“What for?”
“Attwood brought me news of it. I don’t know where he’s going. I’m not supposed to know anything. But for to get rich, for one thing.” He closed his book and restored it to its place on the shelves. “He took the left-hand road, you see. It was manifest destiny; and you and I and Eleanor cannot move one whit the career of that young man.”
CHAPTER XII
When Kate called him up over the telephone, inviting him, second-hand, to join a Masters party at Sanguinetti’s restaurant, Bertram interrupted his banter to ask if Eleanor were going.
“I’m sure I don’t know what her plans are,” said Kate. “Why don’t you ask her?” The tone was a little cold.
Remembering his duty, Bertram did ask Eleanor over the telephone.
“I’m sorry,” answered Eleanor, “but I had to decline.”
“Oh, duck your engagement if you have any!” he said, pleading like a boy. “It’ll do you good to jolly up!” But she was firm. He matched the cool tone of Kate with the equally cool tone of Eleanor, and wondered, as he hung up the telephone, whether anything had gone wrong between those girls. He remembered now that he had not seen Kate at the Tiffany’s since the expedition into 213 Chinatown. Had he but known it, he was perceiving late a thing of which others were making gossip already.