Missy Part 17

"Poor Tristram and Isolde," he said, as if speaking an epitaph.

But Missy caught her breath. Uncle Charlie felt sorry for the ill-fated lovers. Oh, if he only knew!

At dinner time (on Sundays they had midday dinner here), Aunt Isabel came down to the table. She said her head was better, but she looked pale; and her blue eyes were just like the Blessed Damozel's, "deeper than the depth of waters stilled at even." Yet, pale and quiet like this, she seemed even more beautiful than ever, especially in that adorable lavender negligee--with slippers to match. Missy regarded her with secret fascination.

After dinner, complaining of the heat, Aunt Isabel retired to her room again. She suggested that Missy take a nap, also. Missy didn't think she was sleepy, but, desiring to be alone with her bewildered thoughts, she went upstairs and lay down. The better to think things over, she closed her eyes; and when she opened them to her amazement there was Aunt Isabel standing beside the bed--a radiant vision in pink organdy this time--and saying:

"Wake up, sleepy-head! It's nearly six o'clock!"

Aunt Isabel, her vivacious self once more, with gentle fingers (Oh, hard not to love Aunt Isabel!) helped Missy get dressed for supper.

It was still so hot that, at supper, everyone drank a lot of ice-tea and ate a lot of ice-cream. Missy felt in a steam all over when they rose from the table and went out to sit on the porch. It was very serene, for all the sultriness, out on the porch; and Aunt Isabel was so sweet toward Uncle Charlie that Missy felt her gathering suspicions had something of the unreal quality of a nightmare. Aunt Isabel was reading aloud to Uncle Charlie out of the Sunday paper. Beautiful! The sunset was carrying away its gold like some bold knight with his captured, streaming-tressed lady. The fitful breeze whispered in the rhythm of olden ballads. Unseen church bells sent long-drawn cadences across the evening hush. And the little stars quivered into being, to peer at the young poignancy of feeling which cannot know what it contributes to the world...

Everything was idyllic--that is, almost idyllic--till, suddenly Uncle Charlie spoke:

"Isn't that Saunders coming up the street?"

Why, oh why, did Mr. Saunders have to come and spoil everything?

But poor Uncle Charlie seemed glad to see him--just as glad as Aunt Isabel. Mr. Saunders sat up there amongst them, laughing and joking, now and then directing one of his quaint, romantic-sounding phrases at Missy. And she pretended to be pleased with him--indeed, she would have liked Mr. Saunders under any other circ.u.mstances.

Presently he exclaimed:

"By my halidome, I'm hot! My kingdom for a long, tall ice-cream soda!"

And Uncle Charlie said:

"Well, why don't you go and get one? The drug store's just two blocks around the corner."

"A happy suggestion," said Mr. Saunders. He turned to Aunt Isabel. "Will you join me?"

"Indeed I will," she answered. "I'm stifling."

Then Mr. Saunders looked at Missy.

"And you, fair maid?"

Missy thought a cool soda would taste good.

At the drug store, the three of them sat on tall stools before the white marble counter, and quaffed heavenly cold soda from high gla.s.ses in silver-looking flaskets. "Poor Charlie! He likes soda, so," remarked Aunt Isabel.

"Why not take him some?"

Missy didn't know you could do that, but the drug store man said it would be all right.

Then they all started home again, Aunt Isabel carrying the silver-looking flasket.

It was when they were about half-way, that Aunt Isabel suddenly exclaimed:

"Do you know, I believe I could drink another soda? I feel hotter than ever--and it looks so good!"

"Why not drink it, then?" asked Mr. Saunders.

"Oh, no," said Aunt Isabel.

"Do," he insisted. "We can go back and get another."

"Well, I'll take a taste," she said.

On the words, she lifted the flasket to her lips and took a long draught. Then Mr. Saunders, laughing, caught it from her, and he took a long draught.

Missy felt a wave of icy horror sweep down her spine. She wanted to cry out in protest. For, even while she stared at them, at Aunt Isabel in pink organdie and Mr. Saunders in blue serge dividing the flasket of soda between them, a vision presented itself clearly before her eyes:

La Beale Isoud slenderly tall in a straight girdled gown of grey-green velvet, head thrown back so that her filleted golden hair brushed her shoulders, violet eyes half-closed, and an "antique"-looking flasket clasped in her two slim hands; and Sir Tristram so imperiously dark and handsome in his crimson, fur-trimmed doublet, his two hands stretched out and gripping her two shoulders, his black eyes burning as if to look through her closed lids--the magical love-potion... love that never would depart for weal neither for woe...

Missy closed her eyes tight, as if fearing what they might behold in the flesh. But when she opened them again, Aunt Isabel was only gazing into the drained flasket with a rueful expression.

Then they went back and got another soda for Uncle Charlie. And poor Uncle Charlie, unsuspecting, seemed to enjoy it.

During the remainder of that evening Missy was unusually subdued. She realized, of course, that there were no love-potions nowadays; that they existed only in the Middle Ages; and that the silver flasket contained everyday ice-cream soda. And she wasn't sure she knew exactly what the word "symbol" meant, but she felt that somehow the ice-cream soda, shared between them, was symbolic of that famous, fateful drink. She wished acutely that this second episode, so singularly parallel, hadn't happened.

She was still absorbed in gloomy meditations when Mr. Saunders arose to go.

"Oh, it's early yet," protested Uncle Charlie--dear, kind, ignorant Uncle Charlie!

"But I've got to catch the ten-thirty-five," said Mr. Saunders.

"Why can't you stay over till to-morrow night," suggested Aunt Isabel.

She had risen, too, and now put her hand on Mr. Saunders's sleeve; her face looked quite pleading in the moonlight. "There's to be a dance in Odd Fellows' Hall."

"I'd certainly love to stay." He even dared to take hold of her hand openly. "But I've got to be in Paola in the morning, and Blue Mound next day."

"The orchestra's coming down from Macon City," she cajoled.

"Now, don't make it any harder for me," begged Mr. Saunders, smiling down at her.

Aunt Isabel petulantly drew away her hand.

"You're selfis.h.!.+ And Charlie laid up and all!"

Mr. Saunders outspread his hands in a helpless gesture.

"Well, you know the hard lot of the knight of the road--here to-day, gone to-morrow, never able to stay where his heart would wis.h.!.+"

Missy caught her breath; how incautiously he talked!

After Mr. Saunders was gone, Aunt Isabel sat relapsed in her porch chair, very quiet. Missy couldn't keep her eyes off of that lovely, apathetic figure. Once Aunt Isabel put her hand to her head.