“Why shouldn’t I? He is an old friend.” Gerty caught a glance of appeal, from sister to brother. “Jealous?” she pouted charmingly at her lord.
“Jealous, no!” bluffed Hardin.
He thought then that she knew, that Innes had told her. The Lawrence episode held no sting to him. Once, it had enchanted him that he had carried off the boarding-house belle, whom even that bookman had found desirable—bookman! A superior dude! He had always had those grand airs. As if it were not more to a man’s credit to struggle for his education, even if he were older than his class, or his teacher, than to accept it off silver plates, handed by lackeys? Rickard had always acted as if it had been something to be ashamed of. It made him sick.
“They’ve done it this time. It’s a fool choice.”
Again, that look of pleading from Innes. Gerty had a shiver of intuition.
“Fool choice?” Her voice was ominously calm.
Hardin shook off Innes’ eyes. Better be done with it! “He’s the new general manager.”
“He’s the general manager!”
“I’m to take orders from him.”
Gerty’s silence was of the stunned variety. The Hardins watched her crumbling bread on the table-cloth, thinking, fearfully, that she was going to cry.