Paul began to accuse himself for being a brute, and Mr. Dalken patted Eleanor’s head and said comfortingly: “Never mind, Nolla dear. You’ll learn by bitter experience that the more one interferes in these love tangles for the sake of helping friends out of their troubles, the more our friends detest us and we end in falling into snares ourselves.”
“Um—don’t I know it now!” wept Eleanor, in a muffled voice, because her mouth was hard against her comforter’s coat.
Paul stood uncertain of what to say or do. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and glanced around, but always brought his wandering eyes back to Eleanor’s shaking form.
An interruption, in shape of the entrance of some merry tenants of another apartment, suddenly caused Mr. Dalken to lift Eleanor’s head and hurry her, with Paul, into the reception room at one end of the main hall. Here they sat down to have an understanding.
When the facts were fully revealed, Paul was as grateful to Mr. Dalken for restraining him in his plans to run away, as Eleanor was for his hasty removal of her from upstairs, to the hall downstairs. And poor Mr. Dalken was most grateful to find he had made peace between two disturbed young hearts. He got up and said: “Let’s hope you won’t curse me in the future, for this reconciliation. And for goodness’ sake! Let me get upstairs to my guests, and help Taki serve refreshments, or the oysters will be ruined with stewing, while the wonderful French patties I got from Del’s, will be cold and clammy.”
Eleanor laughed, and beckoned Paul to come up again. So the grinning elevator man carried them up and very considerately accepted the tip Paul slipped into his palm as he stepped from the lift.
The Japanese butler had not waited for Mr. Dalken, however, and was passing the famous patties and sandwiches when the three absent members of the party entered again, and tried to act as if nothing unusual had happened.
Polly had witnessed Paul’s flying departure, and thereafter saw Jack and Eleanor astounded in the darkened library. When Mr. Dalken rushed in and dragged them both away, Polly stood open-mouthed and stared after them. The Jap wisely hurried forward and carefully closed the front door, then went back to his duties without showing that he had seen the queer performances of his master, or found Polly standing there, the single witness of the scene.
Polly still stood in the hall deeply perplexed, when Tom sauntered from Mr. Dalken’s bedroom where he had been smoking a cigarette to steady his nerves. Now he joined Polly and began a conventional phrase, but was suddenly interrupted by her.
“What does all this silly behavior mean?” demanded she.