"Exactly," snapped her husband. "I don’t know just what to make of Kimberly," he went on.
"Robert, Robert. He’s the one they all play to here." MacBirney, sitting in a lounging-chair, emphasized the last words, as he could do when impatient, and shut his teeth and lips as he did when perplexed. "I wonder why he didn’t come to-night?"
Alice had no explanation to offer. "Charles," she suggested, tying her hair-ribbon, "is very nice."
"Why, yes--you and Charles are chummy already. I wish we could get better acquainted with Robert," he continued, knitting his brows. "I thought you were a little short with him last night, Alice."
"Short? Oh, Walter! We didn’t exchange a dozen words."
"But we had no chance to. I am sure I didn’t mean to be short. I sang, didn’t I? And more on his account, from what Dolly had said to me, than anybody else’s. He didn’t like my singing, but I couldn’t help that. He didn’t say a single word."
"Just some stiff remark when he thanked me."
Alice, rising, left her table. MacBirney laughed.
"Oh, I see. That’s what’s the matter. Well, you’re quite mistaken, my dear." Catching Alice in his arms as she passed, in a way he did when he wished to seem affectionate, MacBirney drew his wife to him. "He _did_ like it. He remarked to me just as he said good-night, that you had a fine voice."
"That does not sound like him--possibly he was ironical."
"And when I thanked him," continued MacBirney, "he took the trouble to repeat: ’That song was beautifully sung.’ Those were his exact words."
In spite of painful experiences it rarely occurred to Alice that her husband might be deceiving her, nor did she learn till long afterward that he had lied to her that night. With her feelings in some degree appeased she only made an incredulous little exclamation: "He didn’t ask me to sing again," she added quietly.
MacBirney shrugged his shoulders. "He is peculiar."
"I try, Walter," she went on, lifting her eyes to his with an effort, "to be as pleasant as I can to all of these people, for your sake."
"I know it, Alice." He kissed her. "I know it. Let us see now what we can do to cultivate Robert Kimberly. He is the third rail in this combination, and he is the only one on the board of directors who voted finally against taking us in."