with love as with pity. 'Good night, dear,' said Francis. He sounded sad. They were not fighting words. The words were lonely.

Mathilda still stood there when he had gone. She couldn't understand. Couldn't understand. The only thing that explained him was the lie he told. If he really were in love— But he was not! He was a stranger.

'Grandy.'

Grandy was all huddled in his chair. He looked shrunken up, his hand shaded his eyes.

She knelt down swiftly. 'Grandy, what is it?'

'This house,' he said. 'Tyl, is it talking? Do you feel . . . something wrong?'

Her throat tightened. She cast a quick look behind her.

'I don't like it.' Grandy rocked his shoulders. 'Oh, no, I don't like it.'

Tyl said, 'Grandy, there's nothing. But there's something I've got to tell you.'

He pulled himself up and smiled then. His hand came to cover hers warmly. 'Darling, I know. I must lock the doors. Run up, sweet. I'll come. I'll tuck you in, eh?'

She nodded. She went upstairs slowly, grasping the banister too tightly. She could hear Grandy below, moving briskly, locking the doors. Whatever the mood had been, he'd thrown it off. And this was her home. Surely it was safe here. There could be nothing here to fear.

She went into the gray room and found the switch, but she didn't press it. She crossed quickly to the window in the dark. Was that a sound?

Outside, the night was not too deep for her to see a figure in the garden. Was it only this morning, she wondered, that she had first seen that figure, that man's shape? Only today?

The sounds were faint. She knelt and hid her head behind the curtain. She could see another figure, climbing down the trellis from the roof of the kitchen porch. Only she could see it, only from this room. Climbing down! Out of Rosaleen's old room to the porch roof, of course. That Jane! Her blond head caught a little light from the sky. The two figures met and shimmered in the dark and seemed to dissolve into shadows.