The young man remained in the background, ill at ease.
“This is Kingsley Dodd,” Mrs. Lockhart announced, waving him forward. “He saw you at your father’s office and has given me no peace till I brought him over to call on you.”
Young Dodd, red to his hair, bowed and shook hands awkwardly.
“Where’s Nannie?” Mrs. Lockhart asked, entering the parlor and seating herself. “Sit down, Kingsley,” she commanded her follower.
“Mamma will be down in a minute,” explained Lucy.
Nannie delayed many minutes, and Lucy became more and more self-conscious under the influence of her grandmother’s continued scrutiny and the confusion of the new acquaintance, answering briefly his timid observations and Mrs. Lockhart’s peremptory questions.
At last Nannie appeared on the stairs in her best afternoon frock.
“Why, Mamma,” she exclaimed, “how nice of you! I’m so glad to see you.”
“You kept us waiting long enough if you are glad.”
“I was in my bath,” lied Nannie, “and couldn’t come sooner.”
Lucy looked at her mother.
“Well, I’m glad you still take baths,” remarked Mrs. Lockhart as Nannie kissed her.
Nannie laughed.
“We’re not that poor,” she tittered.
“This is Mr. Kingsley Dodd.” Mrs. Lockhart motioned her companion forward again. “Judge Dodd’s only son. You remember Judge Dodd, Nannie.”
“Yes indeed!” Nannie smiled her sweetest and shook hands with Kingsley. “We’re delighted to know you, too,” she declared as she beamed on the youth.
“Nannie, I want to see that old dresser your father gave you. We’re furnishing a guest room in antiques and maybe it will just fit in. If it does, I’ll give you another,” said Mrs. Lockhart after a brief conversation.
“But, Mamma—” Nannie began.
Mrs. Lockhart frowned at her meaningly.
“All right,” Nannie acquiesced hastily, and the two women ascended the stairs.
“Young Kingsley is greatly taken with Lucy,” explained Mrs. Lockhart, coming to the point at once as soon as they were out of hearing of Lucy and her guest. “You know all Judge Dodd’s money will go to Kingsley. It’s Lucy’s great chance. I don’t know how she did it. He’s just come back from college and all the girls in town have set their caps for him. Now I am going to look to you to see that Lucy doesn’t do anything foolish.”
Nannie nodded obediently.
“I’ll do all I can,” she agreed, “but Lucy is hard to manage. She—.”
“Nonsense!” interrupted Mrs. Lockhart. “If you will only use sense and firmness she will do anything you want her to. You made a mess of your own marriage. If you marry your daughter to the heir of Judge Dodd it isn’t too late to get back where you ought to be.”
“I will,” put in Nannie enthusiastically.
“Well, let’s go down again,” ordered her mother, after a few minutes further consultation. “We shouldn’t make things too marked the first visit.”
“We must go, Kingsley.” Mrs. Lockhart spoke imperatively as she reentered the room where the two young people were seated.
The docile youth rose.
“You must come again.” Nannie smiled invitingly.
“Thank you,” he replied, glancing first at her and then at Lucy. “I’ve had a mighty nice time. What evening can I come?” He glanced at Lucy again.
“You haven’t anything for Thursday evening, have you, Lucy?” inquired Nannie, assisting him.
“No,” returned Lucy, who indeed had no engagements for any evening.
“Thanks,” Dodd said quickly, “then I’ll come Thursday.”
“Come early and have tea with us,” urged Nannie in response to a nod from her mother.
“Thanks,” he repeated, “I will. Goodbye,” shaking hands with Lucy. Then, “Goodbye, Mrs. Merwent. Thank you so much.”
“Oh, the pleasure will be ours,” Nannie declared.
Mrs. Lockhart kissed Nannie and Lucy, pinching the latter’s cheek.
“We’ll have to give a little party for my grandbaby. She’s the picture of her grandpapa,” the old lady declared, smiling.
“Did you hear what she said, Lucy?” Nannie asked delightedly as soon as their callers were gone.
“Yes,” answered Lucy.
“Isn’t it just grand?” continued Nannie with enthusiasm.
“What? The party?”
“Why, no—yes—the party and everything.”
“I don’t think so, Mamma. As for the party, I won’t have it. So far as the rest goes, you already have been invited to Cousin Minnie’s and I don’t want to be invited, so I don’t see what you have gained.”
“I!” exclaimed Nannie indignantly. “Why, Lucy, I wasn’t thinking of myself at all. It’s you I’m glad for.”
“But I don’t see what I have to do with it, Mamma. Cousin Minnie and Grandmamma have never paid any attention to me before and I wouldn’t thank them for their attention now.”
“But, Lucy—”
“What, Mamma?”
“Lucy, it isn’t only Mamma and Cousin Minnie. It means that—it means—” Lucy’s steady eyes were upon Nannie, “It means that others—that we will be—”
“If you mean that you want me to go around with Kingsley Dodd so as to be taken up by the people who dropped us when Papa failed to make money, I won’t do it, that’s all.”
“Why, Lucy!”
“Our own relatives have treated Papa like dirt and the others have followed them, so I, for one, don’t want anything to do with them.”
Nannie assumed a maternal and authoritative tone.
“Lucy, you don’t realize what you are saying. I won’t allow you to ruin your chances in any such manner. You told Kingsley Dodd that he could come Thursday night and—”
“You mean you invited him, Mamma.”
“Well, you agreed and it’s the same thing.”
“I’ll see him when he comes Thursday,” Lucy conceded, “but I won’t again, and I won’t go to the party, so you had better tell Grandmamma not to count on it.”
“What in the world have you got against Kingsley?” Nannie demanded, now on the defensive.
“I don’t like him, and if I did I wouldn’t have anything to do with him under the circumstances.”
Nannie lost her temper.
“You shan’t act this way!” she almost screamed.
Lucy’s gaze did not waver. “Yes, I shall,” she said steadily.
Nannie burst into tears. Lucy hesitated a moment before she continued.
“I’m sorry, Mamma, but I can’t help feeling this way,” she said at last.
Nannie made no reply and went on sobbing. Looking rather miserable, Lucy left her and went to the kitchen to prepare supper.
The day after
