CHAPTER 2. Spires and Gargoyles 16 page

"Would you mind taking off your hat? There's a lady in the elevator."

Olson's hat came off slowly. There was a rather embarrassing two minutes

under the lights of the lobby while the night clerk and a few belated

guests stared at them curiously; the loudly dressed girl with bent head,

the handsome young man with his chin several points aloft; the inference

was quite obvious. Then the chill outdoors--where the salt air was

fresher and keener still with the first hints of morning.

"You can get one of those taxis and beat it," said Olson, pointing to

the blurred outline of two machines whose drivers were presumably asleep

inside.

"Good-by," said Olson. He reached in his pocket suggestively, but Amory

snorted, and, taking the girl's arm, turned away.

"Where did you tell the driver to go?" she asked as they whirled along

the dim street.

"The station."

"If that guy writes my mother--"

"He won't. Nobody'll ever know about this--except our friends and

enemies."

Dawn was breaking over the sea.

"It's getting blue," she said.

"It does very well," agreed Amory critically, and then as an

after-thought: "It's almost breakfast-time--do you want something to

eat?"

"Food--" she said with a cheerful laugh. "Food is what queered the

party. We ordered a big supper to be sent up to the room about two

o'clock. Alec didn't give the waiter a tip, so I guess the little

bastard snitched."

Jill's low spirits seemed to have gone faster than the scattering night.

"Let me tell you," she said emphatically, "when you want to stage that

sorta party stay away from liquor, and when you want to get tight stay

away from bedrooms."

"I'll remember."

He tapped suddenly at the glass and they drew up at the door of an

all-night restaurant.

"Is Alec a great friend of yours?" asked Jill as they perched themselves

on high stools inside, and set their elbows on the dingy counter.

"He used to be. He probably won't want to be any more--and never

understand why."

"It was sorta crazy you takin' all that blame. Is he pretty important?

Kinda more important than you are?"

Amory laughed.

"That remains to be seen," he answered. "That's the question."

*****

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 670