The Beloved Stranger (6 page)

“I, Carter, take thee,
Arla—
!”

Ahh! He had said it. He knew now and he had accepted it! He was taking the words deliberately upon his lips. Shamefully, perhaps, like one driven to it, but he had taken them. Her lover was marrying another girl!

He had not even tried to do anything about it!

With a little gasp like a deep-driven sob, she dropped upon her knees and hid her face in her hands, while the gallery in which she knelt reeled away into space, and she suddenly seemed to be hurled as from a parapet by the hands of her former bridegroom, down, down into infinite space with darkness growing all about her. Ah! She had been foolish! Why had she not known that this would happen to her? Love like hers could not be broken, torn from its roots ruthlessly, without awful consequences. How had she thought she could go through this and live through it? Was this the end? Was she about to die, shamelessly, and all the world know that she had a broken heart?

Ahh!

A breath of fresh air came sharply into her face from an opening door just as she was about to touch an awful depth, a strong arm lifted her upon her feet, and a glass of cool water was pressed to her lips.

“I thought this might be refreshing,” a friendly casual voice said, not at all as if anything unusual were happening.

She drank the water gratefully, and afterward she wondered if it were only her imagination that she seemed to remember clinging to a hand. But of course that could not have been.

He looked down at her, smiling, as if he might have been a brother.

“Now, do you feel you have to stay up here till this performance is ended and all the people escorted out below?” he asked pleasantly, “or would you like to slip down now and get your car out of traffic before things get thick? You look awfully tired to me, but if you feel you should stay, I’ll bring up a chair.”

“Oh,” said Sherrill bewilderedly, “is it—are they almost—?”

She leaned forward to look.

“Just about over I fancy,” said the man, who was steadying her so efficiently.

And as if to verify his words, the voice of the clergyman came clearly: “I pronounce you husband and wife. Whom therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.”

She shuddered and shrank back. The man could feel her tremble as he supported her.

“This would be a good time if you are going to slip away,” he whispered. “There is just the brief prayer, and then the procession out is rather rapid. I fancy traffic will thicken up quickly after they are out. Or would you rather wait until they are all gone?”

“Oh no!” said Sherrill anxiously. “I must get back to the house if possible before they get there!”

“Then we should go at once!”

She cast one more glance down at the two who stood with clasped hands and bowed heads, and rapidly reviewed what was to come.

After this prayer there was the kiss!

She shivered! No, she did not want to see Arla lift her radiant head for that kiss. She had watched him kiss her once that night; she could not stand it again.

“Yes! Let us go quickly!” she whispered hurriedly with one last lingering glance, and then she stumbled toward the stairs.

Out in the cool darkness with a little breeze blowing in her face and the bright kind stars looking down, Sherrill came to herself fully again, her mind racing on to what was before her.

She was glad for the strong arm that still helped her across the street, but she felt the strength coming into her own feet again.

“I can’t ever be grateful enough to you,” she said as they reached the car, and she suddenly realized that she had treated him as if he were a mere letter carrier or a drink of water. “You have done a lot for me tonight. If I had more time, I would try to make you understand how grateful I am.”

“You needn’t do that,” he said gently. “You just needed a friend for a few minutes, and I’m glad I happened by. I wonder if there isn’t something more I could do? I’m going to drive you home, of course, if you’ll let me, for you really shouldn’t try yourself, believe me. Or is there some friend you would prefer whom I could summon?”

“Oh no,” she said, looking frightened. “I don’t want
anyone
I know. I want to get back before they miss me—and really, I think I could drive. Still if you don’t mind, it
would
be a great help. But I hate to take more of your time.”

“I’d love to,” he said heartily. “I haven’t another thing to do this evening. In fact, I’m a stranger in town and was wondering what I could do to pass the time until I could reasonably retire for the night.”

“You seem to have been just sent here to help in a time of need,” she said simply as he put her into the car and then took the wheel himself.

“I certainly am glad,” he said. “Now, which way? Couldn’t we take a shortcut somewhere and keep away from this mob of cars?”

“Yes,” said Sherrill, roused now fully to the moment. “Turn to the left here and go down the back street.”

“I wonder,” he said as they whirled away from the church with the triumphant notes of the wedding march breaking ruthlessly into their conversation, “if there wouldn’t be some way I could serve you the rest of the evening? I’m wholeheartedly at your service if there is any way in which just a mere, may I say friend, can help out somewhere?”

“Oh,” said Sherrill, giving him a startled look in the semidarkness, “you’re really wonderfully kind. But—I hate to suggest any more, and—it’s such a silly thing!—”

“Please,” said the young man earnestly, “just consider me an old friend for the evening, won’t you, and ask what you would ask if I were.”

Sherrill was still a second, giving him a troubled look.

“Well, then—would you consider it a great bore to go back with me to that reception and sort of hang around with me awhile? Just as if you were an old friend who had been invited to the wedding? You see, I—well, I’m afraid I’ll have to explain.”

“You needn’t if you don’t want to,” said the young man promptly. “I’ll be delighted to go without explanations. Just give me my cue, and I’ll take any part you assign me if I can help you in any way. Only, how the dickens am I going to a swell wedding reception in a blue serge suit?”

“Oh,” said Sherrill blankly. “Of course, I hadn’t thought of that. And I suppose there wouldn’t be any place open near here where we could rent some evening things? Well, of course it was a foolish idea, and I oughtn’t to have suggested it. I’ll go through the thing all right alone, I’m sure. I’m feeling better every minute.”

“No,” said the young man, “it
wasn’t
and
you’re not
! I’ve got a perfectly good dress suit and everything else I’ll need in a suitcase up in my room in the hotel, and it’s just around that corner there. If you think it wouldn’t make you too late, I could just park you outside a minute and run up and get the suitcase. Then I could put it on in the garage or somewhere, couldn’t I? Or would it be better for me to get dressed in the conventional manner and take a taxi back?”

“Oh,” laughed Sherrill nervously, “why, we’ll stop at the hotel, of course. It won’t take you long, and they can’t have started home yet, can they?”

“They haven’t got the bride and groom into their car yet, if you ask me,” said the young man blithely. “I doubt if they’re out at the front door, to judge by that music. I’ve sort of been humming it inside since we started. You know, there’s always a delay getting the cars started. Here’s the hotel. Shall I really stop and get my things?”

While she waited before the hotel, she put back her head and closed her eyes, her mind racing ahead to the things she had to do. The worst nightmare of the evening was yet to come, and for an instant as she faced it she almost had a wild thought of leaving the whole thing, kind young man and all, and racing off into the world somewhere to hide. Only of course she knew she wouldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave Aunt Pat like that!

And then almost incredibly the young man was back with a suitcase in his hand.

“I had luck,” he explained as he swung himself into the car. “I just caught the elevator going up with a man to the top floor. I had only to unlock my door, snatch up my suitcase, and lock the door again, so I caught the elevator coming back. I call that service. How about it?”

“You certainly made record time,” said Sherrill. “Now turn right at the next corner, and go straight till I tell you to turn.”

They were out in a quiet street and making good time when she spoke again.

“I’ve got to tell you the situation,” she said gravely, “or you won’t understand what it’s all about and why I want you to help. You see, this was
my
wedding tonight.”

“Your wedding?” He turned a startled face toward her.

“Yes, and I doubt whether very many have taken it in yet that I wasn’t the bride.”

“But—why—how—when—?”

“Yes, of course,” explained Sherrill. “It all happened less than an hour ago. I was all dressed to go to the church, and I happened to find out about her. I—saw them together—saying good-bye—”

She caught her breath, trying to steady her voice and keep the tears back, and he said gently, “Don’t tell me if that makes it harder. I’ll get the idea all right. You want me to hang around and be an old friend, is that the idea?”

“That’s it,” said Sherrill. “I thought if I just had
somebody
—somebody they all
didn’t know
—somebody they could think had been an old friend back in my home in the West before I came here, it wouldn’t be so hard.”

“I understand perfectly,” he said. “I am your very special oldest friend, and I’ll do my noblest to help you carry off the situation.” His voice was gravely tender and respectful, and somehow it gave her great relief to know he would stand by her for the evening.

“You are wonderful,” she said in a shaky little voice. “But, I never thought, is there—have you a wife or, or—somebody who would mind you doing that for a stranger?”

He laughed blithely, as if he were glad about it.

“No, I haven’t a wife. I haven’t even somebody. Nothing to worry about in that direction. Though I wouldn’t think much of them even if I had if they would mind lending me for such an occasion.”

“Well, I guess I’m not worth much that I’m letting you do it, but things are almost getting me. I was pretty tired and excited when it happened, and then, you know, it was less than an hour ago, and kind of sudden.”

“Less than an hour ago!” said the young man, appalled. “Why, how did you work it to get the other girl there all dressed up?”

“I waited till he had started to the church. I guess I was dazed at first and didn’t know what to do. I just dragged her into my room and made her put on the wedding things and sent her off in the car. You see, the man who was to give me away was a distant cousin who didn’t know me, had been late in arriving, and the maid of honor was a friend of my aunt’s who had never seen me either.”

“But didn’t the bridegroom know?”

“Not until he saw her coming up the aisle, or—I’m not sure
when
he knew, but—” There came that piteous catch in her voice again. “I don’t know just
when
he knew, but he accepted it all right. He—used
her name
in the service, not mine. I haven’t thought much yet about what I did. But I guess it was a rather dreadful thing to do. Still—I don’t know what else I could have done. The wedding was all there, and
I
couldn’t marry him, could I? Perhaps you think I am a very terrible girl. Perhaps you won’t want to pose as my friend now you know.”

He could hear that the tears were very near to the surface now, and he hastened to say earnestly, “I think you are a very brave and wonderful girl.”

“Here’s where we turn,” she said breathlessly, “and I think that’s their car down two blocks away. They have to go in the front drive, but we’ll go on around here to the service entrance. Then we can get in before they see us.”

“And by the way, oughtn’t I know your name?” he said quietly. “Mine is Graham Copeland, and you can call me ‘Gray’ for short. It will sound more schoolmatish, won’t it? All my friends call me Gray.”

“Thank you,” said Sherrill gravely. “And I’m Sherrill Cameron. That was my aunt Pat you took the note down to. She is Miss Catherwood. She didn’t know either. I had to write and tell her.”

“I couldn’t help seeing some of the words,” he admitted. “Will she stand by you?”

“I—don’t know—!” Sherrill hesitated. “I thought I saw a twinkle in her eye, but it may have been indignation. She’s rather severe in her judgments. She may turn me right out of the house after it’s over. But if I can only get through the evening without shaming her, I won’t care. She’s been so very kind to me. I know this will be hard for her to bear. She stands very high in the community and is very proud. But she’ll be nice to you. And then there’ll be the bridesmaids and ushers. I’ll introduce the rest of them. You won’t be expected to know everybody. Here we are, and that’s the first car just coming into the drive now! Oh, we’re in plenty of time! Just leave the car right here. This is out of the way. Yes, lock it. Now, come; we’ll go up the fire escape, if you don’t mind, and then we won’t have to explain ourselves.”