He nodded peremptorily and insistently. Again she shook her head, and as she did so Farnsworth wheeled suddenly and saw the man.
Angrily, he made a dash for him, but the stranger was agile and alert, and ran swiftly away and out of the grounds to the street.
Farnsworth looked at Azalea coldly. "So you were holding communication with him, over my shoulder! This is a little too much, Azalea, and now the crisis has been reached. Either you give me a full explanation of your business with him, or you bring your visit here to an end. I cannot have you in my house, if you are deceitful and insincere. I stand by my offer; I will listen willingly to your story, and judge you most leniently. I don't really believe you are up to anything wrong. But a secret is always mysterious and I hold that you are too young and inexperienced to have secrets from your elders."
"I have nothing to confess or confide, Cousin William," said Azalea, putting on a haughty air. "I refuse to be accused of wrong-doing, when I am not guilty of it,—and I will bring my visit here to an end at once! I will leave to-morrow!"
"Oh, pshaw, Zaly, don't go off so suddenly!" Farnsworth laughed lightly, for he had said a little more than he meant to, and he realised, too, that this was neither the time nor the place to have such a serious talk with the girl.
"Come along now, and have tea with us all in the tea-house," he said. "Forget your bad, cruel cousin's scoldy ways, and as to the mysterious man, I'll trust your word that he's all right."
"Oh, thank you, Cousin!" Azalea fairly beamed now. "How good you are!
I'll tell you all about it,—some day!"
So the matter rested for the moment, and the two went to join the merry group around the tea-table.
The Fair drew to a brilliant close. The second evening was even more gay and festive than the first. Everything was sold out,—or, if not, it was disposed of by auction after the time-honoured method of Fairs.
Much money had been accumulated for the good cause, and though tired, the workers were jubilant over the success of Vanity Fair.