Mum--mar--married! gasped Condy, swallowing something in his throat.
Blix rose to her feet.
"Just been MARRIED!" she repeated, a little frightened. "Why--why--why; how DELIGHTFUL!"
"Yes--yes," mumbled Condy. "How delightful. I congratulate you!""Come in--come back to the station," said the Captain jovially, "and I'll introduce you to m' wife. We were married only last Sunday.""Why, yes--yes, of course, we'd be delighted," vociferated the two conspirators a little hysterically.
"She's a mighty fine little woman," declared the Captain, as he rolled the door of the boat-house to its place and preceded them up the gravel walk to the station.
"Of course she is," responded Blix. Behind Captain Jack's back she fixed Condy with a wide-eyed look, and nudged him fiercely with an elbow to recall him to himself; for Condy's wits were scattered like a flock of terrified birds, and he was gazing blankly at the Captain's coat collar with a vacant, maniacal smile.
"For Heaven's sake, Condy!" she had time to whisper before they arrived in the hallway of the station.
But fortunately they were allowed a minute or so to recover themselves and prepare for what was coming. Captain Jack ushered them into what was either the parlor, office, or sitting-room of the station, and left them with the words:
"Just make yourselves comfortable here, an' I'll go fetch the little woman."No sooner had he gone than the two turned to each other.
"Well!"
"WELL!"
"We're in for it now."
"But we must see it through, Condy; act just as natural as you can, and we're all right.""But supposing SHE recognizes us!"
"Supposing she does--what then. How ARE they to know that we wrote the letters?""Sh, Blix, not so loud! They know by now that THEY didn't.""But it seems that it hasn't made any difference to them; they are married. And besides, they wouldn't speak about putting 'personals' in the paper to us. They would never let anybody know that.""Do you suppose they could possibly suspect?""I'm sure they couldn't."
"Here they come."
"Keep perfectly calm, and we're saved."
"Suppose it isn't K. D. B., after all?"
But it was, of course, and she recognized them in an instant. She and the Captain--the latter all grins--came in from the direction of the kitchen, K. D. B. wearing a neat blue calico gown and an apron that was really a marvel of cleanliness and starch.
"Kitty!" exclaimed Captain Jack, seized again with an unexplainable mirth, "here's some young folks come out to see the place an' I want you to know 'em. Mr. Rivers, this is m' wife, Kitty, and--lessee, miss, I don't rightly remember your name.""Bessemer!" exclaimed Condy and Blix in a breath.
"Oh!" exclaimed K. D. B., "you were in the restaurant the night that the Captain and I--I--that is--yes, I'm quite sure I've seen you before." She turned from one to the other. beginning to blush furiously.
"Yes, yes, in Luna's restaurant, wasn't it?" said Condy desperately. "It seems to me I do just barely remember.""And wasn't the Captain there?" Blix ventured.
"I forgot my stick, I remember," continued Condy. "I came back for it; and just as I was going out it seems to me I saw you two at a table near the door."He thought it best to allow their "matrimonial objects" to believe he had not seen them before.
"Yes, yes, we were there," answered K. D. B. tactfully. "We dine there almost every Monday night."Blix guessed that K. D. B. would prefer to have the real facts of the situation ignored, and determined she should have the chance to change the conversation if she wished.
"What a delicious supper one has there!" she said.
"Can't say I like Mexican cooking myself," answered K. D. B., forgetting that they dined there every Monday night. "Plain United States is good enough for me."Suddenly Captain Jack turned abruptly to Condy, exclaiming: "Oh, you was the chap that called the picture of that schooner a barkentine.""Yes; WASN'T that a barkentine?" he answered innocently.
"Barkentine your EYE!" spluttered the Captain. "Why, that was a schooner as plain as a pie plate."But ten minutes later the ordeal was over, and Blix and Condy, once more breathing easily, were on their walk again. The Captain and K. D. B. had even accompanied them to the gate of the station, and had strenuously urged them to "come in and see them again the next time they were out that way.""Married!" murmured Condy, putting both hands to his head. "We've done it, we've done it now.""Well, what of it?" declared Blix, a little defiantly. "I think it's all right. You can see the Captain is in love with her, and she with him. No, we've nothing to reproach ourselves with.""But--but--but so sudden!" whispered Condy, all aghast. "That's what makes me faint--the suddenness of it.""It shows how much they are in love, how--how readily they--adapted themselves to each other. No, it's all right.""They seemed to like us--actually."
"Well, they had better--if they knew the truth. Without us they never would have met.""They both asked us to come out and see them again, did you notice that? Let's do it, Blix," Condy suddenly exclaimed; "let's get to know them!""Of course we must. Wouldn't it be fun to call on them--to get regularly acquainted with them!""They might ask us to dinner some time."
"And think of the stories he could tell you!"They enthused immediately upon this subject, both talking excitedly at the same time, going over the details of the Captain's yarns, recalling the incidents to each other.
"Fancy!" exclaimed Condy--"fancy Billy Isham in his pajamas, red and white stripes, reading Shakespeare from that pulpit on board the ship, and the other men guying him! Isn't that a SCENE for you? Can't you just SEE it?
"I wonder if the Captain wasn't ****** all those things up as he went along. He don't seem to have any sense of right and wrong at all. He might have been lying, Condy.""What difference would that make?"
