It was easy, in that uncertain light, to avoid Rickard’s glance of recognition. Estrada, who had come aboard with the manager, sought her out, and then Crothers, of the O. P. Again, she saw Rickard dancing with the lingerie gown. There seemed to be no attempt to cover Gerty’s preference; for Rickard, she was the only woman there! Because she was Tom’s sister, she had a right to resent it, to refuse to meet his eye. Small wonder Tom did not come to the Delta!
Going in with MacLean, Jr., to the mess room for a glass of water, she met Rickard, on his way out. She managed to avoid shaking hands with him. She wondered why she had consented to give him the next waltz.
“He’ll not find me,” she determined. Whatever had made her assent? Easy in that womanless group to plead engagements. She led MacLean into innocent but eager conspiracy. He followed her gladly to the dark corner of the deck where Jose’s guitar was then syncopating an accompaniment to his “amigo’s” voice.
“A donde ira veloz y fatigada,
La golondrina que de aqui se va?”
“How beautiful!” cried Innes. “But how sad.” She had picked up some Spanish in the towns. “I have never heard that before.” She leaned over and asked Jose if he would not write it out for her. Unblushingly, Jose said he would; “Mañana.”
“Dollars to doughnuts, he can’t write even his own name!” whispered Junior. “But I’ll see that you get it mañana!” he added. He would type it for; anything she wanted, he would get for her!
To her surprise, Rickard penetrated her curtain of shadows.
“Our dance, Miss Hardin? Give us Sobr’ Las Olas, again, Jose.”
The hand that barely touched his arm was stiff with antagonism. He stepped off at once to the music; they had no points of contact, these two. No eager threads of talk to be picked up and turned into a pattern. She told herself that he had to dance with her—politeness, conventionality, demanded it. But, instantly, she forgot her resentment, and forgot their awkward relation. It was his dancing, not Gerty’s, then, that was “superb.” Anybody could find skill under the leadership of that irresistible step. She was just an ordinary dancer, yet she felt as though she had acquired grace and skill. And then the motion claimed her. She thought of nothing; they moved as one to the liquid falling heat. She passed Estrada, just arrived. His smile fell past her. He stood watching them. The girl was not talking. He could not make out the still fixity of her face.