Red laughed. “Good for you!” he commented. “I’m—trying rather hard not to like him.”
Tom stared. “Oh—why not?” he questioned, eagerly.
But he didn’t hear the explanation of this extraordinary statement, for one of the older men came up and hauled him away by the arm, and he had a bad time of it, mostly, for the rest of the evening. He was only restrained from making a bolt and getting away from the house by the remembrance of Black’s promise.
The time came, however, when for a moment he feared it was all up with that moonlight spin. He had just slipped out upon the porch and assured himself that the night was continuing to be the finest ever, when he heard Red inside taking leave. He hurried back, and discovered that the other men were evidently about to take the cue and go also. He came around to Black’s elbow in time to hear Red address the minister.
“Happen to be in the mood for a run of a few miles in my car?” Red invited, in his careless way which left a man free to accept or refuse as he chose. “I have to see a patient yet to-night. It was a pretty fine night when I came in.”
Tom couldn’t know—how could he?—what, in the circumstances, it cost Black to reply as he promptly did:
“Thank you—I’d like nothing better—except what I’m going to have: the same thing with Tom Lockhart.”
Now Tom was a gentleman, and he hastened to release Black from his promise, though his face plainly showed his disappointment.
“Please go with the Doctor, if you like, Mr. Black. His car can put it all over mine—and he doesn’t ask anybody very often—as I happen to know.”
Black smiled. “I’m engaged to you, Tom,” he said, “and I’m going with you, if you’ll take me. Mighty sorry I can’t be in two places at the same time, Doctor Burns.”