She was strikingly well-bred in appearance, and Van
Bibber wondered why she should be dining alone with so young a man.
"It wasn't my fault," he heard the youth say earnestly. "How could I
know he would be out of town? and anyway it really doesn't matter.
Your cousin is not the only clergyman in the city."
"Of course not," said the girl, almost tearfully, "but they're not my
cousins and he is, and that would have made it so much, oh, so very
much different. I'm awfully frightened!"
"Runaway couple," commented Van Bibber. "Most interesting. Read about
'em often; never seen 'em. Most interesting."
He bent his head over an entree, but he could not help hearing what
followed, for the young runaways were indifferent to all around them,
and though he rattled his knife and fork in a most vulgar manner, they
did not heed him nor lower their voices.
"Well, what are you going to do?" said the girl, severely but not
unkindly. "It doesn't seem to me that you are exactly rising to the
occasion."
"Well, I don't know," answered the youth, easily. "We're safe here
anyway. Nobody we know ever comes here, and if they did they are out
of town now. You go on and eat something, and I'll get a directory and
look up a lot of clergymen's addresses, and then we can make out a
list and drive around in a cab until we find one who has not gone off
on his vacation.
Pages:
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205