Robert Kimberly

"I have asked you not to call me Alice."

"But wish me the success, won't you? It'sawfully up-hill work fighting alone. Two togethercan do so much better. With two the power israised almost to the infinite. Together we couldbe gods-or at least make the gods envy us."

She looked at him an instant without a word, and rising, walked to an anteroom whitherMacBirney, Lottie Nelson, De Castro, and Fritzie hadgone to play at cards.

CHAPTER XXV

When the season was fairly open theKimberlys made Alice the recipient of everyattention. A solidarity had always seemed, in anunusual degree, to animate the family. Theywere happy in their common interests and theirefforts united happily now to make Alice afavored one in their activities.

In everything proposed by Dolly or Imogene,Alice was consulted. When functions werearranged, guests lists were submitted to her.Entertainment was decided upon after Alice hadbeen called in. The result was a gay season evenfor Second Lake. And Dolly said it was theinflux of Alice's new blood into the attenuatedstrain at the lake that accounted for the successfulsummer. Alice herself grew light-hearted. Insocial affairs the battalions inclined to her side.Even Lottie Nelson could not stand out and wasfain to make such peace as she could.

In all of this Alice found consolation for theneglect of her husband. She had begun to realize thatthis neglect was not so much a slight, personalto her, as a subordination of everything to thepassion for money-getting. It is impossible toremain always angry and Alice's anger subsided inthe end into indifference as to what her husbandsaid or did.

She had, moreover-if it were a stimulus-thecontinual stimulus of Kimberly's attitude.Without insincerity or indifference he accommodatedhis interest in her to satisfactory restraint. Thisgave Alice the pleasure of realizing that herfirmness had in nowise estranged him and that withoutbeing turbulent he was always very fond of her.She knew he could look to many other women forwhatever he chose to ask of favor, yet apparently helooked to her alone for his pleasure in womankind; and in a hundred delicate ways he allowed her tofeel this.

A handsome young Harvard man came to herat the lake seeking an opening in the refineries.His people were former Colorado acquaintanceswhom Alice was extremely desirous of obliging.She entertained her visitor and tried vainly tointerest her husband in him. MacBirney promisedbut did nothing, and one day Dolly calling atCedar Lodge found Alice writing a note to thecollege boy, still waiting in town on MacBirney'sempty promises, telling him of the failure of herefforts and advising him not to wait longer.

"But why worry?" asked Dolly, when Alice toldher. "Speak to Robert about it. He will placehim within twenty-four hours."

"I can't very well ask a favor of that kind fromMr. Kimberly, Dolly."

"What nonsense! Why not?"

Alice could not say precisely why. "After myown husband hasn't found a way to place him!"she exclaimed.

Dolly did not hesitate. "I will attend to it.Give me his address. Football, did you say?Very good."

Within a week the young man wrote Alice-fromthe Orange River refineries, where he was,he picturesquely said, knee-deep in sugar-thathe had actually been before the sugar magnate,Robert Kimberly himself, adding with theimpetuous spelling of a football man, that theinterview had been so gracious and lasted so longhe had grown nervous about the time Mr. Kimberlywas giving him.

Kimberly never referred to the matter nor didAlice ever mention it to him. It was merelypleasant to think of. And in such evidences asthe frequent letters from her protégé she read herinfluence over the man who, even the chronicle ofthe day could have told her, had she needed theconfirmation, extorted the interest of the worldin which he moved; and over whom, apparently,no woman other than herself could claim influence.

She came tacitly to accept this position towardKimberly. Its nature did not compromise herconscience and it seemed in this way possible bothto have and not have. She grew to lean upon thethought of him as one of the consoling supports inher whirling life-the life in which reflection neverreached conclusion, action never looked forwardto result, and denial had neither time nor place.

The pursuit of pleasure, sweetened by thatphilanthropy and the munificent almsgiving whichwas so esteemed by those about her, made upher life. Alice concluded that those of her circleseverely criticised by many who did not knowthem, did much good. Their failings, naturally, would not condemn them with critics who, likeherself, came in contact with them at their best.

Some time after the placing of the young collegeman, Alice, running in one morning on Dollyfound her in tears. She had never before seenDolly even worried and was at once all solicitude.For one of the very few times in her life, itappeared, Dolly had clashed with her brother Robert.Nor could Alice get clearly from her what thedifference had been about. All that was evidentto Alice was that Dolly was very much grieved andmortified over something Kimberly had said ordone, or refused to say or do, concerning adistinguished actress who upon finishing anAmerican tour was to be entertained by Dolly.

Alice in the afternoon was over at Imogene's.Robert Kimberly was there with his brother.Afterward he joined Imogene and Alice under theelms and asked them to drive. While Imogenewent in to make ready Alice poured a cup of teafor Kimberly. "I suppose you know you havemade Dolly feel very bad," she said with a colorof reproach.

Kimberly responded with the family prudence."Have I?" Alice handed him the tea and heasked another question. "What, pray, do youknow about it?"

"Nothing at all except that she is hurt, and thatI am sorry."

"She didn't tell you what the difference was?"

"Except that it concerned her coming guest."

"I offered Dolly my yacht for her week. Shewanted me to go with the party. Because Ideclined, she became greatly incensed."

"She thought, naturally, you ought to haveobliged her."

"I pleaded I could not spare the time. Shehas the Nelsons and enough others, anyway."

"Her answer, of course, is that your time is your own."

"But the fact is, her guest made the request.Dolly without consulting me promised I would go, and now that I will not she is angry."

"I should think a week at sea would be adiversion for you."

"To tag around a week in heavy seas withwraps after a person of distinction? And pacethe deck with her on damp nights?"

"That is unamiable. She is a very great actress."

Kimberly continued to object. "Suppose sheshould be seasick. I once went out with her andshe professed to be ill every morning. I had tosit in her cabin-it was a stuffy yacht of DeCastro's-and hold her hand."

"But you are so patient. You would not mind that."

"Oh, no; I am not in the least patient. TheKimberlys are described as patient when they aremerely persistent. If I am even amiable, amiability is something quite other than patience.Patience is almost mysterious to me. Francis isthe only patient man I ever have known."

"In this case you are not even amiable. We allhave to do things we don't want to do, to obligeothers. And Dolly ought to be obliged."

"Very well. If you will go, I will. What doyou say?"

"You need not drag me in. I shall have guestsof my own next week. If Dolly made a mistakeabout your inclination in the affair it would beonly generous to help her out."

"Very well, I will go."

"Now you are amiable."

"They can put in at Bar Point and I will jointhem for the last two days. I will urge McEntee, the captain, to see that they are all sick, ifpossible, before I come aboard. Then they will notneed very much entertaining."

"How malicious!"

"Not a bit. Dolly is a good sailor. Her guestcares nothing for me. It is only to have anAmerican at her heels."

"They say that no one can resist her charm.You may not escape it this time."

A fortnight passed before any news came toAlice from the yachting party. Then Fritzie camehome from Nelsons' one day with an interestingaccount of the trip. Until the story was all told,Alice felt gratified at having smoothed over Dolly'sdifficulty.

"They were gone longer than they expected,"said Fritzie. "Robert was having such a goodtime. Lottie Nelson tells me Dolly's guest madethe greatest sort of a hit with Robert. He didn'tlike her at first. Then she sang a song thatattracted him, and he kept her singing that songall the time. He sat in a big chair near the pianoand wouldn't move. The funny thing was, shewas awfully bored the way he acted. By the way, you must not miss the golf to-morrow. Everybodywill be out."

Alice hardly heard the last words. She wasthinking about Kimberly's entertaining thecelebrity. Every other incident of the voyage had beenlost upon her. When she found herself alone herdisappointment and resentment were keen. Someunaccountable dread annoyed her. He was then, she reflected, like all other men, filled with mereprofessions of devotion.

Something more disturbed her. The incidentrevealed to her that he had grown to be morein her thoughts than she realized. Racks andthumb-screws could not have dragged from her theadmission that she was interested in him. It wasenough that he professed to be devoted to herand had been led away by the first nod of anotherwoman.

CHAPTER XXVI

The golf course and the casino were crowdednext day when Alice arrived. Yet amongthe throng of men and women, her interest layonly in the meeting of one, as in turn his interestin all the summer company lay only in seekingAlice. She had hardly joined Imogene and thelake coterie when Kimberly appeared.