Several times the captain rose from his chair to telephone the Dunn house and ask the reason for delay. Each time he decided not to do so. No doubt there were good reasons; Caroline and her brother had been detained; perhaps the automobile had broken down—the things were always breaking down just at the most inconvenient times; perhaps.... Well, at any rate, he would not ’phone just yet; he would wait a little longer.
At last the bell rang. Captain Elisha sprang up, smiling, his impatience and worry forgotten, and, pushing the butler aside, hurried to open the door himself. He did so and faced, not his niece and nephew, but Pearson.
“Good evening, Captain,” hailed the young man, cheerily. “Didn’t expect me, did you? I dropped in for a moment to shake hands with you and to offer congratulations to Miss Warren.” Then, noticing the expression on his friend’s face, he added, “What’s the matter? Anything wrong? Am I intruding?”
“No, no! Course not. You’re as welcome as another egg in a poor man’s hen-house. Come right in and take off your things. I’m glad to see you. Only—well, the fact is I thought ’twas Caroline comin’ home. She and Stevie was to be here over two hours ago, and I can’t imagine what’s keepin’ ’em.”
He insisted upon his visitor’s remaining, although the latter, when he understood the situation, was reluctant to do so.
“Caroline’ll be real glad to see you, Jim, I know,” the captain said. “And I want you to stay for my sake. Between pacifyin’ the Commodore and frettin’ over what couldn’t possibly happen, I was half dead of the fidgets. Stay and cheer me up, there’s a good feller. I’d just about reached the stage where I had the girl and boy stove to flinders under that pesky auto. I’d even begun to figger on notifyin’ the undertaker. Tell me I’m an old fool and then talk about somethin’ else. They’ll be here any minute.”
But a good many minutes passed, and still they did not come. Pearson, aware of his companion’s growing anxiety, chatted of the novel, of the people at the boarding house, of anything and everything he could think of likely to divert attention from the one important topic. The answers he received were more and more brief and absent. At last, when Edwards again appeared, appealingly mute, at the entrance to the dining room, Captain Elisha, with a sigh which was almost a groan, surrendered.
“I guess,” he said, reluctantly, “I guess, Jim, there ain’t any use waitin’ any longer. Somethin’s kept ’em, and they won’t be here for dinner. You and I’ll set down and eat—though I ain’t got the appetite I cal’lated to have.”
Pearson had dined hours before, but he followed his friend, resolved to please the latter by going through the form of pretending to eat.
They sat down together. Captain Elisha, with a rueful smile, pointed to the floral centerpiece.