A Treasury of Stories (Collection of novelettes and short stories)

Waltz

She was sitting there in white, cool and crisp and purelooking, with ten young men around her, waiting for the next number to begin. She knew what it was going to be because only a short while ago she had requested the orchestra leader to play it. The Blue Danube. She knew whom it was going to be with too.

As the opening bars were struck, a preamble started all around her. She laughed and kept shaking her head and saying, “Reserved, reserved. The next one, maybe.” But the joke was, there wasn’t going to be any next one. She knew that and they didn’t.

When she saw him coming for her all the way across the enormous room, she stood up expectantly. There seemed to be a star twinkling behind both of her eyes. The strains of Strauss’ lovely lilting music found an echo in her heart. The disappointed men put on long faces and drifted back to the stag line that stretched unbroken across one entire side of the ballroom, ruler-straight, like a regiment on dress parade: black shoulders, white shirtfronts, pink faces. Under the sparkling crystal chandeliers, figures in blue and yellow and pink were slowly beginning to turn all over the room, like tops, each with its black-garbed complement.

The girl in white and the man she’d been waiting for met, stood poised for a moment, started off with a slow spin, their forms reflected upside down on the glass floor. Her voice was eager, confidential:

“This is the first chance I’ve had to say a word to you alone all evening, they’ve been watching me so. Especially mother... You’ve got your car outside, of course?... Right after this dance? Yes, that’s as good a time as any. They’ll be going upstairs then. They’ll let the party go ahead under its own momentum. She’s starting to yawn already.

“Yes, I’m all set. I sneaked up and finished my packing while the last dance was going on. Imagine me doing my own packing! I wasn’t taking any chances on the maid giving me away to the family. I even carried my bags down the back stairs myself. They’re hidden in a little closet off the servants’ entrance. Just as soon as this piece is over, you slip out the front way, bring your car around to the back, and I’ll meet you there. We’ll be miles away before we’re even missed...”

“I still can’t believe it, it’s all been so sudden The family’ll probably throw fits, when they find out I’ve only known you ten days... They think you have to know a person years before you can trust them. And even then, you’re supposed to play safe and not trust them anyway, half the time. Anyone you know less than six months, to them, is an utter stranger. I guess it’s our money that made them that way...”

“Well, suppose they do think it’s that? Let them. We know better, don’t we, Wes?... Oh, shall I? I never thought of that. I never stop to think of money. Well, about how much shall I bring along? There’s a lot of it lying scattered around in my bureau drawer upstairs. I just throw it in and then forget about it ye never bothered counting. Maybe a thousand or two. Will that be enough? I mean, I haven’t the faintest idea what things cost, gasoline and hotels and things like that. I’ve never had to pay for anything myself... Oh, don’t apologize, Wes — I understand perfectly. Of course, just until you can cash a check tomorrow or the next day. What difference does money make anyway when two people are as much in love as we are? If you don’t think two thousand will be enough, I could go to Father maybe and ask him... No, I guess you’re right, I’d better not. He might think it was a strange time, right in the middle of the party like this, and start asking all kinds of questions...”

“My jewels? Why, of course, I’m bringing them. They’re in one of the valises right now... Yes, I suppose they are worth a lot... No, I haven’t the faintest idea; seventy-five, a hundred thousand, somewhere around there, don’t you think?... A lot? Why, I thought every girl had about that amount of jewelry. I mean, except servant girls and people like that. Don’t they? Everyone I know has at least that much...

“Oh, here we’re wasting this whole lovely music talking about money and jewels and uninteresting things like that! It’s the last time I’ll ever dance in my own home, with people around me that I’ve known all my life, who have sheltered and protected me. By morning we’ll be hundreds of miles away, without leaving a trace. No one’ll know where I am, what’s become of me. They’ll never see me again. Isn’t that romantic, dropping from sight in the middle of a big party right under your own roof?

“Regret it? Feel sorry? No, how can I, when I think what I do of you? No, these other men don’t mean a thing to me. I grew up with most of them. I know every one of those twenty-five men on that stag line, and there’s not one of them I—... Well, yes, there are twenty-six, but that third one from the end doesn’t count. He’s only a detective.

“Oops, you went out of step there. My fault I guess, I’m so excited tonight...”

“No, I don’t mean that kind of a hired detective, that you just have around to see that no valuables are stolen during a big party like this. This one’s some special kind of a detective, who’s hunting somebody. Imagine looking for somebody here! Isn’t that rich?

“There we go again; it must be these high heels of mine... I didn’t really bother listening. I just happened to overhear Father bawling him out as I was passing the door; that was all... Father nearly had a fit. He wanted to have him thrown out bodily, from what I could gather. But you know how nervous Mother is. As soon as she heard about it, she insisted that Father let him stay — just in case...”

“No, not a thief. He gave it a funny word. Wait’ll I see if I can remember. Oh yes — con-congenital murderer! That was it. What’s a congenital murderer anyway, Wes?... Darling, have we been dancing too hard? Your forehead’s all wet... Now isn’t that preposterous? I don’t believe a word of it. I think he’s just trying to sound important and frighten us. Well anyway, Mother talked Father into letting him hang around, as long as he minded his business and didn’t spoil the looks of the party. She made him give his word that he wouldn’t start any rough stuff inside the house here — that he’d wait until the person — if there is such a person — left, and he’d get him outside...

“Oh no, he’s not alone. I think he’s brought a whole battery of others with him. They’re probably spread out lurking outside around the house somewhere. Something asinine like that. Father put his foot down. He said one inside the house was all he’d stand for — the rest would have to stay out. I guess they’re all out there right now, thick as bees...”

“There we go again. My, but I’m clumsy tonight!

“No, of course not, Wes; why should they interfere with us? They wouldn’t dare! They’ll just stop this man, when and if they see him coming out... He might be here at that. When you throw a large party like this and invite dozens and dozens of people, almost anyone can slip in unannounced. Like you did yourself, that night I first met you at Sylvia’s party, ten nights ago. Only of course you did it just for the fun of it. I asked her who you were afterwards, and she said she didn’t know herself... You know, if I weren’t so excited about what we’re going to do, I’d have myself a perfectly swell time trying to figure out just who it could be... Isn’t it thrilling? Somebody here at this party is a congenital murderer! Somebody right out on this floor dancing like we are this very minute! I wouldn’t want to be in his partner’s shoes... Let’s see now, Tommy Turner, over there with that girl in yellow, has always had a perfectly vile temper. Why he half killed a man once just for — but Tommy and I have been playmates since we were seven. He wouldn’t have the time to go around murdering people. He’s always too busy playing polo... Or maybe it’s that Argentine sheik that’s been rushing Kay Landon so all season. I always did think he had kind of a murderous face...

“Don’t stare at him like that, Wes — the detective, I mean. He’ll know I told you something, and he asked us not to. I know you’re highly interested, but you haven’t taken your eyes off him once the past five minutes. No, he’s not looking at us. Why should he be?... Well, if he is, it’s because you’ve been looking at him so hard. You’re like all the men. You seem to think a detective is wonderful. Personally I find them very stupid and uninteresting. This one talks out of the side of his mouth. I wish you could hear—

“Wes, you’re breathing so hard. I must be difficult to lead...

“So they know what he looks like? I’m not sure. They do and they don’t. I mean, what they’re counting on is a certain scar across the back of his hand. That seems to be one of the few definite facts they know about him. They’re positive he has it. I suppose they’ll make every man that leaves here tonight hold up his hand before his face or something before they let him through. Which just goes to show you how very stupid they are. As though there couldn’t be two people with a scar—... What am I laughing at? Why, there are! I just remembered you yourself have one. You know, that scald you got trying to unscrew the overheated cap of your radiator. Don’t you remember my asking you about it at Sylvia’s that night, when you still had tape around it? Incidentally, how is it getting—... Wes, don’t pull your hand away like that! You nearly tore my arm out of my socket!... Silly, are you afraid they’ll mistake you for this murderer? As though you could be a congenital murderer! Why, I’d know one in a minute. At least I think I would. Of course I never saw one, but they’re sort of pale and hollow-eyed and suspicious looking, aren’t they?... Wes, what a peculiar smile you just gave me!... Darling, is it too warm for you in here? You’ve gotten so white...

“Oh, let’s forget this stupid detective and his murderer! How’d we ever start talking about him anyway?... There, Father and Mother are saying good night. They’ll be starting upstairs in a minute. Now just as soon as this waltz is over, I’ll make a beeline out of here before that bunch of stags jumps on my neck again. I’ll get the money I told you about, throw something over this dress, and meet you by the rear entrance... Father’s private library? Why the library? Well all right, anything you say. You wait for me in there then. Keep the door closed so no one’ll see you... What? Why yes, I think Father does keep some kind of a gun in the table drawer in there. I remember seeing it once or twice, but how on earth did you know about it?... I still can’t understand why you want me to follow you in there. The library is in the exact center of the whole house. There’s only one door to it and no windows. And we’ll be cut off, walled up, in there; it’ll be terribly hard for us to get out again without being seen... Well, you know best, Wes. It’d be terribly unlucky for me to start arguing with my future husband the very first night...

“The waltz is ending. Lead me over toward the stairs, so I can make a quick getaway... That stupid detective keeps watching so; he must have intended asking me for the next dance. Well, he’ll have another guess! I bet he dances like a Mack truck... One minute more...

“There, it’s over! Wasn’t that a lovely waltz? I’ll never forget it as long as I live. Maybe that won’t be as long as I think it will — I’ll leave you for just this minute, and then I’ll never leave you again. Till death do us part.”

The two shots came so close together they sounded like one; they shattered the after-the-waltz stillness. A girl or two bleated fearfully. Then with a patter like rain on the polished dancing floor the crowd began herding toward a single point, converging on the partly open library door, where a man was standing. There was a wisp of smoke just over his head. Then it blew away.

Beyond him a man’s face was visible, chin on the long, narrow table. Then that too disappeared, like the smoke, and a dull sound came from the carpeted floor.

The detective was saying, to those behind him in the doorway: “Search me, I headed over for this private library to bum another of the old man’s cigars — they’re the finest I ever smoked. I open the door and he’s standing there perfectly still on the other side on that table, with the drawer open and his hand in it. He don’t say anything, just looks at me like I’m a ghost. So I reach out my paw to help myself from the big humidor standing there between us. With that, he jerks up this gun, misses my ear by an eighth of an inch, turns it to his own dome, and gives it the works!”

Voices cried excitedly, “He must be that murderer you wanted!” The story had evidently already gotten around in some way.

“How could he be?” the detective shrugged. “We got him over an hour ago — nabbed him outside the house as he was on his way in with some swell-looking dame that was next on his list. He’s been safely in custody ever since ten o’clock, and the guys I had watching the place all went with him. Why did I come back and hang around like that afterwards? Well I’ll tell you frankly, the punch and the sandwidges and the cigars were the best I ever tried, and does anybody feel like complaining?”