Ruth would never dare throw a hat across the room, no matter how much she felt like it. She watched Gloria in a perfect passion of admiration that half drowned the sharp pain in her heart because she knew that Terry also saw Gloria’s beauty and felt the charm of her.
“If you really must go away, and I can understand that too, for I’d like to get away myself, why not take a sea voyage—that’s the real thing in rest cures. Go to San Francisco by rail and then take one of those boats that run to Hawaii and Samoa and on to Sydney if you don’t want to stop at Samoa. Let me see, five days to San Francisco, eighteen days to Sydney, not counting a long stopover in Hawaii and Samoa, and by the time you return I’ll have a comedy written for you,—a comedy in which the entire plot rests on the heroine’s being not less than six feet tall—”
“Don’t tease me, Terry—it isn’t fair—you’ve been writing that comedy for three years now—if you only would write it I wouldn’t care even if I had to play opposite a giant from a circus—”
She was near tears, so near that Ruth could hardly restrain an impulse to go to her and throw her arms about her, when Terry evidently with the same impulse went to her and did throw one arm about her shoulders. Ruth saw now that they were exactly the same height.
“My dear girl, I’m not teasing. The comedy is half finished now, only I wanted to keep it for a surprise, and you won’t play opposite a circus giant. If necessary I’ll play opposite you myself and wear French heels.”
“Don’t believe him, Ruth,” said Gloria, smiling now. “He’s always promising to write a comedy for me, but he doesn’t mean it.”
“Wait and see,” said Terry. “You do believe me, don’t you Ruth?”
But Ruth, gazing hopelessly on the splendid beauty of her aunt, and seeing Terry’s arm across her shoulder could not answer.
“I’ll give you four weeks more to make good, Terry,” said Gloria. “Clear all the junk away, George; I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going away for a while.”
Terry Riordan forebore to laugh, but his eyes again sought Ruth’s in secret understanding.