he's pretty mad, just now," said Crosby, who knew Arnold thoroughly.
"No matter," and Dorothy tossed her curly head. "He's been pretty mad lots of times, but I can manage him."
"I wish you weren't going to marry him," blurted out Crosby.
"So do I,—sometimes," and Dorothy drew a sigh that might have been genuine, or merely for dramatic effect.
"If he ever scolds you I'll kill him!" Crosby declared, and Dorothy, smiling, returned, "He'll never scold me. If he does, I'll kill him, myself! Come on, there's the music again! Let's go and dance."
Chapter V.
Scolding Is Barred
"There's no use talking, Justin, I have promised to be your wife, and I will; but I will not be your slave, or submit to tyranny! It is to be understood that after we are married I am to dance as much as I like and with whom I like, and you are not to scold or be grumpy about it. Do you agree?"
"But, Dorothy, these modern dances are improper."
"They are not! Everyone dances them. Do you suppose my mother would sit by and see me, if I danced improperly? And, another thing, I wish you wouldn't say, 'these modern dances,' as if you were of your grandfather's generation! Aren't you modern, yourself? I am living to-day, and so are you. You may have been born twenty years before I was, but you are now living in the same era, and you've got to act so! Won't you,—dear?"
It was the morning after the dance, and it was Sunday, and the pair were strolling round the park. Dorothy, not in outing garb, but wearing a dainty little house frock of pink linen, looked very dear and sweet. She was "making up" with Arnold, and it was not a simple matter,—for she was setting the pace for her future life. She had thought it over, in her wise little head, and she knew that if she could get him to agree to certain stipulations, he would never break his word.
"I do want to be all that you want me to be, darling," Arnold said, looking troubled, "but you know,—you must know,—that there is a certain dignity expected from a married woman that is imperilled by such exhibitions as you gave last evening with Gale."
"Oh, Emory Gale! Isn't he the funniest man! I never thought a lawyer could be so frivolous! Mr. Crosby isn't."
"No, Cam Crosby is more serious. By the way, do you like him, Dorothy?"
"Who? Mr. Crosby? Yes, rather. But I like all men, Justin. Why shouldn't I? They're all so nice to me."
"Oh, child," Arnold groaned; "what can I do with you?"
"Love me," said pretty Dorothy, and held up her lovely lips for a kiss.
Rarely was she so spontaneously gracious, and Arnold caught her passionately in his arms.
"You beauty! You love! Dorothy, you do love me, don't you?"
"Of course I do, when you're good to me,—and don't scold me."
"I'll never scold you! But, dearest, you don't care for Cam, do you? He's mad about you!"
"Nonsense! He isn't. And I don't care two straws for him, if he is."
"Nor Gale?"
"Emory Gale! Why, Justin, he's in love with Leila."
"With Miss Duane? Is he?"
"Oh, neither of them have told me so, but—I know!" and Dorothy wagged her pretty head like a wise, rosy-cheeked owl.
"Then there's one less man for me to be jealous of," and Arnold laughed grimly.
"But what's one among a hundred?" and Dorothy smiled saucily at him. "Don't be jealous, Just, it makes an awful lot of trouble. Oh, here are the Cranes."
"Yes, here we are," said Fred Crane. "Sorry to interrupt a tete-a-tete."
"Not at all," said Mrs. Crane; "it's lucky we came, for I heard Dorothy asking Justin not to be jealous! Take my advice, Dot; let him be jealous. It keeps him in love with you."
"I don't care how jealous he is," said Dorothy, "if he won't scold me. I just simply can't bear to be scolded! And I won't stand it!" She stamped her little slippered foot, and looked at Arnold with such an adorable pout, that he had to smile at her. But he said, staunchly, "You'll never get scolded unless you deserve it, my dear."
"Well, that's something!" put in Mabel Crane, hastily, for the clouds gathered on Dorothy's brow; "some poor wives get scolded whether they deserve it or not."
"Not you!" and fat, good-natured Fred Crane looked smilingly at his good-natured wife.
"There, Justin! See that!" cried Dorothy; "Mr. Crane wouldn't scold Mabel, no matter what she did! Promise you won't scold me, ever."
"The Arnolds never make foolish promises, Dorothy; nor do the Arnolds 'scold.' If you ever deserve reprimand, I shall certainly give it to you." Dorothy gave up the siege, for the time. "I won't, dear," she said, in the meekest possible voice, but the smile she turned on Justin was offset by the suspicion of a wink in Mabel Crane's direction.
"We've been hunting specimens," said Fred Crane, to divert the trend of thought. He was in knickerbockers and carried a specimen case and butterfly net.
"Get anything?" asked Arnold, perfunctorily.
"Several worthwhile bits. Almost had a fine white moth, but he got away. By Jove, I should have had him, if I could have climbed your confounded wall! In heaven's name, Arnold, why the broken glass? Didn't your revered ancestors have any other place to put their old bottles?"
"Don't you make fun of Justin's revered ancestors," cried Dorothy; "they're pretty nearly my ancestors! Will they be mine, Just, when we are married? Do you endow me with them, along with your other worldly goods? Or, aren't they worldly goods?"
"Don't talk like that, Dorothy," said Arnold, gently; "please show a little reverence, for my sake, if not for your own."
"Oh, there's no pleasing my lord and master this morning! I think I'll seek fresh fields and pastures new. Oh, look who's here! Mr. Gale! Won't you come out and play wiz me?" and dancing up to Emory Gale, she tucked her hand through his arm, and led him directly away from the others.
"I know you were in search of Leila," she said, as soon as they rounded the corner of the path through the wood. "And I'll take you to her in a minute. But I want to borrow you just now."
"I am honored and proud at this favor. What can I do for you?"
"Flirt with me. No, not now; only when Justin can see us."
"What a rogue you are!" Gale had meant to say something harsher, but he couldn't, with that dimpled face looking up into his.
"All's fair in love and war," said Dorothy, tossing her head. "I have to train Justin in my own way, you see. But never mind me; let's talk about Leila. I always try to interest my companions."
"And you think Miss Duane interests me?"
"Rath-er! And I don't wonder; Leila is a dear and a sweet."
"But do you think I interest her? That's more to the point."
"I think you do. But Leila's coy, and if you're going in to win, you ought to make a braver attack. Now, I chance to know she's at this moment on that little south balcony, and if you go right straight there, you will have an excellent opportunity to discuss the weather with her."
"And you?"
"I see Mr. Chapin approaching in the dim distance. Oh, I wouldn't dismiss you until I had a perfectly good substitute! Hoo-hoo! Mr. Chapin! Don't you want to take me to see the ducks?"
Ernest Chapin came forward eagerly. He said little, but his eyes shone and his face glowed as he led Dorothy toward the duck pond, while Gale went on his quest of Leila.