The Phantom Lover Part 14

Micky pa.s.sed three days before he made any attempt to see Esther Shepstone again; days that seemed like a month at least, and during which he lost his appet.i.te and forgot to smoke.

That she did not particularly care if she saw him again or not, he was miserably sure. She had no thoughts for any one but Ashton. He felt as if he could not settle to anything. On the third morning Marie Deland rang him up. He had told her many times that her voice on the telephone cheered him, but to-day it made him frown.

He tried to answer her cheery "That you, Micky?" as cheerily, but he knew it was a failure.

"What's the matter?" she asked quickly. "Aren't you well? Or are you cross?"

There was a hint of laughter in her voice. She had never known Micky cross; he was always the cheeriest of mortals.

Micky grabbed at the excuse she offered him.

"I've got a brute of a headache," he said.

"Poor old boy!" The pretty, sympathetic voice irritated him. "Come out for a walk; it will do you good."

"Thanks--thanks awfully, but I don't think it would. I'm a perfect bear--you'd hate me. Some other time."

There was a little pause. Micky could have kicked himself as he remembered on what terms they had parted. It was not her fault that a miracle had happened since then to metamorphose the whole world. He supposed uncomfortably that she was just the same as she had been when he last saw her. He knew she must be wondering why he had stayed away so long. He tried to soften his words.

"I'll look in to-night, if I may. Sorry to be such a bear."

She answered rather dispiritedly that it was all right, that she was sorry he felt ill. It was a relief when she rang off. He took his hat and went off to call on Esther.

He felt that he could settle to nothing till he had seen her again; there was a curious jealousy in his heart about Ashton; he would have given anything he possessed to be able to disillusion her, but knew it was impossible without hopelessly compromising himself.

It was a bitter disappointment to find that she was out when he reached the boarding-house; his face fell absurdly when he turned and walked away.

He wondered if she really was out, or only out to him.

After a moment he laughed at himself. A few days ago he had not known there was such a person as Esther Shepstone in the world, and yet now here he was, consumed with jealousy because she was not in when he called.

He took a taxicab back to the West End; he walked about for half an hour staring aimlessly into shop windows, then went back to his rooms.

He could not understand his extraordinary restlessness; he had only once before felt anything like it in all his life, and that had been the first time he ever backed a horse, and was waiting a wire from the course to say if the brute had won.

He recalled the fever of impatience that had consumed him then, and laughed; after all, it had been nothing compared with this.

Driver came into the room.

"If you please, sir, Miss Mason has been on the 'phone. She said would I ask you to meet her for tea."

Micky did not look enthusiastic; he liked June awfully, but to-day every one and everything seemed a bore.

"Tea! Where?" he asked vaguely.

"Miss Mason said that you would know, sir; the same place as usual."

"Oh, all right!"

Micky looked at the clock and sighed. After all, June was always amusing; he went off almost cheerfully to the unpretentious club of which she had spoken to Esther. He had to wait in the lobby while a boy in b.u.t.tons fetched June to him. She came downstairs looking very much at home, and smoking the inevitable cigarette. It was one of June Mason's charms that she always managed to look at home wherever she was.

She had taken off her coat, but she wore a green hat with a gold ornament that suited her to perfection, set on her dark head at rakish angle.

"I began to think you were not coming," she said.

She gave him her left hand, and Micky squeezed it in friendly fashion.

They went upstairs together to a small tea-room, which was just now deserted save for two waitresses who were giggling together over a newspaper.

June walked over to a table in the window, and Micky followed.

He had been here with her scores of times before, and the two waitresses smiled at one another knowingly; they were quite sure that this was romance.

Micky was sitting with an elbow on the table, absently smoothing the back of his head; he was wishing it was Esther sitting opposite to him; he looked up with a little start when June spoke to him.

"What's up, Micky? I've never seen you looking so depressed."

He roused himself with an effort.

"Oh, nothing, nothing! It's the beastly weather, I expect."

She looked at him quizzically with her queer eyes.

"I shouldn't have thought the weather would depress you," she said.

"However, if you say it does----"

He shook himself together.

"I'm not depressed any longer," he declared. "Well, and how are you?

And how is the swindle?" It was Micky's pet joke to call June's invention the "swindle," though in his heart he was almost as proud of it as she was.

She laughed.

"It's very well, thank you; but that isn't what I want to talk to you about to-day. Micky, would you like to come to tea with me one afternoon?"

Micky stared.

"Tea! Haven't I come to tea with you to-day?"

"Silly! I don't mean here; I mean where I live. It's a boarding-house.

I dare say you'll hate it, but it's really quite a nice place, and beggars can't be choosers, anyway. I've got a very comfortable sitting-room and most of my own furniture, and I can give you a good cup of tea, or anything else, if you prefer it."

"I shall be delighted," Micky looked puzzled. "But isn't this rather a breaking of rules? It's not so very long ago that you made me swear never to try and find out where you lived. I thought it was all to be a deadly secret."

"So it was, but I've decided to admit you. I know you're safe, and, Micky, wouldn't you like to meet the dearest, prettiest, most attractive little girl...."

Micky moved his chair back in mock alarm.

"June! You're not turning match-maker! If you are, I give you fair warning that our friendship will have to end once and for ever. I'll put up with a lot from you, but not this--not...."

"Don't be an idiot!" said June calmly. "There isn't the slightest fear! And anyway----" she added, with a half sigh, "she's engaged, so it wouldn't be any good. But I want you to help her.... Oh, I know I'm always bringing you foundlings to help and look after, but you've got such a big heart--and such a big banking account," she added audaciously.