Read Her Father's House for Free Online

penthouse was, of course, but actually seeing one is something else.”
    Definitely not interested in penthouses, he was interested in her enthusiasm, which was always delightful.
    â€œI'm all ears,” he said.
    â€œYou know that tiny dog, the Yorkshire terrier we sometimes see in the lobby? Well, he belongs to the people in the penthouse. Sanders, their name is, and this morning, the boy who takes the dog for a walk lost him. I can't imagine how, oh yes, the hook that fastens the leash to the collar wasn't on right and the dog ran away. Well, I happened to be in the lobby just going out, when the boy came back practically out of his mind. Stupid! Instead of going after Spike—isn't that a name for a big, tough, six-pound dog?—he came running home. So I went out and raced down the street, turned the corner, and there were some fellows walking away with Spike. Now
they
really were big and tough. I gave a shriek, ‘That's my dog!' which attracted a lot of attention, so they dropped Spike, I grabbed him, and ran home.
    â€œWell, Mrs. Sanders, Chloe, wouldn't let me go. I had to go upstairs with her, have a second breakfast, take a tour of the house which is incredibly beautiful, including Spike's nook, where his basket is upholstered to match the room.”
    Donald smiled. She was so charming, rosy, out of breath, and full of her story.
    â€œRemember that day when I said dogs and babies break the ice? If it hadn't been for Spike, we'd never have done more than nod to each other in the elevator, if that. She wants us to come up one evening soon. He's on Wall Street. Frank Sanders.”
    â€œYes, one of the biggest new names in the city. Made a few hundred million before he was thirty. Too rich for us, Lil.”
    â€œOh, do you think so? I hope not. Of course, when we have to invite them back—oh, I don't know—I did say that we're just married and will soon be looking for something larger.”
    â€œNot soon. It'll be a while before we do anything like that. You shouldn't have said it.”
    She answered quickly, “I didn't mean that I don't appreciate this apartment, because you know I do. You aren't annoyed, are you?”
    No, he was not annoyed, and he said so. Rather, he was surprised by this evidence of insecurity coming from so sophisticated a woman. And then he thought, there are bound to be many surprises, aren't there? Consider that starting a marriage must be something like opening a new book; as you turn the pages, unexpected scenes and situations will be revealed.
    â€œSo you'll accept if they invite us?”
    â€œOf course I will.”
    The Sanders were leaders among the young group who, like themselves, had made enormous quick fortunes. They were friendly and never could thank Lillian enough for her rescue of Spike. Clearly, they were taken with her, Donald saw. But then, most people were. For how often did one meet a human being so filled with alert and joyous energy as Lillian was?
    So, on rare evenings when they were home, the Sanders—soon to be simply Chloe and Frank—invited Lillian and Donald to have some after-dinner coffee and dessert on their marble coffee table in their forty-foot-long living room. Once in a while they came downstairs to the Wolfes'. Therefore, it was not as astonishing as it might have been when invitations to gallery openings, teas, benefits, and gala charity dinners began to arrive in the mail. Chloe Sanders apparently had decided to sponsor the interesting newcomers.
    Most of these events turned out to be for Lillian in the daytime, since Donald, unlike many of the men in circles like these, was a worker with long hours, into which great balls and banquets seldom fit. But she, an unknown from the city's outer rim, was gradually being drawn toward its center. And Donald, seeing her pleasure, was glad.
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    Often, much later, whenever he tried to find a pattern behind events and a reason for the pattern, he would