“Well, that certainly is a strange way to look at it,” she said. “One would have supposed you would have sent me an invitation to my cousin’s wedding. As close as we have always been——”
“Why, Minnie, child, what can you possibly mean?” said Mrs. Hollis in astonishment. “You and Sydney have never been close. In fact you’ve scarcely seen one another through the years, except once or twice when you were passing through the city and wrote asking if you might stop here. Of course we are not really related at all, except by marriage—and courtesy. You are the stepdaughter of the woman whose first husband was a second cousin of my husband’s. Of course we always want to be kind and courteous to everyone, and are usually ready to put ourselves out when another person is in an emergency, but this is an occasion that involves previously invited guests, and it isn’t at all possible to have you here. We will see that you are well cared for however. Get your hat on quickly, please. I haven’t much time. I should be down in the reception room right now. Did you unpack yet?”
“No!” said Minnie with a toss of her arrogant head. “I hoped you’d give me a better room, and I didn’t want to hang up my dresses till I was sure where I was to be. I didn’t trust that impudent maid of yours, and I hoped you’d let me room with Sydney.”
“Oh, my no! That would be unthinkable! Sydney must have her room to herself the last night before her wedding!”
“Well, at least you might put me in the room next to Sydney’s”
“No!” said Mrs. Hollis firmly. “The rooms are all apportioned and the arrangement cannot be changed.”
“Well, why can’t I room with Rae Silverthorn? I certainly belong as much as she does. She doesn’t pretend to be a relative. I never saw what Syd saw in her anyway. She’s a little cheap skate, that’s what I call her!”
“Minnie! That will be all from you!” said Mrs. Hollis with a gleam of real battle in her eyes. “This is our house and we will run its affairs without your assistance. I have no more time to discuss the matter. Here comes Thelma. Thelma, will you call up the taxi office and ask them to come at once to the service entrance and pick up Miss Lazarelle. At once, Thelma! He’ll understand. He promised to have a taxi ready for instant service if I should need it. And then, Thelma, come right back here and help Miss Lazarelle to pick up all her things, and take her down to the side door, immediately! It’s important to get this matter attended to quietly before they all get here. Yes, Sydney, I’ll be down in just a moment.”
Mrs. Hollis turned back to the angry young woman who hadn’t made a move to get her hat on. Her eyes were flashing and her lips were contemptuous.
“I didn’t think you’d be actually rude to me,” she said in a tone of suppressed fury. “I thought you prided yourself on always being so genteel and courteous.”
“You don’t seem to realize that you have transgressed all rules of courtesy in coming here uninvited and unannounced,” said Mrs. Hollis. “Come! It is imperative that you go down at once, unless you want me to call my husband to deal with you.”
“Well, I don’t want to go to some old frump’s house. I wanted to come to this party and have a good time.” Minnie put on an aggrieved look and quivered her mocking little lips, but Mrs. Hollis, alive to new voices down in the front hall, turned away without answering, nearly distracted.
“Take her down to the taxi at once,” she said in a low tone to Thelma who had returned from the telephone and was gathering up the would-be guest’s brushes and lipstick and powder.
“I’d be willing to stay up in the attic while you eat your old dinner!” said Minnie with a sullen look. “Then Thelma could bring me up some scraps that were left over.”
“I am sorry, Minnie, that you are taking that attitude. I’ll try to find time to see you day after tomorrow if you decide to stay that long, but I really must go at once!”
“I think they’ve come,” motioned Thelma with a lift of her eyebrows and a movement of her lips, meaning the bridegroom and his party had arrived.
“I must go!” said the bride’s mother in great haste. “I’m leaving this with you to look after,” she murmured to the maid and departed swiftly, turning the key in the lock as she closed the door behind her, reassured as she dimly heard the sound of the taxi arriving at the side door.
Swiftly she sped down to greet her guests, some of whom had already entered the large living room, and were standing about in that awe that precedes weddings and funerals before the hostess arrives.
“Good evening, Steve, and Curlin! It’s so good to see you again. Reeves, it’s so nice you could come down. We were quite anxious when you said you might be detained till tomorrow. Oh, and here’s Luther! Link, did your sister come down with you? I haven’t seen her yet.”
“No, I think she came down on the train. I’ve been at the office all day, you know.”
“Why yes, of course. And— Where is Paul? Hasn’t he arrived yet?”
“Present!” said Paul appearing from the hall with a grin on his pleasant lips.
“Then you’re all here!” said Mrs. Hollis with relief, wondering if that was the taxi going down the drive or a car arriving with the bridegroom. “Ah! There come the girls!”
There was a soft rustling on the stairs.
Frances Ferrin was the first to enter, saucily with a quick look around.
“Why, they’re all here, Syd!” she said in a comical whisper. “Even Lute Waite has come! Who accomplished that?”
Luther Waite arose.
“I’ve reformed!” he announced gravely, and with one hand on his heart bowed gravely before her.
“Isn’t that grand!” said Fran laying her hand on his bowed head in the manner of one conferring an accolade.
Into the midst of the festivity the groom arrived, looking as handsome and happy as any bridegroom should look, and there were cheerful greetings of those he already knew and introductions to those he had not met. In the meantime Mrs. Hollis with troubled glance consulted Thelma.
“Hasn’t Miss Silverthorn come yet? Are you sure she isn’t up in the guest room? Hadn’t you better run up and be sure, because it’s really time we sat down to dinner. Why did she go away?”
“Why, I don’t know, Mrs. Hollis,” said Thelma with a troubled look. “She said she had forgotten to give her mother something, but I couldn’t help thinking Miss Lazarelle had something to do with it. She had her suitcase in her hand and as she went out the door she called me and told me that Miss Lazarelle was up in her bathroom taking a bath. And when I got time to run up I found she was there dressing and she asked me what had become of Miss Silverthorn. I told her that she must come out of that room right away. That you had given me directions about it, and she was to go in the nursery till you came——”
“Oh! That girl! I wonder what started her to coming. What time did she arrive? Before Miss Silverthorn?”
“Yes, about half an hour, and I thought she was taking a nap or something. I wondered if you knew she was coming.”
“No, Thelma. What did she say when she arrived? Who did she ask for?”
“She asked for Miss Sydney, and when she found she wasn’t here she said, ‘Well, I’ll just go up to a guest room and get a bath and take a rest,’ and she was quite nasty about going to the nursery.”
“Well, I’m thankful she’s out of the way for the evening. But keep a sharp lookout for her. I don’t trust her. She’s liable to turn up again in the morning. There! Isn’t that the doorbell? Perhaps Rae has arrived. We mustn’t keep the dinner waiting, because we have to be early at the church. If it’s Miss Rae tell her to hurry. Help her