was nothing left but to follow

 Food revived him and it was not long before he could enter into the gay spirit of the company. They were children, indeed. The cooking finished, their white aprons had been discarded and loud was the joy at the appearance of the men and eager the compliments for the ladies. The babel of baby rattles and tin whistles, discontinued for a time, arose again and the table rang from end to end with joke and laughter.







Gallatin glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the room into which Jane had disappeared, but there , so he helped the girl find a quiet spot on the back stairway where Nina settled herself and motioned to him to a place at her feet. Gallatin sat trying to conceal his impatience in the smoke of a cigarette, and wondering how soon Nina would let him go to Jane.







“Phil, you and I have known each other a good many years. We’ve always got along pretty well, haven’t we?”







“Of course,” he nodded.







“You’ve never cared much for girls and I’ve never thought much about men—sentimentally I mean—but we always understood each other and—well—we’re pretty good friends, aren’t we?”







“I’d be very sorry if I thought anything else,” he said politely.







She paused and examined his profile steadily.







“You know, Phil, I’m interested in you. I think I’ve always been interested—but I never told you so because—because it seemed unnecessary. I thought if you ever needed my friendship you’d come and ask me for it.”







“I would—I mean, I do,” he stammered.







“Something has been bothering me,” she went on slowly. “The other morning at Nellie Pennington’s, Jane Loring told us the truth about the Dryad story.”







“Yes.”







“And, of course, even though friendship doesn’t give[206] me the privilege of your confidence unless you offer it voluntarily, I thought you might be willing to tell me something——”







“What, Nina?”







“You’re not in love with—you’re not going to marry Jane Loring, are you?”







Gallatin smiled.







“I’m hardly the sort of person any girl could afford to marry,” he said slowly .







“Does Jane Loring think so?” she persisted.







“She has every reason to think so,” he muttered.







“You’re not engaged?” she protested quickly.







“No,” he said promptly.







She gave a sigh of relief.







“Oh—that’s all I wanted to know.”







Something unfamiliar in the tones of her voice caused him to look at his companion.







“What did you want to know for, Nina?” he questioned.