“Do you refer to my behavior?” asked Tom, blandly.
Polly’s eyes snapped. “Of course not! Must you always think yourself first and foremost?”
As this was an unexpected and undeserved slap for Tom, he was still groping for a clue, when Polly’s angry impatience with herself for having made such a blunder in her calculations about Eleanor and the others, made her exclaim:
“Well, I can plainly see that Nolla will never make any sort of a business partner for me! Her foolish head is so turned by beaus, that she will never settle down until Paul has either spurned her love, or she is married and divorced again. Then there may be hopes of her attending to our work.”
As Tom was not aware of Paul’s sudden appearance and hasty departure, he still pondered what was best to say to Polly, in her unusual pettish mood. But she paid no heed to his silence and continued, like most women will when they have been mistaken, and fear the consequences of an ill-advised step.
“I declare! if Paul does come back and makes up with Nolla, I shall move heaven and earth to see that they are safely engaged this time! And that Jack Baxter, well, I’ll make Dalky ship him off to some distant college so there’ll be no further wasting of valuable time with him!”
This last declaration so over-joyed Tom that he found courage to offer a suggestion. But he was too unwise this time. “You’re absolutely right, Polly dear. That Baxter has nothing better to do than kill time. He never did a stroke of work in his life, nor did his father before him. Those young ‘lady’s men’ who live on their ancestor’s rewards of labor, never amount to a row of beans.”
Polly stared freezingly at Tom, but he was completely mesmerized with the romantic picture he was presenting, and so he continued oblivious of his companion’s expression.
“We’ll send Baxter flying, after this, and help poor Paul to hold his place with Nolla. I’ll wire Paul to fix it so he can come East for Christmas, and surprise Nolla. Then we’ll all announce a double engagement, eh?” Tom turned to watch Polly’s face as she surely must second his plan, but he changed his mind when he saw her frown. “As usual, Tom, you’re much too late in your brilliant ideas. Others are ahead of you. Paul has been here tonight and gone again, and Nolla will never have any engagement to announce—if she waits for Paul’s declaration.
“As for me! My announcements are being engraved now.”