All Through the Night (Musaicum Romance Classics). Grace Livingston Hill
gate, she pressed by them and hurried on, dismayed to find how far ahead the man had already gone. Then, as he turned a corner, she did begin to run. She wasn't going to let him escape this time. A moment later she caught up by his side, quite out of breath, and accosted him.
"Oh, I say, what's your rush?" she panted. "I've nearly run my legs off to catch you."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" he said, coming about-face and looking at her, startled. "I didn't leave something, did I? Was there some message from Miss Huntley? Should I go back?"
"Oh no, no such luck," laughed Corliss. "I just wanted to talk to you. I like servicemen, and I especially like you. I wanted to ask you if you wouldn't make a date with me for this evening. We could go to the movies first, and then you could take me dancing. I'm just sick to death of all this funeral business and I want to have a little fun. I thought you would show me a good time."
The young man gave her a puzzled look. "That would be impossible," he said. "I have to catch a train back to the barracks."
"Well, miss your old train, then, and stay with me. There are always more trains. Besides, I want you! I'm fed up with all the solemnity, and I've got to get out and see some life. Miss your old train. Come on!" There was wheedling in the blue eyes lifted to his, but there was only firmness, almost severity, in the eyes of the young officer.
"Haven't you heard that there is a war?" he said. "When one is in the service one does not miss trains. Here comes my bus. Good night!" And he was gone.
Corliss—baffled, angry—stood and watched the bus disappear around the next corner and then went furiously back to the house to see what other deviltry she could think up.
Meantime Dale had dropped into a chair near her aunt, getting ready to take over the burden of this uncongenial set of guests, hoping against hope that they would see their way clear to going home on the midnight train yet not daring to believe that they would.
But her aunt broke the momentary silence: "Who is this naval officer who seems to be always around?" she asked, withdrawing her gaze from the place where her daughter had disappeared in pursuit of the uniform.
Dale came to attention at once, bringing back her mind from a consideration of what she ought to do or say next.
"Officer? Oh yes? Why, he's just a friend."
"Oh! Only a friend. He must be a very special friend to go out of his way to come to a mere funeral."
Dale hesitated. How should she explain?
"It was kind of him, wasn't it?" she said pleasantly. "You see, he was interested in Grandmother. A great many people were interested in Grandmother, you know."
"So it seems," said Aunt Blanche sarcastically, as if the fact annoyed her. "You certainly had a mob here to-day. One wonders what satisfaction people like that get out of a funeral. It must be just morbid curiosity."
"Curiosity?" said Dale with a perplexed frown. "What could they possibly be curious about? They were most of them very dear old friends who have been here constantly during the years and who loved Grandmother very much."
"Oh I see!" said the aunt dryly. "Well, I suppose the poor things have very little else to do. But I can't understand a young naval officer coming. He must have seen plenty of death in a more dramatic form, if he really has been overseas."
Dale's eyes suddenly flashed, but she turned her face away so her aunt would not see, and taking a deep breath, she suddenly rose to her feet, changing the subject sharply: "Now, what are your plans, Aunt Blanche? Are you returning home to-night, or do you wish to go back to the hotel? In which case, would you like me to send for a taxi?"
The aunt looked at Dale with an annoyed manner. "I don't see any rush about it," she said, offended. "I thought perhaps we'd stay here now and take those rooms you prepared for us. Corliss, of course, thinks she would like to have Grandmother's room. She is sure that is the best room in the house, and the view is much pleasanter. I suggest you send Hattie up to clean it thoroughly right away and open all the windows wide."
Dale paused and looked at her aunt steadily. "No!" she said firmly. "Nobody is going to occupy Grandmother's room at present, and certainly not Corliss, after the way she acted. I wouldn't like Grandmother to be dishonored that way."
"Dishonored? What do you mean? Can't you understand a young girl being afraid of death? Don't let's have any more argument about it. Just call Hattie and tell her to thoroughly clean Grandmother's room and put it in order for use. If you don't, I will. I'm not going to live through another night like last night, and Corliss is all upset. Will you tell Hattie, or shall I?"
Dale drew another long breath and looked at her aunt quickly. "Hattie isn't here," she said.
"Isn't here? Where is she? She was at the funeral, wasn't she? I saw her myself. I thought it was awfully strange, too, letting a servant come in with the family. Where has she gone now?"
"She has gone to see her sick sister. I told her to stay as long as she thought it was necessary, that I would get along all right. She has been wonderfully good staying here through it all, though her sister really needed her. But she wouldn't leave me alone till the funeral was over."
"Oh! She wouldn't, wouldn't she? And you actually let her go while we were still here?"
"Why, I wasn't sure whether you were here or not. You have been staying at the hotel, and I never heard you say whether you were going back west right away or not. But anyhow, that made no difference; Hattie had to go. I think she did a good deal to stay till the stress was over."
"Stress? Well, I'm sure I don't know what you mean. We're still here, and since the objection to staying here is now removed, I don't see why you should jump to the conclusion that we were going to the hotel. Of course having come so far to look into business matters, I shall not be going back until I am finished. And now, what are we going to do about that room? It must be cleaned thoroughly or we never can get Corliss to enter it, and I cannot blame her. Is there someone else you can get to do this cleaning, at once?"
"I am sorry to disappoint you, Aunt Blanche, but that room is not an option. It has already been thoroughly cleaned, of course, but it is not to be used at present, by Corliss or anyone else. I have other plans, which I am not willing to change. And please, Aunt Blanche, I am very tired to-night. It has been an exceedingly hard day. Suppose we don't talk any more about such things. I am not going to get another cleaning woman, and there is no house-cleaning to go on here, either to-night or to-morrow."
"But Dale, you are unreasonable. I told you that the man who is thinking of buying this house is coming to see it. I reached him last night on the telephone and told him to come to-morrow morning at eleven instead of to-day, so whatever has to be done toward cleaning must be done to-night."
Dale turned suddenly and faced her aunt. "Listen, Aunt Blanche," she said firmly. "Nobody is going to look at this house to-morrow or any other day with an idea of buying it. The house is definitely not for sale! I thought I made you understand that yesterday."
"We'll see about that!" said the aunt hatefully. "You are not beginning very well for the favors I was planning to give you. I had decided to ask you to come and live with us. I know you have no money to live on, and you are scarcely prepared to earn your living in any way, so I thought it was really my duty to look out for my dead husband's only niece. But you certainly do not give the impression of being very good-natured or adaptable, and we shall have to have a thorough understanding before I can go on and make the offer I had intended. But this first thing must be understood: I am taking over in this matter about the house. It will eventually be mine, and I do not intend to lose the opportunity of a sale to a man who is willing to pay a good price."
Dale faced her aunt with steady calmness. "You will do nothing about this house, Aunt Blanche, because you have no right to do anything. to-morrow morning my lawyer, Mr. Randall Granniss, will be here at 10 o'clock, with all the papers to show you how impossible your claims are. I called him last night and arranged this, and he said he would bring all the data relating to the house."
"Oh really! You presume to have a lawyer? Well, that's ridiculous!