Businessmen -- Virginia -- Fiction; Upper class -- Virginia -- Fiction; Women dancers -- France -- Fiction
“He looks as if he might kill a man, lame as he is,” one of the
bystanders whispered, and Daniel heard it.
“I don’t know that we can get an indictment for manslaughter, Dan,”
said the judge, in his ear. “Seems to me it’ll be murder, but there’s
no telling with that jury.”
Daniel, thinking of Leigh’s boyish face and girlish eyes, set his
teeth very hard. At that moment he had no feeling of pity for Fanchon.
“When a man gets married the way William did,” remarked the judge,
“it’s mighty like putting your hand into a grab-bag at a church fair.
You’re not going to get anything useful out of it.”
Daniel said nothing.
They crossed the square and ascended the court-house steps half an hour
before the time set for the grand jury.
Meanwhile, Mr. Carter came down to Judge Jessup’s office and collapsed
there. He had intended to go on to the court-house, but he could not.
He sat down limply in the judge’s chair with one hand on the telephone,
waiting to be called.
He had passed a terrible night. Mrs. Carter had indulged in the only
fit of hysterics she had ever had in her life, and her husband had
thought, at first, that it was apoplexy. He had summoned Dr. Barbour,
rousing the good man from his bed, and had caught a lecture for it.
“Never seen a woman in hysterics before?” the doctor asked fiercely.
“Put her feet in hot mustard water. I reckon that when you see a real
fit you’ll turn in the fire-alarm!”
But he was unable to eradicate Mr. Carter’s first impressions. Thinking
it over now, he shook his head.
“Never saw her like that in her life before,” he reflected. “Had seven
children and lost three--and never threw a fit before! If Leigh----”
He stopped at that; he couldn’t go any further. He rose and pulled off
his coat and unbuttoned his collar. He felt that the heat--it was only
an ordinary summer day--was intolerably oppressive. Then he took down
the telephone receiver absently, and had to assure central that he
didn’t want anything.
“Knocked it off by accident,” he explained mendaciously.
But the incident embarrassed him, and he collapsed into the chair again
and fanned himself with his hat. Then the telephone-bell rang sharply
in his ear, and he seized the receiver. A tremulous young voice called:
“Is Judge Jessup there?”
“No, the judge has gone over to the court-house. This is Mr.
Carter--Johnson Carter.”
“Oh, papa!” It was Emily, and he could almost feel her tears through
the instrument. “Mama thought you might be at the judge’s office. Got
any news about Leigh?”
“Not yet!” Mr. Carter was hoarse, but he cleared his throat. “How’s
mama?”
“She’s all right; she’s just taken peppermint tea. Papa, I’ve got
something to tell you.”
Her voice seemed to die away, but he heard her blowing her nose.
“What is it, Emmy?”
“F-Fanchon’s going--she’s got the expressman here for her trunks.”
“Glad of it!” said Mr. Carter dryly. “If she wants a taxi, I’ll send
it.”
“Oh, papa!”
“Yes?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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