Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Mystery fiction; Young men -- Fiction
“You better start,” said Eddy, and Ross got into the sedan and drove
up to the house. He was undeniably nervous. He expected to see—he
didn’t know what; a pale face looking at him from one of the windows,
a handkerchief waved to him, a note slipped into his hand, some
signal. But there was nothing.
Mr. Solway came bursting out of the front door, ran down the steps,
said “Good morning! Good morning!” to his new chauffeur, popped into
the sedan, and immediately began to read the newspaper. At the station
he bounced out, said “Four fifty,” and walked off.
Ross stopped in the town and bought himself some collars. Even this
delay worried him; he might be badly needed at the house. But, in
spite of his haste to get back, he was mighty careful in his driving,
because he had no sort of license. He returned to the garage and put
up the car—and waited.
Four hours did he wait. Eddy was nowhere about; no doubt he was
repairing telephones. Nobody came near the garage. Ross sketchily
overhauled both cars, swept out the place, and waited, not patiently,
either.
He had agreed to help that girl, and he was prepared to do so, but he
was not going to be a chauffeur much longer. It was, he thought, a
singularly dull life. What is more, he had his own affairs to look
after; he wanted to get back to New York, and to see Mr. Teagle.
At one o’clock the telephone in the garage rang, and the disagreeable
housemaid informed him that lunch was ready. Very well, he was ready
for lunch; he went over to the house and again sat down in the
kitchen, and ate again in silence. He had nothing to say, and the
three women said nothing to him.
He was not a talkative young man; he and his grandfather had often
passed entire days with scarcely a word between them, and he took this
silence as a matter of course, quite innocent of the fact that it was
hostile. The new chauffeur was not liked in the kitchen.
Then he went back to the garage, and waited, and waited, and waited,
with grim resentment. A little after four o’clock he was preparing to
take the sedan out again, when Amy appeared in the doorway, in her fur
coat and a little scarlet hat.
“Oh, good!” she cried. “You’re all ready! I want you to take me—”
“No!” said Ross. “Mr. Solway said four fifty, and I’m going to meet
his train.”
“But he meant the four fifty from New York!” said she. “You’ll have
plenty of time.” She came nearer to him. “Please, please be quick!”
she said. “It’s my last chance!”
VIII
“To the left, and straight ahead!” said Amy, as they drove out of the
gates.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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