Amelia came up. She had seen Vernon’s expression.
“What is it—what has happened?” she inquired.
“Well, I got here too late, that’s all,” said Vernon. “I was detained, and Mrs. Hodge-Lathrop has just now kindly told me that she had arranged that I should be. I’m ruined, that’s all; I’m lost.”
“No, Morley,” said Mrs. Hodge-Lathrop, “you’re saved. You’re saved from yourself.” She still smiled at him sweetly. “You might have made, don’t you know, another one of your speeches.”
Vernon bit his lip and walked away. He encountered Martin, but could only look at him helplessly. Martin returned his look with one of surprise.
“You here?” he said.
“Well, yes,” replied Vernon. “At last—too late, it seems.”
The surprise had not left Martin’s face; to it was now added a perplexity.
“If we’d known,” said Martin; “but we thought, that is, we heard, that you had ducked.”
Vernon shook his head as with a pain that would not let him speak. He was looking disconsolately across the chamber to where Miss Greene stood talking with Bull Burns. As in a dream, he heard Mrs. Overman Hodge-Lathrop exclaim: