“Let’s you and I make lemonade for everybody,” proposed Nannie as they entered the dining room.
“All right,” acceded John gleefully. Then, raising his voice, “You two stay in there. Nannie and I are fixing a surprise for you.”
“Good,” said Jim grimly.
For a moment Lucy sat looking at Jim without a word. The voices of John and Nannie and the tinkling of glasses and ice came faintly from the other room.
“You can’t make a square into a circle, Lucy,” Jim began very soberly, breaking the silence.
Lucy’s lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears.
“Thank you for understanding, Jim,” she replied unsteadily.
Jim glanced at her.
“I’m going to smoke,” he decided sourly.
Lucy smiled.
“I wish you would, Jim. I must take Dimmie up to bed. I’ll be right down.”
She led the child away, but in a short time rejoined Jim in the living room. He was walking up and down. His pipe was still in his mouth but it had gone out.
“I feel better,” she informed him. “Dimmie is the sweetest thing after he gets into bed at night.”
“He’s a great kid,” Jim growled approvingly.
John appeared with one of Nannie’s dainty tea aprons around him, carrying a tray on which were two glasses. Nannie followed him with the pitcher of lemonade.
“Mrs. Winter.” She stopped in front of Lucy and made a curtsey. “Hold the tray straight, John,” and she poured one of the glasses full.
Lucy took it.
“Do you think the mistress is pleased with us, John?” Mrs. Merwent murmured, with mock humility.
“Give Jim some too, Mamma,” Lucy interrupted gently.
“Wait a minute! I’m going as fast as I can, Lucy!” Nannie exclaimed with some irritation.
She led John over to Jim.
“Mr. Sprague,” she said with another curtsey.
“Aren’t you going to have any, Mrs. Merwent?” asked Jim.
“Oh, Mr. Sprague, the mistress wouldn’t like us to drink with the gentlefolk,” she answered coquettishly. “We’ll have ours later in the dining room.”
“That’s right, Mary. I’m glad to see you know your place. I’m strong for the proprieties myself,” Jim responded, drinking the lemonade. “You needn’t wait, either of you,” he added, returning the glass to the tray. “When we want you we’ll ring for you.” Jim was gazing straight into Nannie’s eyes and she tittered uneasily.
John laughed extravagantly.
“Thank you, sir,” he said. “Come on, Nannie,” and he departed, followed by Mrs. Merwent, who glanced back covertly at Jim as she passed him.
“Don’t you see, John!” Nannie exclaimed as soon as they reached the dining room. “They had rather be alone. Lucy don’t want us.”
“It was only Jim’s way of joking. He didn’t mean anything,” John explained soothingly, looking worried in spite of himself, as he remembered Nannie’s enigmatic remark earlier in the evening.
“Yes, he did. You didn’t see the hostile look he gave me. Lucy and he always manage to make us seem foolish!”
“Now, Nannie, you’re imagining,” said John soothingly. Lucy didn’t say anything.
“That’s just it!” retorted Mrs. Merwent. “She never does but she always sees to it that she and Mr. Sprague—” Nannie’s eyes and mouth opened for, chancing to turn, she saw Lucy in the doorway.
“Lucy, you’re spying on us! I didn’t think you’d stoop to do a thing like that!” she cried excitedly, recovering from her surprise.
“No, I wasn’t, Mamma, I came to ask you and John to come into the sitting room,” replied Lucy, eyeing her mother squarely.
“I won’t stand it!” cried Nannie hysterically, and as she spoke she almost ran into the hall, and seizing a scarf as she passed the hat and umbrella stand, went out, slamming the front door behind her.
John stood undecided and uneasy by the dining table.
“Lucy, you oughtn’t to have come in like this without saying a word—” he faltered.
“Why not?” demanded Lucy.
“Because—because—Nannie wasn’t saying anything,” he stammered.
Lucy turned to leave the room.
“Where do you think she’s gone?” he asked nervously.
“I don’t know,” replied Lucy.
“Shall I go and look for her?” he continued.
“I don’t know,” she repeated, and disappeared into the sitting room.
As Lucy entered the room where Jim was the front door clicked after John. She seated herself in a chair near Jim.
“Don’t you think I’d better go home, Lucy?” queried Jim in a low voice.
“Please don’t go,” she begged, laying a hand on his sleeve. “Let’s talk.”
“What about?” he asked with a grimace.
“Tell me about when you were a little boy, Jim. Don’t you wish we never had to grow up!”
“No,” replied Jim. “But I’ll tell you about my first day in school,” he added with a slight smile.
“All right.” Lucy smiled back at him and settled herself comfortably in her chair.
She wore a dress of blue and white striped voile that was deeply open at the throat, and Lucy’s throat was youthfully lovely. To Jim she appeared more girlish than he had ever seen her.
“The teacher whipped a little girl and I bit him in the leg to make him stop,” began Jim.
“Tell me all about it,” begged Lucy, drawing her chair closer.
It was nearly an hour before John and Nannie returned.
“What do you suppose is keeping John and Mrs. Merwent?” Jim had repeated uncomfortably more than once before the time had elapsed.
“I don’t know, Jim. Go on with what you were telling,” Lucy always answered.
Jim had frowned but resumed his narrative.
All the while Lucy showed no perturbation whatever at the continued absence of her mother and husband. Jim told story after story of his boyhood experiences, she asking questions and adding comments at which they both laughed.
When John and Mrs. Merwent entered the house they came through the hall straight into the living room.
“We’ve been for a walk,” John announced breezily. “It’s a great night. Did you people see the moonlight?”
“I hadn’t noticed,” said Jim.
Nannie’s eyes showed traces of tears and her voice was subdued.
“You two look cosy in here,” she remarked as if in search of something to say.
“We have been,” Lucy told her.
“Well, I must go.” Jim rose.
“Hadn’t you better stay till morning?” John suggested.
“No.”
Lucy was silent.
After good nights were exchanged
