“And he’s met a young American,” Gloria was enthusiastic now. “Some one travelling for his health, he may travel West with dad,” she rattled on. “They’ll have to come through New York.”
“And stop off.”
“Surely.”
“What won’t all you girls do to that one foreign traveller?” tossed the man rather indifferently.
“The funny part of it is we all said dad would have to bring back a prince. Now I suppose he will be—”
“A pauper,” said Uncle Charley. Presently all that was forgotten and again they talked of the big problem.
“Giving up your coat money was—heroic,” Uncle Charley insisted. “I’m not saying much, Hallelujah,” (his pet name for her) “but I’m thinkin’.”
“It wasn’t heroic one bit,” contradicted Gloria, pressing close to his arm. “I just wanted to, the same as I wanted dad to go away. It’s all bosh to say I’m brave when I’m just vain. I like to do what I want to do so much, that I can’t stand not to. So that’s why I tricked dad into going away, and that’s why I got Mrs. Gorman to the hospital. I perfectly love to think about such things after, and there’s not a bit of real goodness in doing it.”
“Well,” said the man who now turned back to the new little hedge, “it’s a first rate imitation of being good, and so far as I’m concerned I wouldn’t ask for anything better.” He pinched her arm playfully. “But just wait until Spring comes! Then we’ll see which way the cat jumps.”
She wondered what he meant. Trixy had said the engineers wouldn’t even look seriously at Echo Park until Spring, but she, Gloria, was going to look at it tomorrow. She turned away, thoughtfully and afterwards remembered the shiver she tried to shake off.