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Page 11
By Clemency James understood that she meant her daughter, of whom Doctor
Gordon had spoken. He wondered at the unusual name, as he followed his
hostess. His room was on the same floor as the living-room. She threw
open a door at the other side of the hall, and James saw an exceedingly
comfortable apartment with a hearth-fire, with book-shelves, and a
couch-bed covered with a rug, and a desk. "I thought you would prefer
this room," said the woman. "There are others on the second floor, but
this has the advantage of your being able to use it as a sitting-room,
and you may like to have your friends, whom I trust you will find in
Alton, come in from time to time. You will please make yourself quite
at home."
James had not yet fairly comprehended the beauty of the woman. He was
still too dazzled. Had he gone away at that time, he could not for the
life of him have described her, but he did glance, as a woman might have
done, at her gown. It was of a soft heavy red silk, trimmed with lace,
and was cut out in a small square at the throat. This glimpse of firm
white throat made James wonder as to evening costume for himself. At
home he never dreamed of such a thing, but here it might be different.
His hostess divined his thoughts. She smiled at him as if he were a
child. "No," said she, "you do not need to dress for dinner. Doctor
Gordon never does when we are by ourselves."
Then she went away, closing the door softly after her.
James noticed that over the windows of this room were only ordinary
shades, and curtains of some soft red stuff. There were no shutters. He
looked about him. He was charmed with his room, and it did away to a
great extent with his feeling of homesickness. It was not unlike what
his room at college had been. It was more like all rooms. He had no
feeling of the secrecy which the great living-room gave him, and which
irritated him. He brushed his clothes and his hair, and washed his hands
and face. While he was doing so he heard wheels and a horse's fast trot.
He guessed immediately that the doctor had returned. He therefore, as
soon as he had completed the slight changes in his toilet, started to
return to the living-room. Crossing the hall he met Doctor Gordon, who
seized him by the shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "Not a word before
Mrs. Ewing about what happened this afternoon."
James nodded. "More mystery," thought he with asperity.
"You have not spoken of it to her already, I hope," said Doctor Gordon
with quick anxiety.
"No, I have not. I have scarcely seen her."
"Well, not a word, I beg of you. She is very nervous."
The doctor had been removing his overcoat and hat. When he had hung them
on some stag's horn in the hall, he went with James into the
living-room.
There, beside the fire, sat the girl in brown whom James had met that
afternoon on the road.
CHAPTER II
She looked up when he entered, and there was in her young girl face the
very slightest shade of recognition. She could not help it, for Clemency
was candor itself. Then she bowed very formally, and shook hands
sedately when Doctor Gordon introduced James as Doctor Elliot, his new
assistant, and carried off her part very well. James was not so
successful. He colored and was somewhat confused, but nobody appeared to
notice it. Clemency went on relating how glad she was that Uncle Tom met
her as she was coming home from Annie Lipton's. "I am never afraid,"
said she, and her little face betrayed the lie, "but I was tired, and
besides I was beginning to be cold, for I went out without my fur."
"You should not have gone without it. It grows so cold when the sun goes
down," said Mrs. Ewing. Then a chime of Japanese bells was heard which
announced dinner.
"Doctor Elliot will be glad of dinner," said Doctor Gordon. "He has
walked all the way from Gresham."
Clemency looked at him with approval, and tried to look as if she had
never seen him walking in her life. "That is a good walk," said she.
"Twenty-five miles it must be. If more men walked instead of working
poor horses all the time, it would be better for them."
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