"Now I wonder if you would mind telling me how your cousin obtained her
information," Marjorie's new friend said when he had recovered his
gravity. "I haven't met her, have I? What is her name?"
"Elsie Carleton. No, she hasn't met you yet, but she wants to very much.
A friend of hers has promised to introduce you if she has a chance. Your
name is Randolph, isn't it?"
"Yes, Beverly Randolph, at your service. I shall be very glad to meet
your cousin, I am sure. Perhaps you will introduce us."
"Of course I will if you like. It seems very queer not to know a person
who lives in the same house with one, but Elsie says they don't know any
of the people at the hotel. It was all so different at home."
Then Beverly Randolph asked some questions about Arizona, which set
Marjorie off on a description of the ranch, and her life there, which
lasted until they reached the Fifth Avenue entrance.
"That's the gate I came in," exclaimed Marjorie. "I wasn't so far away,
after all. Would you mind telling me what time it is?"
Beverly Randolph took out his watch.
"Ten minutes past nine," he said, looking somewhat dismayed in his turn;
"I had no idea it was so late. Luckily it is Saturday, so there are no
recitations to miss."
"O dear! I am afraid I am terribly late for breakfast," said Marjorie,
feeling very much ashamed of herself. And without another word, they
hurried across the avenue, and entered the hotel, where the very first
person Marjorie saw in the entrance hall was her uncle.
"Oh, Uncle Henry, I am so sorry to be late!" she cried remorsefully,
springing to Mr. Carleton's side. "I hope you and Aunt Julia aren't
annoyed with me."
"Where in the world have you been, Marjorie?" her uncle demanded,
ignoring the latter part of her remark. He was looking decidedly annoyed
as well as worried.
"Why, I got up early," Marjorie explained, "and the girl who was dusting
said you never had breakfast before half-past eight, so I thought I
would go for a walk in the park. I got lost, and couldn't remember the
name of the hotel, but fortunately, just as I was beginning to be a
little frightened, I met Mr. Beverly Randolph, and he brought me home."
"And who is Beverly Randolph? I had no idea you had friends in New
York."
"Oh, he isn't exactly a friend--at least he wasn't till this morning.
You know who he is, Uncle Henry; that nice-looking boy Elsie was talking
about at dinner last night. Wasn't it fortunate I recognized him. He is
just as nice as he can be, and I'm going to introduce him to Elsie."
"Come upstairs at once," said Mr. Carleton, a trifle less sternly. "We
have been very anxious about you; you must never do such a thing
again."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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