As they stepped out of the train at Penn Yan and moved towards black George Alexander, who stood grinning and bowing before the door of the Wells’ family carriage, she managed to draw Richard aside for a moment to say:
“You need have no fear, my dear charmer, about this woman. She has no intention of falling in love with you, exquisite sir.”
The smile that came to his face puzzled her. His mild eyes seemed to be looking into her very “subliminal.”
“How can you be sure?” he asked searchingly.
CHAPTER XI
TSHOTI-NON-DA-WAGA
Instantly Geraldine knew that she had blundered. The lesson of the value of silence she had not quite learned, although she was making strides. After two weeks of “non-committalishness,” as Mrs. Wells had styled it, she had committed herself thoroughly. It was now the turn of her own ears to burn. During the late dinner and after she went to her room she flamed at the thought of her silly speech. And it was not as if the thing had come from her impromptu; she had thought it all out carefully; planned even the order of the words! With a phrase she would squelch this exquisite self-centred gentleman. In the silent rehearsal on the train the words appeared to have a smashing, annihilating power. It seemed almost too cruel to use them.... And their effect had been a comic confession of girlish inability to take a general discussion impersonally! In a smile and a look the man had accused her of laying her mind bare, of giving herself away by protesting too much.
In the morning the anger was gone, evaporated; chagrin and mild humiliation took its place. In that mood she met Richard at breakfast.
“I was outrageously angry with you last night,” she confessed. They sat opposite. Mrs. Wells was too busy getting into domestic harness again to have even a subliminal ear open; and Walter, as usual, remained aloof.
“Yes,” he appeared to have forgotten the cause; “so you were. Was it my fault?”
“I don’t suppose it was anyone’s fault,” she replied; “that is, according to your view of things. It was like a gust of wind. It swept over me. I present it to your collection of interesting ‘mental facts.’ Your suggestion that all women eventually make eyes at you——”