She turned suddenly from the rose garden and fixed her keen gray eyes upon him, as she exclaimed: “You are?”
“Yes,” he said. “My mother and I.” Then he explained in detail how an exceptional opportunity had presented itself; they were feeling somewhat cramped for room, and had been for some time trying to plan for a change; but he was paying all the rent it seemed to him he ought to afford; and now had come this chance. A friend of his, who owned several houses, had one on a pleasant street, more convenient to his place of business, more desirable in several ways than his present home, and with two more rooms in it, that he offered to him for the same rent that he was now paying; it had been unexpectedly vacated after the usual season for renting was past, hence this unusual offer. Then he went on to explain that in addition to Ray’s reluctance to leave home while her father and mother were so burdened, there had been with her the fear that his invalid mother, though more than willing, even eager to claim her as a daughter, would suffer because of the smallness of his house, and the need she would feel for taking less room than an invalid ought to have. The two additional rooms in this prospective house, and all the rooms larger and pleasanter, would remove that difficulty, and as Aunt Elsie had graciously lifted the burden from the father, and had promised to continue to belong to the family, thereby relieving Mrs. Forman’s cares, did she not agree with him that the time had come at last for their marriage, and would she not use her almost unbounded influence with Ray to that effect?
Aunt Elsie gave him undivided attention, not once turning her eyes to the west window to watch the glory of a sky getting ready for sunset; her face was alive with interest and sympathy.
“I understand all about it, Kendall,” she said, when at last he came to a period and waited for her word. “I don’t in the least wonder that you are in a hurry to get Ray to yourself, and I think you have been patient and unselfish and like a son, in waiting. I do think that Ray can leave her mother better than she could have done a few months ago; and as for my brother, I may as well tell you now that I see a way to fix things so that he need not be burdened about money matters, as he has been all these later years. I did not understand it before, or I—well, never mind that now. But don’t move just yet, Kendall; wait a few months; and don’t take that house.”
He was bitterly disappointed; his hopes that had been mounting higher with every word she spoke, until that last sentence, now dropped to zero. He had been over the ground so often and so carefully with Ray, and her ideas he had been compelled to admit were so reasonable, that he felt sure the house where he now lived would be an insurmountable obstacle with her. What possible objection could her aunt have to the plan he proposed? Could she imagine that he was being deceived, and that once settled in the new house he would be called upon to pay a higher rent than he could manage? If she had any such idea he could convince her of her mistake in five seconds; the name of the man who had made him the offer would be sufficient answer in itself to any such fears. Moreover, he was himself a business man, and would, of course, have a lease duly signed. Perhaps she thought it beneath his dignity to accept an offer of that kind, as though he were an object of charity; but he could make that plain to her. The house would in all probability stand idle until another season unless some such offer was made; and the owner would rather have it rented at a lower figure than to stand vacant. It was all perfectly reasonable from a business standpoint, even though, at the same time, it was an exceptionally kind offer that he appreciated. Why did not she tell him what her objections were, so that he could, perhaps, remove them? Should he act upon those imaginary ones and proceed to enlighten her? Or must he let it all go? Not only Ray but the entire Forman family were in the mood to be greatly influenced by what Aunt Elsie might say.
She was watching his face with keen interest; suddenly she said: “I believe, after all, I shall have to tell you something, though I didn’t want to.”
[CHAPTER XIV]
HOUSES, AND DRESSES, AND SPOONS
“You see, I wanted to wait a while and talk to both of you together, but I don’t believe it can be managed. Instead, I think you and I will plan a nice little secret, and keep her out of it for a while. How will that do?”
Aunt Elsie laughed at his bewildered face, and hastened on:
“The fact is, Kendall, I want Ray to live here; this house just fits her; she belongs, and I can’t think of her as anywhere else. Besides, those communicating rooms over there will be perfection for your mother. I can see just how she could be established in them in peace and comfort. Then that rose garden needs Ray, if anything ever did; the whole house needs her, in fact; can’t you see for yourself that she belongs here?”