Perhaps there’s a school near her old home. Wait! I know a woman on the Hudson—I wonder—Give me long distance, central.” He had picked up the phone and began to tap the floor with his foot, glancing anxiously toward the clock that was giving a warning whir before striking. “What time does that train get in, Bannard? Have you a timetable?”

Bannard glanced at the clock.

“Why! You haven’t much time,” he said in a startled tone. “It gets here at eleven ten. Would you like my car?” He stepped to the window, glanced out, gave a long, low musical whistle, and in a moment Blink appeared, darting up the front walk warily, with eyes on the front window.

The minister leaned out of the window and called: “Blink, can you get my car here from the garage in five minutes? I want to meet that train.”

Blink murmured a nonchalant “Sure!” and was gone. The minister turned back to the frantic father, who was foaming angrily at the telephone operator and demanding better service.

“Mr. Greeves,” he said placing his hand on the other’s arm affectionately, “my car will be here in a moment. I think you had better take it and meet your daughter. It will be embarrassing for her to have to meet a stranger—”

Patterson Greeves shook his head angrily.

“No, no! I can’t meet her! I can’t help it! She’ll have to be embarrassed then. She got up the whole trouble by coming, didn’t she? Well, she’ll have to take the consequences. I have to stay here and get this other one off somewhere. I’ll send her back to her mother if I can’t do anything else! I won’t be tormented this way. I know. You’re thinking this is no way for a father to act, but I’m not a father! I’ve never had the privileges of a father, and I don’t intend to begin now. If my wife had lived it would have been different! But she had to be taken away! Central! Central! Can’t you give me long distance?”

Down the long flight of polished mahogany stairs heavy, reluctant footsteps could be heard approaching.

Patterson Greeves hung up the receiver with a click and wheeled around in his chair with an ashen look, listening.

“She’s coming now!” he exclaimed nervously. “I’ll have to do something. Bannard, if you’d just take that car of yours and go meet that train, I’ll be everlastingly obliged to you. If you don’t want to do it, let her get here the best way she can. It will give us that much more time. I’ve got to do something with Athalie at once!” He rose and went anxiously toward the door, opening it a crack and listening. The steps came on, slowly, and yet more slowly. The minister pitied his new friend from the bottom of his heart, and yet there was a humorous side to the situation. To think of a man of this one’s attainments and standing being afraid of a mere girl, afraid of two girls! His own children!

It was a simple matter, of course, to meet a train and tell the girl her father had been occupied for the time. The car slid briskly up to the curb in the street on time to the dot, and the minister turned pleasantly and picked up his hat.

“I’ll go. Certainly. What do you wish me to say to her?”

“Oh! Nothing. Anything! You’ll have to bring her here, I suppose! Make it as long a trip as possible, won’t you? I’ll try to clear the coast somehow!” He glanced down at the baggage of his younger daughter with a troubled frown. “There’s a carriage here—The servants will—Well, I’ll see what can be done. You’d better go quickly, please!” He looked nervously toward the door, and Bannard opened it and hurried out to his car, Athalie entering almost as he left, her eyes upon the departing visitor.

“Who was that stunning-looking man, Dad? Why didn’t you introduce me? You could have just as well as not, and I don’t want to waste any time getting to know people. It’s horribly dull in a new place till you know everybody.”

Chapter 5

Athalie entered with nonchalance and no sign of the recent tears.