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CHAPTER II
Edward Nelson, the counsel, in somemeasure the political adviser and, as to thepublic, the buffer of the Kimberly sugar interests, was fond of entertaining. Being naturally anamiable gourmet, his interests suited his tastes.Moreover, his wife, Lottie Nelson, pleasing offace, with a figure well proportioned and withdistinction in her bright, indolent eyes, loved toentertain. And she loved to entertain withoutworking hard to do so. Morningside, her countryhome at Second Lake, though both attractive andspacious, and designed with a view to entertaining, was already being replaced with a new home moreattractive and more spacious, and meant to befilled with still more guests.
Observation and experience had convincedLottie that the easiest way to keep people in hand isto feed them well. And she quite understood thata vital part of the feeding in such a philosophy isthe drinking. There were difficulties, it is true, but which of us has not difficulties?
People-provided, they were people ofconsequence-diverted Lottie. She had nochildren-children had no place in her view of life-norwas she vitally interested in her husband. Thecompanionship of those whom she called herfriends thus became a necessity; the annoyancebeing that not always would the particularfriends whom she wanted-men chiefly-gather to her.
On the evening of the De Castro dinner anddance, Lottie was in better than her usual spirits.She had brought home Charles Kimberly-who asa yachtsman bore the title of Commodore-andhis wife, Imogene. Imogene, the little Quakeress, did not like her, as Lottie was aware, but CharlesKimberly was always in sorts and alwaystractable-different in that respect from Robert.Charles and his wife took MacBirney and FritzieVenable to the Nelsons' with them and Alice wasto follow with the De Castros.
When Lottie reached home, Dora Morgan hadalready come over with George Doane, one of theKimberly stock brokers. These two assured theevening. In the dining-room only a few-of theright sort-were needed for good company.
But more was in prospect for thisevening-Robert Kimberly was expected. Nelson camedown from the library with MacBirney and lefthim with Imogene while he followed Charles toa smoking-room. Fritzie and Mrs. Nelson joinedDoane and Dora Morgan in the music-room.Cards were proposed, but no one had the energyto get at them.
A servant passed in the hall to answer the doorand Lottie Nelson at once left the room. Whenshe reached the vestibule the footman was takingRobert Kimberly's coat. She walked well up toRobert before she spoke: "At last!"
"I went back to The Towers for a moment,"said Kimberly in explanation. "Are Charles andNelson here?"
"And is that all after a month-'Are Charlesand Nelson here?'!" echoed Lottie patiently andwith a touch of intimate reproach.
"We have a conference to-night, you know,Lottie. How are you?"
She put back her abundant hair: "Why didn'tyou call up last week when you were home tofind out?"
"I was home only overnight. And I camelate and left before you were awake. You knowI have been at the new refinery for a week. Webegan melting yesterday."
"At the big one?"
"At the big one."
She took hold of the lei that he had worn overfrom the dance and in a leisurely way made apretence of braiding the stem of a loose rose backinto it. "This is the prettiest I've seen," saidLottie. "Who gave it to you?"
"Grace. What is the matter with it?" heasked looking down at her white fingers.
"You are losing your decoration," she murmuredwith leisurely good-nature. "Nobody todo anything for you."
Kimberly looked at the parting lei with someannoyance, but if he entertained doubts as to itsneeding attention he expressed none. "Thesethings are a nuisance anyway," he declared atlength, lifting the lei impatiently over his head anddepositing it without more ado on a console. "Wewill leave it there."
"Where else have you been all this time?"demanded Lottie with an indolent interest.
"All over the country-even across the Rockies."
"Across the Rockies! And a whole big car toyourself! You must love solitude. And now youare buying a lot of refineries."
"Not I-the companies are."
"Oh, it's all the same."
"Not precisely; this MacBirney purchase isnot by my advice or with my approval."
"He is in there now, Imogene is talking with him."
"The trip was extremely tedious," said Kimberly, casting his eyes slowly around for means of escape.
"How could it be anything else with no friendsalong?"
"With McCrea and two secretaries and astenographer, I hadn't time to take any friends."
"What is time for?"
"I should say in the West it is valuable forgetting home with."
"And when you do get home?"
"To build more; borrow more; control more; sell more; spend more. I'm speaking for all therest of you, not for myself. I'm just thecentrifugal to throw the money out."
"Never by any chance to live more, I suppose?"
"You mean to eat and drink more? Howcould we?"
"I don't mean to eat and drink more. I meanjust what I say, to live more!"
They were at the threshold of the music room.He laughed good-naturedly, but Lottie declinedto be appeased.
"Lord, but I'm sick of it all!" she exclaimedpetulantly.
Kimberly used care not to offend, yet he alwaysinterposed a screen between himself and her, and however delicate the barrier, Lottie Nelsonhad never been able to penetrate it.
"No sicker of it than I am," he returned."But I'm a part of the machine; I can't get out.I suppose you are, and you can't get out. Butyou are too young to talk like that; wait till thenew home is finished. Then you will shine."
She uttered a contemptuous exclamation, notquite loud enough for the others to hear, as shereëntered the room. The others, in fact, scarcelywould have heard. Fritzie, Doane, and DoraMorgan were laughing immoderately. Imogeneat the piano was playing softly. Kimberlystopped to speak to her.
"I forgot, by the way, to ask you when yousail, Imogene," he said.
She answered with one hand running over thekeys: "That depends on you, doesn't it, Robert?I do hope you'll get through soon."
"Anxious to get away, are you?"
"You know I always am."
"Where are you going this time?"
"To the Mediterranean, I suppose."
"You are fond of the Mediterranean."
"Every place else seems so savage after it."
"Lottie says you have been talking with MacBirney."
"Just a few minutes."
"How do you like him?" asked her brother-in-law.
Imogene laughed a little: "He is very intelligent.He confuses me a little, though; he is so brisk."
"Is he entertaining?"
Imogene shrugged her shoulders: "Yes. Only,he rather makes you feel as if he were selling yousomething, don't you know. I suppose it's hardlyfair to judge of one from the first interview. Hisviews are broad," smiled Imogene in retrospect."'I can't understand,' he said 'why our Americanmen should so unceasingly pursue money. Whatcan more than a million or two possibly be goodfor-unless to give away?'" Imogene looked witha droll smile into Kimberly's stolid face. "Whenhe said, 'a million or two,' I thought of my wretchedbrother-in-law struggling along with thirty or fortythat he hasn't yet managed to get rid of!"
"You don't think, then, he would accept a fewof them?" suggested Kimberly.
"Suppose you try him some time," smiledImogene as she walked with Kimberly to thecard-table where Fritzie and Dora Morgan sat withDoane.
"Travelling agrees with you, Robert," observed Doane.
"The country agrees with you," returnedKimberly. "Good company, I suppose, George, isthe secret."
"How is the consolidation getting along?"
"There isn't any consolidation."
"Combination, then?"
"Slowly. How is the market?"
"Our end of it is waiting on you. When shallyou have some news for us?"
"You don't need news to make a market,"returned Kimberly indifferently, as he sat down.He looked at those around the table. "What areyou doing?"
"Tell your story again, Dora," suggested Doane.
Dora Morgan looked at Kimberly defiantly."No," she said briefly.
"Pshaw, tell it," urged Doane. "It's about theVirgin Mary, Robert."
Dora was firm: "It's not a bachelor's story,"she insisted.
"Most of your stories are bachelors' stories,Dora," said Kimberly.
Dora threw away her cigarette. "Listen tothat! Didn't I tell you?" she asked appealingto Doane. "Robert is getting to be a real nice man."
In an effort to appease both sides, Doanelaughed, but somewhat carefully.
"I got into trouble only the other day in tellingthat story," continued Dora, with the sameundercurrent of defiance.
Effectively dressed, though with a tendency tocolor, and with dark, regular features, flushed alittle at night, Dora Morgan had a promise ofmanner that contrasted peculiarly with herfreedom of tongue.
"Tell us about it, Dora?" said Lottie Nelson.
"It was over at The Towers. I was telling thestory to Uncle John. His blood is red, yet," sheadded without looking at Robert Kimberly toemphasize her implication.
"Uncle John!" echoed Fritzie, at fault. "DidUncle John object?"
"Oh, no, you misunderstand. It wasn't UncleJohn." Every one but Kimberly laughed. "Iwas telling Uncle John the story, and his nurse-yourprotégé, what's his name? I never canremember-Lazarus? the queer little Italian," shesaid, appealing to Kimberly.
"Brother Francis," he answered.
"He's not so awfully little," interposed Fritzie.
"Well, he was in the room," continued Dora,"and he got perfectly furious the moment he heard it."
"Furious, Dora? Why, how funny!" exclaimedLottie Nelson, languidly.
"He turned on me like a thunder-cloud. PoorUncle John was still laughing-he laughs on oneside of his face since his stroke, and looks sofiendish, you know-when Lazarus began toglower at me. He was really insulting in hismanner. 'Oh, I didn't know you were here,' Isaid to hush him up. 'What difference shouldthat make?' he asked, and his eyes were flashing,I can tell you."
"'The Virgin Mary is no relation of yours, isshe?' I demanded frigidly. You ought to haveseen the man. You know how sallow he is; heflushed to the roots of his hair and his lips snappedlike a trap. Then he became ashamed of himself,I dare say, and his eyes fell; he put his handon his breast and bowed to me as if I had been aqueen-they certainly have the prettiest manners, these poor Italians-haven't they, Imogene?"
"But what did he say?" asked Fritzie.
"'Madame,' he exclaimed, as if I had stabbedhim to the heart, 'the Blessed Virgin is mymother.' You really would have thought I hadinsulted his own mother. They have such queerideas, these foreigners. My, but he was mad!Then, what do you think? The next day Ipassed him walking up from the lake and he cameover with such apologies! He prayed I wouldoverlook his anger-he professed to have been soshocked that he had forgotten himself-no doubthe was afraid he would lose his job."
"George, you look sleepy," Lottie Nelsoncomplained, looking at Doane. "You needsomething to wake you up. Suppose we adjourn tothe dining-room?"
Imogene returned to the piano. Kimberlywalked to the door of the dining-room with theothers. "I will go upstairs," he said to LottieNelson.
"Don't stay all night," she returned peremptorily."And come have something before you go up."
"Perhaps when I come down."
Fritzie caught his arm, and walked with himinto the hall. They talked for a moment. "Youmust meet her," declared Fritzie at length, "sheis perfectly lovely and will be over after a whilewith Dolly." Then she looked at him suddenly: "I declare, I don't believe you've heard a wordof what I've been saying."
"I'm afraid not, Fritzie, but no matter, listento what I say. Don't go in there and drink withthat bunch."
"I won't."
"Whiskey makes a fool of you."
Fritzie put up her hand: "Now don't scold."
Upstairs, Nelson and Charles Kimberly, facingeach other, were seated at a big table on which laya number of type-written sheets, beautifully clearand distinct. These they were examining.
"What are you going over?" asked Robert, taking the chair Nelson drew up for him.
"The Colorado plants."
"Our own or the MacBirney?"
"Both."
