Brentwood (30 page)

And then, she suddenly realized that he was one very strong reason for her coming to live with her parents. She wanted to hear Gideon preach. She wanted to learn more of the way of life. She wanted to be able to ask him a lot of questions. Not just once, but many times. She wanted to learn to study the Bible in the right way, the way Ted said was so interesting.

If it should come about that, as her parents suggested, she should meet with hindrances and find her way hedged from coming back, would she ever meet one again who could tell her more about the things of God? Perhaps Gideon Reaver knew of someone in Chicago who talked and thought as he did. She would ask him.

But, no, she would not admit even so much the possibility that she was not coming back. She must come back. Her heart cried out for her dear family. She must know them better. And she must somehow try to help this precious sister Betty, if indeed she was in danger as Ted seemed to imply. How she wished she could talk it over with the young minister! That was what a minister was for, to help people about things like that. He would keep her confidence, she was sure. He had such a wonderful face, so full of peace and yet so strong. He seemed to walk with God so closely. How she wished she might walk with God and find out daily His will. She must learn more about it before she went away, for she could not bear to wait even a week, or a few weeks, without knowing. It seemed a long time to waste.

The little book that Gideon had brought her was a great comfort, though she had found very little time in which to even look it over. It had references to Bible passages to read and study. He probably did not dream she had no Bible with her. She must get hers out as soon as she got back to Chicago and begin reading it. That would be another thing she must ask him, how to study the Bible.

But in this little crowded house, with so many daily tasks, there was little time to read, and no place to read alone, nor to pray free from interruption. And Marjorie was shy about prayer, it was all so new to her. Oh, she was used to kneeling beside her bed and going through a routine petition, and that she had done the first night she slept with Betty, without a thought but that Betty would likely kneel also. It was the conventional thing she had been brought up to do, and it meant nothing but a form until she had heard Gideon Reaver and Ted talk about being saved. But now prayer had taken on a different look. She wanted time and quiet to look into the face of the Lord and ask Him what to pray for. Perhaps the Holy Spirit was already beginning to teach her things that she had never dreamed of before, things that many an older Christian had not yet looked into.

It came to her to wonder if God might not Himself do something about Betty and this Ellery person who seemed to be going to appear on Betty’s path again. She couldn’t see anything else she could do immediately but ask God about it. It wouldn’t do to tell even Ted, for he might talk to Betty and make her angry and do more harm than good. Brothers did that sometimes, though Ted seemed to be unusually wise for his years.

She fell asleep at last thinking of that happy Christmas day and how well all of them seemed to fit together. What nice friends those two young men had been, what delightful company! And what a pity that Evan hadn’t been able to see how fine and wonderful they all were! Evan had fine things about him, too, but in another line. Would she ever be able to make him understand the great things that had come to her life through the last few days? How utterly he had misunderstood her when she had tried to ask him about being saved. Was she ever going to feel toward Evan as she ought to feel if she were going to marry him? Well, she was still not ready to face that question. She must put it off till she got back home, and then she would take time from everything and settle once and for all whether she could ever love Evan Brower. At present it seemed such a troublesome question. And yet Evan was fine and good and respectable, and her adoptive mother would have been altogether pleased with such a match. That her own father and mother would not approve him she somehow knew without asking. Oh, why did Evan have to act so disagreeable when he came here on Christmas Day? Why did he have to come then anyway, just when they were having such a wonderful time and heaven seemed so near? He had made a false note, a harsh, jarring note in the harmony of the occasion!

Oh, if Evan could only be more like those other two! Like the young minister!

And then she fell asleep and dreamed that it was Gideon Reaver who had sat across from her at the hotel table and handed her the blue diamond and watched her while she opened the box. Even in her dream a thrill of joy went through her heart. And then in the dream they seemed to lose the blue diamond and could not find it, but it didn’t matter. They were happy even without it.

When she awoke in the morning the first part of the dream was vivid, and the thrill in her heart was there whenever she thought of it, but it was Gideon Reaver’s eyes who looked into hers about the blue diamond, and not Evan Brower’s eyes, and that troubled her. She must not allow her thoughts to wander off to absurd things like that. As if Gideon Reaver had any special interest in her, a stranger, to offer her diamonds and touch her hands with that strange, wonderful thrill. It was Evan Brower who had offered the diamond, and Evan Brower and his pleas that she would have to face when she got back to Chicago.

But meantime, she could not and would not consider him. And she must put away all thoughts of that ridiculous dream or else she would never be able to face Gideon Reaver again and ask him the questions about things she so longed to understand. It seemed a sin to approach him even in her thoughts, in any more intimate way. A man like that was set apart to holy things. His love would be a wonderful treasure to possess, but it was not to be sought after, even in thought. The girl whom such a man would love would not dream of presuming to hope for his love. It was something he must bestow; it was not to be won by human arts.

So she put it by, and although she could not help the thoughts recurring, she decided she could help entertaining them, and she was determined to keep this friendship upon a sane, healthy footing. It was a privilege just to have met him and to have learned at his feet.

So the morning came and Marjorie arose with a gladness in her heart that promised better things even through a perplexing way.

B
ut Betty had slipped down to the store on some pretext a little after nine that morning and telephoned Ellery Aiken in the office. She told him that her sister could not come and therefore she would not be able to. But she had finally let him persuade her that she could come for just a little while. He told her that he wanted to show her a good time and had some friends he knew she would like to meet.

She came back to the house with a shamefaced look and worked madly all day doing little extras for everybody to make up for what she meant to do that evening.

After the dishes were done that night, she hurried upstairs and came down in the pretty velvet dress that Marjorie had bought her. She had been careful to wait until Ted had gone out and her father was safely upstairs with her mother, who was still supposed to rest a good deal and go to bed very early.

Marjorie looked up surprised.

“How lovely you look, dear! Are you going out?”

“Why, yes,” said Betty apologetically. “I have to, just a little while. I’m sorry to go when you have so few nights left, but I really couldn’t get out of it very well. But I’ll be home early. However, don’t you sit up for me if you are tired. Good-bye. I’m enjoying my pretty clothes a lot.”

Marjorie looked at her in dismay, her heart sinking. Was she really going out with that young man Aiken? Going to the nightclubs after all? But—who had come for her? The doorbell hadn’t rung.

Marjorie slipped into the dark parlor and looked out the window. A shabby little jalopy was just pulling away from the door. Betty must have been watching for him out the window and gone down at once. They must have had an agreement that he would not ring the bell. She turned from the window and went sadly back to the children, whom she was about to take up to bed when Betty came down. She must pray a lot this evening. She wished Ted were at home to help. Or, should she tell Ted? What could he do anyway if he were here? Betty was gone! Poor, foolish Betty!

Meantime Betty was discovering that Ellery Aiken was cross at her for not bringing her sister. He wanted to see her. Ellery was great for new girls. Also, he sometimes got commissions from men he knew for bringing new, attractive girls for the evening, and his treasury was low just now.

Betty was disappointed, too, in the car he had brought. He had told her he had the use of a new car, but this one sounded like an old tin pan as it rattled along. She began to suspect that the evening was going to be as cheap as the car. But she roused herself to throw off her conscience and forget her discomfort at the way she had stolen out and what Marjorie would think about her, and tried to be happy.

It had never seemed to her before that Ellery was coarse. She had always thought him extremely amusing, but tonight he seemed to select the most questionable stories on his list to tell her, and when she did not respond warmly to his mirth, he looked at her sharply.

“What’s the matter, baby? Putting on airs with your glad rags? You better get warmed up or you won’t go down at all, where I’m taking you. I’ve got a fella wants ta meet ya, some swell! Got millions! Always ready ta spend it on the right kind of a girl. But you gotta be a little interested when he talks. You can’t just sit around like a marvelous icicle all the evening. You’ve gotta get busy and be conversational if you wantta be popular.”

Betty was suddenly a little frightened.

“I thought I was going with you, Ellery. I didn’t know there were other men along. Perhaps I wouldn’t care to meet them.”

“Wouldn’t care to meet ’em! What’s gettin’ ya? Watcha goin’ for, then? You didn’t suppose we were just goin’ ta sit around and hold hands all the evening together, did ya? I’ve got other girls ta dance with. I can’t just stay with you, ya know.”

Ellery didn’t state that he was paid by the club to dance with other girls, but that was really the case.

Betty was still a long time. The little tin car was rattling along at a lively pace, screeching its horn at every crossing. Ellery was late. Betty had been slow in coming down in answer to his signal. She had waited to be sure that her mother’s door was shut before she slipped down the stairs. Now she began to be greatly troubled. At last she said, a trifle haughtily, “I think perhaps you’d better take me home again, Ellery. I don’t think I care to go, after all.”

“Aw, you gettin’ cold feet, are you? But you don’t get out of it now, baby. I haven’t time to run you back and forth while you change your mind a dozen times. Besides, I promised to bring this guy a pretty girl, prettiest girl he’s ever seen, and I’ve got to deliver the goods.”

“But I don’t care to go with a stranger, Ellery!” she cried, aghast. “I had no idea—”

Ellery saw that he was going to have trouble and he had no time for that, so he set himself to soothe her.

“Now, baby, don’t you worry! It’s going to be marvelous! You said you wanted ta see the nightclubs, and I’ve arranged to give you an eyeful. You just trust me, and I’ll see you through the evening. B’lieve me, you’ll be glad you did! It isn’t every gal that will get all the attention I’m aiming to have for you. You’re some sweetie! I’m proud to be escorting ya! Of course, I appreciate your wanting to be with me exclusive, but it can’t be done. You’re expected to be social and affable and all that, you know. And we have ta be like the rest. But you’ll like it, baby, b’lieve me! You take my word for it, you’ll like it!” Betty felt a strange, cold draught about her heart. She was growing more and more frightened. Ellery strung his long arm around her shoulders and drew her up close to him, but she drew away again and sat up very straight.

“ ’S the matter, Babe? Ain’t sore, are ya?” he said as he brought the car up in front of a sordid-looking place. Betty had expected to see glitter in a nightclub, but this place looked fairly grubby, the more so as they entered. It was blue with smoke. This was a different world, right enough. She shrank back at the door, but he pushed her forward.

“Right over here, baby! Got a table reserved for four. Nice party! Other girl’s real refined. You’ll like her. Sit down. We’ll have a little cocktail to start things going and get us warmed up.”

Betty sat down fearfully and looked about her. She didn’t care for the look of the men in the place. Surely this could not be one of the nicer places. She met bold, intimate glances appraising her, and shrank in her soul. The women wore more makeup than she liked. It gave them a hard look. Perhaps the haze of smoke that hung over everything emphasized it.

Ellery ordered cocktails, and when they came, Betty tried to keep her hand from trembling as she raised the glass to her lips. She must not let Ellery see that this was her first taste of liquor.

But the fumes of it were anything but pleasant to her unspoiled senses, and she didn’t care particularly for the taste. She kept thinking of what Marjorie had said about drinking. Still, she kept taking little sips, scarcely more than touching her lips to the glass sometimes. She didn’t like the strange stinging sensation. It frightened her. It sent a tingling down her arms and quickened her heartbeats.

Ellery tossed his off, and ordered another before he chided her for being so hesitant.

“Plenty more where this came from, Babe!” he said jovially, so loud that people at the other tables heard him and laughed. They called out remarks over her head. He knew everybody.

They began to come over to be introduced, and Betty didn’t feel at home among them. They were of another world. She felt herself growing haughty. Ellery kidded her about it.

“You’re too high-hat, Betts!” he shouted genially. “Just because you’ve got a new fur coat doesn’t crown you queen!”

Ellery finished his drink and reached over and took her glass.