Dangerous Days

But when Natalie Spencer came in alone, splendid in Russian sables, he

happened to be looking at Delight, and he saw the light die out of her

eyes.

Natalie had tried to bring Graham with her. She had gone into his room

that morning while he was dressing and asked him. To tell the truth, she

was uneasy about Marion Hayden and his growing intimacy there.

"You will, won't you, Graham, dear?"

"Sorry, mother. I just can't. I'm taking a girl out."

"I suppose it's Marion."

Her tone caused him to turn and look at her.

"Yes, it's Marion. What's wrong with that?"

"It's so silly, Graham. She's older than you are. And she's not really

nice, Graham. I don't mean anything horrid, but she's designing. She

knows you are young and--well, she's just playing with you. I know

girls, Graham. I--"

She stopped, before his angry gaze.

"She is nice enough for you to ask here," he said hastily.

"She wants your money. That's all."

He had laughed then, an ugly laugh.

"There's a lot of it for her to want."

And Natalie had gone away to shed tears of fury and resentment in her

own room.

She was really frightened. Bills for flowers sent to Marion were coming

in, to lie unpaid on Graham's writing table. She had over-drawn once

again to pay them, and other bills, for theater tickets, checks signed

at restaurants, over-due club accounts.

So she went to the Haverfords alone, and managed very effectually to

snub Mrs. Hayden before the rector's very eyes.

Mrs. Hayden thereupon followed an impulse.

"If it were not for Natalie Spencer," she said, following that lady's

sables with malevolent eyes, "I should be very happy in something I want

to tell you. Can we find a corner somewhere?"

And Doctor Haverford had followed her uneasily, behind some palms. She

was a thin little woman with a maddening habit of drawing her tight veil

down even closer by a contortion of her lower jaw, so that the rector

found himself watching her chin rather than her eyes.

"I want you to know right away, as Marion's clergyman, and ours," she

had said, and had given her jaw a particularly vicious wag and twist.

"Of course it is not announced--I don't believe even the Spencers know

it yet. I am only telling you now because I know how dearly"--she did

it again--"how dearly interested you are in all your spiritual children.

Marion is engaged to Graham Spencer."