Ames reached for a carafe that stood among glasses on a table near-by, poured a tumblerful of water with a shaking hand, and drank. Then he shook his head solemnly. “No, you wonder. Of course you wonder.”
Stacey watched him critically. “Doing pretty well,” he thought. But beneath Stacey’s surface calm was hatred. So this—this sweating, panting, bald-headed animal—owned Marian, did he?
“Damn it all, Stacey!” Ames whispered raucously, leaning close to his tormentor, “I can’t help it! Marian’s so God-damned cold! ’S’no place to talk about her—I’ve got sense enough left to know that. But got to explain myself to you—you of all people! Cold, that’s what she is,—ice! Freezes a man. Honest to God she does! Looks-a fellow ’s’though he was dirt—yes, tha’s it, dirt! Locks her door. ’S’why I come here. Let her treat me like a man—I’d be best of husbands—none better.”
“Sorry to hear this,” Stacey returned smoothly. “Wished you both all sorts of happiness. But you don’t owe me any explanations. Besides, this is a place for light-hearted gaiety. Shame to spoil it with dull thoughts of home. I’m out here with Bill Whittaker and his young lady. Thought perhaps, when I saw you, we might all arrange to dine together in one large genial party. How about it?”
Ames stared at him, his face clearing slowly. “Why, sure!” he said at last, heaving a sigh. “Thought at first you’d—oh, never mind now! what? Come on over and meet Ethel.”
“I’d like to. Not cold, eh?”
“No, not cold. Not warm or cold,” said Ames judicially, “but friendly. Good sort, Ethel!” He drew Stacey back to the alcove. “Ethel, ’s Stacey Carroll. Wants us to dine with him an’ some other people. First-rate, what?”
Stacey bowed, and the girl looked at him appraisingly. She was really very handsome, he saw now, with an enigmatic quality in her face, caused perhaps by the fact that her black eyes were not quite horizontal, but slanted down ever so faintly toward the bridge of her nose.
“Yes,” she said finally, in a pleasant voice, “that’ll be nice.”
“Well, I’ll tell you,” Stacey remarked. “I’ll go back and arrange with Whittaker about it. See you both in a few minutes.” And he crossed the room, smiling again.