After that it seemed easier to tell Rex.
“Let him give me his confidence and my way will be clear,” Tom thought; and as just then Irene appeared in the door and came toward them the conversation between him and Rena ceased. After that matters drifted as matters usually do where four young people are concerned, two as good as engaged, one trying her best to be engaged, and the other not knowing what he wanted or ought to do. There were drives along the pleasant country roads, rambles in the woods, calls at Mrs. Parks’, and five o’clock teas at the McPherson place, where Irene was looked upon by Colin as the future mistress of the house. Greatly to the disgust of the old man, Reginald gave no special sign of coming to the point. He was very polite to Irene, who in all the drives and rambles fell to him naturally, and was never more fascinating and womanly than now when trying her best to enslave him. Sometimes she thought she gained a little, especially as he consulted her once with regard to some change Colin thought of making in the greenhouse, and again about the removal of a tree which obstructed the view from the window of his room. As a whole, however, he was always a quiet, reserved and taciturn man, following obediently where she led and leaving the most of the talking to her. No allusion to the will was ever made, nor did she mean there should be for the present, if she could help it.
“If he does speak of it I must either tell the truth, or feign entire ignorance, and so exonerate myself from all blame, trusting that neither Rena nor Tom will betray me,” she thought, and with this conclusion she kept steadily on, bending every energy and every art to the accomplishment of her purpose.
Just what Rex thought of her he hardly knew himself. He was far more at ease with her now than he had been at first. Once he had perpetrated some joke upon her, and once when a hairpin had fallen from her heavy braids, he had picked it up and rather awkwardly fastened it in its place, making some remark as he did so about the quality and quantity of her hair and asking her how long it was.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, putting her hands to her head to see if her false braids were in place and wondering what he would say if he knew how much she took off at night.
Three or four times the young ladies had tried the sea-bathing near the McPherson bath-house, but the surf was so heavy and the undertow so strong that they never ventured far out unless Tom or Rex were near them. One day, however, Irene, who was somewhat daring and liked to show her skill, went out so far that the strong out-going tide took her with it beyond her depth and was carrying her further and further away when Rex, who was near to her, heard her cry, “O Rex, save me!” and struck out swiftly for her. Exhausted and overcome with fright, she had sunk once before he reached her, but just as she was going down a second time he caught at the mop of hair and holding fast to it swam quickly to the shore where Tom and Rena, who had not been in the water, received her and took her to the bath-house. Returning to the beach Tom saw Reginald holding in his hand a thick braid of blonde hair at which he was looking curiously and turning it over as if greatly perplexed.
“Tom!” he gasped, “see what I have done, and she never gave a cry, although it must have hurt her fearfully. I don’t quite understand it.”
“Rex, are you an idiot, that you know nothing of false hair and girl’s toilets?” Tom said, as he took the braid and held it dripping with water before Rex, who gasped:
“You don’t mean it wasn’t growing there?”
“I don’t mean anything else,” Tom answered. “Do you suppose any girl could stand having her scalp pulled off and make no protest? You certainly are a fool!”