And to make matters worse, Reginald Hamilton did not call that evening, so Eva did not have his presence to distract her attention from Ada’s visitor.
He sent an excuse, saying he was detained by the unexpected arrival of an English friend, to whom he must do the honors of the city. He would call, if permitted, the next evening, bringing his friend with him.
But Doctor Ludington did not fail to keep his appointment with Ada.
Eva had no right to be jealous, but she could not help seeing how beautifully her friend was dressed and what a pleasant sparkle of excitement shone in her clear, brown eyes. She envied Ada beyond all telling the happiness of that evening.
To be near him for more than an hour, to listen to his musical voice and his pleasant laughter, to gaze unchecked on his handsome face, to touch his firm, warm hand in greeting and parting—oh, how she envied Ada such perfect bliss!
She sighed to herself:
“How can I bear his presence in the house, yet apart from me, the guest of another! I am afraid I should be listening at the door for the tones of his voice; perhaps be unable to resist the temptation of entering and sharing with Ada the joy of his presence. I—I—will not remain in the house! I will go off to the theatre—or somewhere!”
Alas! Auntie was lying down with one of her spells of neuralgia, and papa was off to Philadelphia for a few days on business. She could not go anywhere unchaperoned.
She decided to seclude herself in her own room, where not a sound of his coming could penetrate to her ears. She would get a thrilling novel and read it so as to lose herself in its pages and temporarily forget the world.
Alas! the gifted author seemed dull and prosy to excited Eva. She could not help listening for the ring of the doorbell; she knew when his card was brought to Ada, and when the latter went down to receive him in the pretty reception room next the drawing-room.