In Rotterdam, Hallie saw neither the Boompjes nor the Groote Kerk—they were both obscured by a stream of pleasant young Dutchmen who looked at her with soft blue eyes. But when they reached The Hague and the tour neared its end, she was aware of a growing sadness—it had been such a good time and now it would be over and put away. Already Amsterdam and a certain Ohio gentleman, who didn’t understand entertaining on the grand scale, were sweeping toward her—and though she tried to be glad she wasn’t glad at all. It depressed her too that Corcoran seemed to be avoiding her—he had scarcely spoken to her or danced with her since they left Antwerp. She was thinking chiefly of that on the last afternoon as they rode through the twilight toward Amsterdam and her mother drowsed sleepily in a corner of the car.
“You’ve been so good to me,” she said. “If you’re still angry about that evening in Brussels, please try to forgive me now.”
“I’ve forgiven you long ago.”
They rode into the city in silence and Hallie looked out the window in a sort of panic. What would she do now with no one to take care of her, to take care of that part of her that wanted to be young and gay forever? Just before they drew up at the hotel, she turned again to Corcoran and their eyes met in a strange disquieting glance. Her hand reached out for his and pressed it gently, as if this was their real good-bye.
Mr. Claude Nosby was a stiff, dark, glossy man, leaning hard toward forty, whose eyes rested for a hostile moment upon Corcoran as he helped Hallie from the car.
“Your father arrives tomorrow,” he said portentously. “His attention has been called to your picture in the Antwerp papers and he is hurrying over from London.”
“Why shouldn’t my picture be in the Antwerp papers, Claude?” inquired Hallie innocently.
“It seems a bit unusual.”
Mr. Nosby had had a letter from Mr. Bushmill which told him of the arrangement. He looked upon it with profound disapproval. All through dinner he listened without enthusiasm to the account which Hallie, rather spiritedly assisted by her mother, gave of the adventure; and afterwards when Hallie and her mother went to bed he informed Corcoran that he would like to speak to him alone.
“Ah—Mr. Corcoran,” he began, “would you be kind enough to let me see the little account book you are keeping for Mr. Bushmill?”
“I’d rather not,” answered Corcoran pleasantly. “I think that’s a matter between Mr. Bushmill and me.”
“It’s the same thing,” said Nosby impatiently. “Perhaps you are not aware that Miss Bushmill and I are engaged.”
“I had gathered as much.”
“Perhaps you can gather too that I am not particularly pleased at the sort of good time you chose to give her.”
“It was just an ordinary good time.”
“That is a matter of opinion. Will you give me the notebook?”
“Tomorrow,” said Corcoran, still pleasantly, “and only to Mr. Bushmill. Good-night.”
Corcoran slept late. He was awakened at eleven by the telephone, through which Nosby’s voice informed him coldly that Mr. Bushmill had arrived and would see him at once. When he rapped at his employer’s door ten minutes later, he found Hallie and her mother also were there, sitting rather sulkily on a sofa. Mr. Bushmill nodded at him coolly but made no motion to shake hands.
“Let’s see that account book,” he said immediately.
Corcoran handed it to him, together with a bulky packet of vouchers and receipts.
“I hear you’ve all been out raising hell,” said Bushmill.
“No,” said Hallie, “only Mama and me.”
“You wait outside, Corcoran. I’ll let you know when I want you.”
Corcoran descended to the lobby and found out from the porter that a train left for Paris at noon. Then he bought a “New York Herald” and stared at the headlines for half an hour. At the end of that time he was summoned upstairs.
Evidently a heated discussion had gone on in his absence. Mr. Nosby was staring out the window with a look of patient resignation. Mrs. Bushmill had been crying, and Hallie, with a triumphant frown on her childish brow, was making a camp stool out of her father’s knee.
“Sit down,” she said sternly.
Corcoran sat down.
“What do you mean by giving us such a good time?”
“Oh, drop it, Hallie!” said her father impatiently. He turned to Corcoran: “Did I give you any authority to lay out twelve thousand dollars in six weeks? Did I?”
“You’re going to Italy with us,” interrupted Hallie reassuringly. “We—”
“Will you be quiet?” exploded Bushmill. “It may be funny to you, but I don’t like to make bad bets, and I’m pretty sore.”
“What nonsense!” remarked Hallie cheerfully. “Why, you were laughing a minute ago!”
“Laughing! You mean at that idiotic account book? Who wouldn’t laugh? Four titles at five hundred francs a head! One baptismal font to American Church for presence of clergyman at tea. It’s like the log book of a lunatic asylum!”
“Never mind,” said Hallie. “You can charge the baptismal font off your income tax.”
“That’s consoling,” said her father grimly. “Nevertheless, this young man will spend no more of my money for me.”
“But he’s still a wonderful guide. He knows everything—don’t you? All about the monuments and catacombs and the Battle of Waterloo.”
“Will you please let me talk to Mr. Corcoran?” Hallie was silent. “Mrs. Bushmill and my daughter and Mr. Nosby are going to take a trip through Italy as far as Sicily, where Mr. Nosby has some business, and they want you—that is, Hallie and her mother think they would get more out of it if you went along. Understand—it isn’t going to be any royal fandango this time. You’ll get your salary and your expenses and that’s all you’ll get. Do you want to go?”
“No, thanks, Mr. Bushmill,” said Corcoran quietly. “I’m going back to Paris at noon.”
“You’re not!” cried Hallie indignantly. “Why—why how am I going to know which is the Forum and the—the Acropolis and all that?” She rose from her father’s knee. “Look here, Daddy, I can persuade him.” Before they guessed her intentions she had seized Corcoran’s arm, dragged him into the hall and closed the door behind her.
“You’ve got to come,” she said intensely. “Don’t you understand? I’ve seen Claude in a new light and I can’t marry him and I don’t dare tell Father, and I’ll go mad if we have to go off with him alone.”
The door opened and Mr. Nosby peered suspiciously out into the hall.
“It’s all right,” cried Hallie. “He’ll come. It was just a question of more salary and he was too shy to say anything about it.”
As they went back in Bushmill looked from one to the other.
“Why do you think you ought to get more salary?”
“So he can spend it, of course,” explained Hallie triumphantly. “He’s got to keep his hand in, hasn’t he?”
This unanswerable argument closed the discussion. Corcoran was to go to Italy with them as courier and guide at three hundred and fifty dollars a month, an advance of some fifty dollars over what he had received before. From Sicily they were to proceed by boat to Marseilles, where