★ 4 ★::A Gentleman of Leisure
Molly
“Why, Molly,” said the policeman, “what are you doing out of bed? I you were asleep.”
He a arm her and her on to his lap. As she sat there his great her smaller than she was. With her down, and her little red a from the floor, she a child. McEachern, looking at her, it hard to that years had passed since the moment when the doctor’s had him for his of the news that the was a girl.
“Do you know what the time is?” he said. “Two o’clock.”
“Much too late for you to be here smoking,” said Molly severely. “How many do you a day? Suppose you had married some one who wouldn’t let you smoke!”
“Never stop your husband smoking, my dear. That’s a of for you when you’re married.”
“I’m going to marry. I’m going to stop at home and your socks.”
“I wish you could,” he said, her closer to him. “But one of these days you’re going to a prince. And now to bed. It’s much too late——”
“It’s no good, father dear. I couldn’t to sleep. I’ve been trying hard for hours. I’ve sheep till I nearly screamed. It’s Rastus’s fault; he so.”
Mr. McEachern the sternly.
“Why do you have the in your room?”
“Why, to keep the from me of course. Aren’t you of the you? But you’re so big, you wouldn’t mind. You’d just them. And they’re not brutes—are you, darlings? You’re angels, and you nearly yourselves with had come from England, didn’t you? Father, did they miss me when I was gone? Did they away?”
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“They got like skeletons. We all did.”
“You?”
“I should say so.”
“Then why did you send me away?”
“I wanted you to see the country. Did you like it?”
“I being away from you.”
“But you liked the country?”
“I loved it.”
McEachern a of relief. The only possible to the great did not exist.
“How would you like to go to England, Molly?”
“To England. When I’ve just come home?”
“If I went, too?”
Molly so that she see his better.
“There’s something the with you, father. You’re trying to say something, and I want to know what it is. Tell me quick, or I’ll make Rastus bite you!”
“It won’t take long, dear. I’ve been lucky in some while you were away, and I’m going to the Force, and take you over to England and a for you to marry—if you think you would like it.”
“Father! It’ll be perfectly splendid!”
She him.
“What are you looking so about, father?”
“Molly, I want to tell you something I have told you before. I am English. I only took the name McEachern they it would help me in the Force. Our name is Forrest.”
“Father! But why haven’t you told me before?”
“I was you might ask questions and out things.”
She looked at him.
“I was sent to America,” he on, “because I was from for stealing.”
There was a silence. She the arm that was her and gave it a little squeeze.
“What it what you did when you were only a boy?” she said.
He did not look at her. There was a on his cheeks.
“We’ll go home, Molly,” he said. “I had a place in over there till I it away, and, by Heaven, I’m going to it for you. You shall have a show, I may have 28done. We shall not take the old name again. None of the return of the black sheep for me! I won’t have people looking on you your father——”
“But, father dear, it was so long ago. What it matter? Who would remember?”
“Never mind. I couldn’t it. They might say what they pleased about me, but you’re going to start fair. Who’s to me after all these years? I’m just John McEachern from America, and if wants to know anything about me, I’m a man who has money on Wall Street—and that’s no lie—and has come over to England to it.” Molly gave his arm another squeeze. Her were wet.
“Father dear,” she whispered, “I you’ve been doing it all for me. You’ve been away for me since I was born, and saving money just so that I have a good time later on.”
“No, no!”
“It’s true,” she said. She on him with a laugh. “I don’t you’ve had to eat for years. I you’re all skin and bone. Never mind. To-morrow I’ll take you out and you the best dinner you’ve had out of my own money. We’ll go to the Ritz, and you shall start at the top of the and go till you’ve had enough.”
“That will make up for everything. And now don’t you think you ought to be going to bed? You’ll be all that color you got on the ship.”
“Soon. Not just yet. I haven’t you for such ages.” She pointed at the bull-terrier. “Look at Tommy, there and staring. He can’t I’ve come back. Father, there was a man on the Mauretania with like Tommy’s—all and bright—and he used to and just like Tommy’s doing.”
“If I had been there,” said her father wrathfully, “I’d have his off.”
“No, you wouldn’t, I’m sure he was a very man. He had a like yours, father. Besides, you couldn’t have got at him to his off, he was second-class.”
“Second-class? Then you didn’t talk with him?”
“We couldn’t. You wouldn’t him to at me across 29the railing! Only I walked the he to be there.”
“Staring?”
“He may not have been at me. Probably he was just looking the way the ship was going, and of some girl in New York. I don’t think you can make much of a out of it, father.”
“I don’t want to, my dear. Princes don’t travel in the second cabin.”
“He may have been a in disguise.”
“More likely a traveller,” Mr. McEachern.
“Commercial travellers are often nice.”
“Princes are nicer.”
“Well, I’ll go to and of the one I can think of. Come along, dogs. Stop my slipper, Tommy. Why can’t you like Rastus? Still, you don’t snore, do you? Aren’t you going to soon, father? I you’ve been up late and into all of while I’ve been away. I’m sure you have been too much. When you’ve that cigar you’re not to think of another till to-morrow. Promise!”
“Not one!”
“Not one. I’m not going to have my father like the people you read about in the magazine advertisements. You don’t want to pains, do you?”
“No, my dear.”
“And have to take some medicine?”
“No.”
“Then promise.”
“Very well, my dear. I promise.”
As the door closed he away the he was smoking, and for a moments in thought.
Then he another cigar from his case, it, and the study of the little note-book.
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