She brought her reminiscent gaze back to rest upon her son."Get your coat quick,'Zekiel.Here's the telegram.Take the car that passes the park gate,and stop at the station.That's the nearest place."Ezekiel obediently struggled into the coat hanging conveniently near.
"What does the telegram say?--'Run away,little girl,the ogre isn't hungry'?""Not much!She's coming.He's sending for the brat.""Poor brat!How did it happen?"
"Just some more of my lady's doings,"answered Mrs.Forbes angrily.
"Of course she had to put in her oar and exasperate Mr.Evringham until he did it to spite her.""Cutting off his own nose to spite his face,eh?"asked Zeke,taking the slip of paper.
"Yes,and mine.It's going to come heavy on me.I could have shaken that woman with her airs and graces.Catch her or Mamzell lifting theirhands!""Yet they want her,do they?"
"No,Stupid!That's why she's coming.Can't you understand?""Blessed if I can,"returned the boy as he left the barn;"but I know one thing,I pity the kid."Mr.Evringham received a prompt answer to his message.His son appointed,as a place of meeting,the downtown hotel where he and his wife purposed spending the night before sailing.
Father and son had not met for years,and Mr.Evringham debated a few minutes whether to take the gastronomic and social risk of dining with Harry en familleat the noisy hotel above mentioned,or to have dinner in assured comfort at his club--finally deciding on the latter course.
It was,therefore,nearly nine o'clock before his card was presented to Mr.and Mrs.Harry,to whom it brought considerable relief of mind,and they hastened down to the dingy parlor with alacrity.
"You see we thought you might accept our invitation to dinner,"said Harry heartily,as he grasped his parent's passive hand;"but your business hours are so short,I dare say you have been at home since the middle of the afternoon."As he spoke the hard lines of his father's impassive face smote him with a thousand associations,many of them bringing remorse.He wondered how much his own conduct had had to do with graving them so deeply.