CHAPTER XX
MISGIVINGS
The complete and sudden change from the unhappy conditions at Gormans’ coupled with the exciting condition at her Aunt Harriet’s, compared with the tranquillity and luxury at the home of Trixy Travers rather stunned Gloria. She refused to be a “mope,” which to her meant having that abnormal trait of analysing such things, yet she could not shut out the question:
Why the Gormans? Why her aunt’s nerves and remorse? And why Trixy’s luck?
Lying wide eyed in the perfect bed in the perfect room, through which the faintest silver gleam from an invisible light filtered protectively, she wondered?
Like a petted child, her brain imposed upon her and sent thoughts leaping back to Barbend. There had been reality. Tommy, Millie, all the others, and over all, dear, wise Jane!
And now Millie was making new friends in the city. Millie was friendly but she was also loyal. There could be no danger of her forgetting Gloria.
“And Trixy,” prompted the tyrant brain that held sleep at arm’s length; “Trixy liked Sherry Graves, the young man who had developed Echo Park. Talking about it all, just before they had separated for the night, Trixy had told Gloria that it was partly her own father’s money which had financed the scheme, also that Ben Hardy and his family were friends of the Travers and friends of the Graves families, Sherry having been at school with young Ben.
“Of course,” reasoned Gloria now, still too wide awake to be happy, “the big contractor was apt to know the big manufacturer, also Ben was apt to know Sherry. And Trixy would be interested in a park settlement out around Sandford. She’s a model little citizen. She must have been fond of Sherry—just good pals, of course. That was what she said when she talked so earnestly of her sympathy for him. Too bad she has no brother to inspire.”
Far away a bell tolled the late hour faintly.