and feathered!
He deserves the scorn of the community! Go on. Tell me the rest! What excuse did he offer?”
“Oh, he said things about his business. He said he couldn’t marry her; he had to marry influence and money! Aunt Pat, he seemed to think I had money, though I’ve told him I was poor and that you were giving me my wedding. Or else, maybe he was just lying to her; I don’t know—”
“Well,” said Aunt Pat, setting her lips wryly, “I suppose I’m to blame for that. I thought the thing was inevitable, and I told him myself that you would be pretty well fixed after I was gone. He likely was figuring to borrow money or something.”
Sherrill’s head dropped again, and she gave a sound like a groan.
“There, there! Stop that, child!” said the old lady briskly. “He isn’t worth it.”
“I know it,” moaned Sherrill, “but I’m so ashamed that I loved a man like that!”
“You didn’t!” said her aunt. “You loved a man you’d made up in your own imagination. Come, tell me the rest, and then eat your supper or you’ll be sick, and then what’ll Mrs. Battersea say?”
Sherrill gave a hysterical little giggle and, lifting her head, wiped away the tears.
“Well, then someone came to the door and told him the car was waiting and it was late, and he got frantic. He told her to go away, and then she threatened to kill herself, and suddenly he took her in his arms and kissed her—just the way he used to kiss me, Aunt Pat! Oh, it was awful. His arms went around her as if he was hungry for her! Oh, there was no doubt about how he felt toward her, not a bit! And then he kissed her again and suddenly threw her from him into the corner, turned out the light in the room, and went away slamming the door hard behind him.”
“The poor fool!” commented Aunt Pat under her breath.
“I stood quite still holding my breath,” went on Sherrill, “till suddenly I heard her move, and then I reached out and turned on both lights in both rooms and she saw me.”
“What happened?” The old lady’s eyes were large with interest.
“I believe I asked her how long she had known him,” said Sherrill wearily, “and she said always, that they had grown up and gone to school together, and then he had sent for her to come here and be his secretary till he could afford to marry her—”
“A beast! That’s what he is!” murmured Aunt Pat. “A sleek little beast!”
“She said it was not until I came that he turned away from her. She said awful things to me. She said it was all my fault, that I had everything and she had nothing but him, and I had ruined her life and there was nothing for her to do but kill herself! And when I told her to hush, that there wasn’t much time and we had to do something, she thought I meant that she was to get away quietly so no one would know. She raved, Aunt Pat! She said it was all right for me, that I was going to marry him. And when I told her that of course I couldn’t marry him now, and asked her if she would marry a man like that, she said she’d marry him if she had to go through hell with him!”
Aunt Pat’s face hardened, though there was a mist across her eyes which she brushed impatiently away.
“Poor little fool!” she commented.
“So I dragged her into my room and made her put on my dress and veil. I guess that is all. She couldn’t believe me at first. She said she couldn’t do that, that he would kill her, but I told her to tell him that if he didn’t treat her right, if he didn’t go through the evening in the conventional way, or if he tried to throw it up to her afterward, then I would tell the whole world what he had done.”
“Great work!” breathed Aunt Pat. “Sherry, you certainly had your head about you! And you certainly seemed to know your man better than I thought you did.”
“Oh, Aunt Pat, it seems so awful for me to be sitting here talking about Carter when just a few hours before I thought he was so wonderful!”
“Yes, I know!” mused Aunt Pat with a faraway look. “I had that experience, too, once, ages ago before you