"Well, Jim," he asked in a low tone, "what is it? You may as well tell
me. Maybe I can guess, anyhow."
The young man reached up and turned the gas full on. In spite of the
cold from which they had just come, his face was white. He folded the
paper in his hand, and with his forefinger pointed to its uppermost
page.
"There it is," he said. "Read it."
Captain Elisha took the paper, drew his spectacle case from his pocket,
adjusted his glasses and read. The item was among those under the head
of "Personal and Social." It was what he expected. "The engagement
is to-day announced of Miss Caroline Warren, daughter of the late A.
Rodgers Warren, the well-known broker, to Mr. Malcolm Corcoran Dunn, of
Fifth Avenue. Miss Warren, it will be remembered, was one of the most
charming of our season-before-last's debutantes and--" etc.
The captain read the brief item through.
"Yes," he said, slowly, "I see."
Pearson looked at him in amazement.
"You SEE!" he repeated. "You--Why! DID YOU KNOW IT?"
"I've been afraid of it for some time. To-night, when you left me alone
there in the quarter-deck of that opera house, I happened to hear two
young chaps talkin' about it. So you might say I knew--Yes."
"Good heavens! and you can stand there and--What are you going to do
about it?"
"I don't know--yet.
Pages:
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315