“How strange,” she said. “What was he doing there? He told me he had to visit his tailor, and he’s up on Thirty-ninth Street.” She put her hand up to her mouth suddenly. “Oh, my. You don’t think he went there to tell them that he’s forbidden me to come anymore? He can be so overbearing and arrogant at times.”
“So what are you going to do about it?” Sid demanded. “You can’t start off married life under his thumb, you know. Look at Molly. She doesn’t let Daniel browbeat her.”
“I don’t want to upset Monty at the moment.” Sarah stared down at her hands, twiddling the diamond ring on her finger. “He hasn’t been at all well recently, and add to that the strain of the wedding.”
“I thought he looked not very well yesterday,” Gus said. “Rather frail in fact.”
“I know. I’m worried. He used to be so robust, you know. A keen mountain climber and all-around sportsman. And he did wonderfully brave things when he was in the army in India.”
“Do they know what’s wrong with him?” I asked.
She bit her lip. “His doctor thinks it’s nothing serious, but … I’m hoping his health will improve when we’re back on his estate in England and he can get out in the fresh air every day.”
“I’m sure it will,” I said, remembering how much I had worried about Daniel when he had been so sick in jail. “So, Sarah, I was wondering if your settlement house might take in my Chinese girl. What do you think?”
“For the short term, maybe,” Sarah said.
“In spite of the threats from vengeful Chinamen?” Gus asked.
“We’ve done it before. I think they know that the offspring of important Americans work at that house—children of congressmen, senators, and bankers. I like to think that protects us a little.”
“I thought that perhaps we could take her there in disguise and after dark,” I said. “Then nobody in Chinatown would ever know.”
“Molly, how would you disguise a Chinese person so that she wasn’t recognized?” Gus asked. “They do have a rather distinctive look, don’t they?”
“I’ve been thinking. She sneaked into the church with a sheet draped over her head, to make herself look like a nun. You two have so many costumes up in your attic. You must have a nun’s habit or two.”
“As a matter of fact we do.” Sid jumped up. “We gave a wonderful nuns-and-priests party once. Such fun, wasn’t it, Gus. We had confession booths set up and you should have seen the wicked penances we handed out.”
“Too bad we’ve already sent out the invitations for Molly’s party on Sunday. It would have been fun to do that again,” Gus said. “Especially since the happy couple are of that persuasion and know all about priests and nuns.”
“You’re not taking this seriously,” I said, as they were both laughing merrily now. “It’s a girl’s life that’s at stake here.”
“Of course it is, and we will do whatever you want us to,” Gus said, her face becoming sober again.
“I’d like to borrow any nun costumes you might have. The girl was right. It’s rude to stare at nuns. If two or three nuns come out of a Catholic church, it’s going to look perfectly natural and nobody’s going to see past the habit.”
“I wonder how many we have, Sid,” Gus said. “I hope there are enough for all of us. Wouldn’t that be ripping fun? A gaggle of nuns.”
I’m afraid I rather thought that those two would spoil the whole thing by giggling or doing something awful at the wrong moment, and was glad when we found only two nun’s habits in the costume box.
“I had better go ahead and talk to the workers at the settlement house,” I said, not relishing yet another expedition into the Lower East Side. “I can’t just land her on their doorstep. They might even say no.”
“Why don’t I go and speak to them?” Sarah said.
“I thought you were forbidden to go there again?” Gus pointed out.
Sarah flushed. “Monty can’t stop me from saying good-bye to my coworkers, can he? Besides, I’d like to set things straight with them, in case he’s been rude to them. And I have some personal items to collect there anyway.”
“That would be most helpful for me. Thank you,” I said.
“I wish I could be there when you bring in the girl, but Monty is coming to dine with my parents tonight.”
“Don’t worry. If they can just take her in until I come up with a plan for her, I would be most grateful. Tell them I’ll be bringing her under cover of darkness.”
“‘Under cover of darkness’—doesn’t that sound deliciously exciting,” Sid said. “Gus and I want to join in the game, you know. Are you sure we can’t come along—as fallen women, perhaps?”
“Holy Mother,” I muttered. “The whole object is not to attract attention to ourselves. And if you two masquerading as fallen women doesn’t attract attention, then I don’t know what would.”
This set them off laughing again.