"I ought to send my telegram to Riceville first," he said, "to let them know I shall be there on the noon train."
"After the grapefruit," said Aunt Mary, with a decided note in her voice which led Merriam to look at her inquiringly.
But he desired to exhibit the coolness of a man of the world, to whom telegrams were customary incidents of daily living and who habitually ran close to the wind in the matter of trains. So he acquiesced with a bookish "As you please," and moved with the others to the table.
Simpson had decorated the center of the board with one of the hotel's slim glass vases holding a couple of pink carnations. Mollie June regarded this ornament with disfavour.
"Let's have the roses instead, Mr. John," she said.
And Merriam, to the scandal of Simpson, himself removed the carnations and set the bowl of roses in their place.
They said little over the grapefruit. Alicia added a few humorous comments on points in the newspaper article, but Aunt Mary was divided between an anxious absent-mindedness and a curious questioning scrutiny of Merriam, and Merriam was distracted between a suppressed worry over his telegram and approaching train time and the delight of stolen glances at--Mrs. Senator Norman. As for Mrs. Senator Norman, she devoted herself chiefly to the fruit. Once or twice, in looking up, she almost unavoidably intercepted one of Merriam's guilty glances. When this happened, she met his eyes frankly but with a gravity that was pathetically, forgivingly rebuking.
Presently Simpson was removing the fruit rinds and placing finger bowls. Merriam looked quickly at his watch again and spoke to the waiter:
"Bring me a telegraph form, please."
Aunt Mary's absent-mindedness instantly vanished.