'Philippa,' says Mrs Seaton one day, 'I have just had an invitation from
old Mrs Boothly, asking us to a water party next Wednesday, would you
like to go?'
'Who is going?' asks Lippa wisely, 'not only the Boothlys--'
'I suppose the "_not only_," means that in that case you would not go,
but rest assured lots of other people are going, the two Graham girls,
little Tommy Grant, Mr Dalrymple, and Captain Harkness,' says Mabel,
'but read the note yourself and decide--' Philippa's mind is soon made
up. 'I think I should like to go, it will be rather fun I expect.'
'Yes, I daresay,' replies Mabel, 'then I will write at once to get it
off my mind, but _what_ day is it for?'
'Wednesday,' says Philippa, meaning to enjoy herself. But in one sense
she is doomed to disappointment, the weather is everything that could be
wished, and, donning a pretty gown, and covering her head with a dainty
confection, she feels ready for the fray.
Ten o'clock is the hour fixed for starting from ---- Station, but Teddy
has been refractory over his breakfast and his mother considers it her
duty to reprimand him, tears ensue, and then some time is spent in
consolation, so that they are only just in time and have to run along
the platform to the saloon carriage, out of which Tommy Grant is
gesticulating violently.
'You're only just in time,' says he, helping them in.
Philippa looks round and does not see Dalrymple; she finds herself next
the eldest Miss Boothly who is saying, 'I am so pleased you could come,'
giving Lippa's arm a little squeeze at the same time, 'I think we shall
have a nice day, don't you, and you know all the people?'
'All except the man at the further end.'
'Oh! don't you know him,' says Miss Boothly. 'He's Lord Helmdon; he has
come in the place of Mr Dalrymple, who at the last moment wrote to say
he could not come, and so we asked Lord Helmdon, he's so nice; we always
fall back upon him when anyone fails us.'
Chubby does not look as if he had been fallen back upon by any means,
for apparently he is keeping up the spirits of the party, for they are
all in shrieks of laughter. Captain Harkness eyes Lippa from the
distance, and when they reach their destination prepares to assist her
to alight, when Lord Helmdon clumsily treads on her dress just as she is
about to jump down on the platform; no great damage is done, and Chubby,
profuse in apologies, wins Miss Seaton's heart by the plain distress
depicted on his countenance, and a safety pin which he produces and
with which he fastens up the torn gathers, and before they come to the
river, they are on quite friendly terms, much to the disgust of
Harkness, who has been attacked by his hostess's youngest daughter.
Up the river they go, dividing into three parties; Mrs Boothly, who has
placed herself next Mabel, warm, and decidedly sleepy, tries in vain to
feel happy in seeing her dear girls amused, and discusses the management
of children with Mrs Seaton. And the day wears on, Helmdon making
himself decidedly agreeable to everyone. Lippa amuses herself to a
certain extent, but she becomes irritated by the assiduous attentions of
Captain Harkness, to whom she has taken a violent dislike. She gets
more and more out of patience with him and at length is almost rude. It
appears to have no effect upon him whatever, for like a great many other
people he has a very good opinion of himself, and that this girl is not
pleased with his attentions never enters his well-curled head. Philippa
has taken his fancy and as he has just made up his mind that it is time
to enter the blissful (?) state of matrimony, she seems to him to be the
exact person to make his wife; money makes no difference, for he is one
of those fortunate individuals who has almost more than he knows what to
do with. That Miss Seaton will have nothing to do with him, has not
crossed his mind yet.
The party disperse again at the station pouring into Mrs Boothly's ear
many sweet sentences, which had she been listening would have made her
think that going up the river in a boat and lunching on the bank was
almost heaven upon earth; but poor dear lady she is longing to get home,
feeling painfully conscious of the shapeliness of her shoes; and the
pain thereby caused, absorbs all her faculties for the present: but when
the above mentioned articles are removed, she thinks with pleasure how
much everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and she makes up her mind to
have a similar day; only, made more pleasant to her by large and
shapeless boots. Wise Mrs Boothly--
Garden-parties, balls, dinner-parties, follow each other in rather
monotonous succession, and Lippa is beginning to tire of them, she has
been to three balls where a certain young man has been conspicuous by
his absence; and it is almost a week since he has dropped in to tea, and
Miss Seaton misses him more than she will own to herself. She is feeling
out of sorts this afternoon and has betaken herself to the back
drawing-room, which is only curtained off from the front, leaving Mabel
and Lady Dadford in earnest conversation.
Presently the door opens, and Ponsonby comes in. 'All alone,' says he.
'I thought you always had some one worshipping at your shrine.'
'Indeed, you are much mistaken,' replies she laughing, 'but I didn't
know you were in London--'
'I only came back this morning--'
'Mabel and Lady Dadford are in there,' interrupts Philippa
indifferently, pointing to the front room.
'Well, unless I am disturbing you, I will remain here,' says Paul,
'there are some letters I must write,' and going to the table he
proceeds to hunt for paper and pens; Lippa goes on reading her book, and
a silence of a few minutes ensues.
Then he says, 'What wretched pens you do keep--'
'Yes,' replies she, 'they are rather bad, but I think you will find some
others in the right hand drawer--have you ever read this?' holding up
her volume.
'The "Epic of Hades," yes, parts of it are very fine. "There is an end
of all things that thou seest. There is an end of wrong and death and
hell,"' quotes he.
'What a melancholy passage,' says Lippa.
'A very grand one I think,' he replies, 'but I should never have thought
you would care for that kind of literature.'
'Why not?--'
'Because, well, I should have thought it would have been too deep for
you--'
'Really,' then after a pause, 'do you know _that_ wasn't very polite--'
'Wasn't it? suppose I say then that I am agreeably surprised--'
'That's nearly as bad, if not quite, it sounds as if you expected me to
read nothing but books like the "Daisy Chain," or "Laneton Parsonage."'
'Very excellent books too--'
'Oh, Paul! how _tiresome_ you are, do you know I,' and then Miss Seaton
is filled with confusion, she has called him by his Christian name and
he is looking at her and smiling. 'I--er beg your pardon,' she says
quickly in her childish way.
'What for?' asks he, pretending not to understand her.
'For calling you by your Christian name--'
'Well, and what harm was there?'
'You see,' she says deprecatingly, 'Mabel is always talking about you,
and so I get into the habit of talking of you as Paul.'
Paul rises and standing in front of her says--'As I said before, where
is the harm? I have never called you anything else but Philippa, or
Lippa; I could not address you as Miss Seaton, it does not suit you one
bit you know; now let us make it a compact from henceforth, I call you
Lippa, and you call me Paul.'
'Very well,' replies she.
'What ever are you two doing here,' and the curtain is hastily drawn
aside by Mabel. 'You look as grave as judges, come and have some
strawberries and cream, Lady Dadford has gone.'
At the sound of strawberries, Lippa hastily rises, and they go into the
front room, where Jimmy Dalrymple is.
'How do you do,' says Philippa, wondering how long he has been there.
And then they attack the strawberries.
'I'm longing to know what you two were talking about,' says Mabel.
Paul laughs and replies, 'We were settling a very weighty matter,
weren't we, Lippa?'
Philippa merely says 'Yes,' and longs to turn the conversation, for what
may not Jimmy think.
In truth he feels an unaccountable overwhelming desire to know what the
weighty matter was, but he is not to know, and therefore is kept on
tenter hooks for some time.
'She came to ask us all to a cattle show and ball,' Mrs Seaton is
saying.
'Who?' asks her brother.
'Lady Dadford; she particularly wants you.'
'I feel highly honoured, I'm sure--'
'Are you going?' says Lippa, turning to Dalrymple.
'I was asked, but I don't know whether I shall be able to get away,' he
replies, still pondering over the 'weighty matter.'
'Only a few minutes ago you were telling Lady Dadford how pleased you
would be to go, Mr Dalrymple; I did not know you were such a humbug,'
cries Mabel.
Jimmy laughs.
'Mrs Boothly,' announces the servant. Philippa retires to the back
drawing-room and Dalrymple follows her. 'I have not seen you for ages,'
says he.
'Only a week, I think,' replies Lippa.
'Isn't that seven whole long days?'
'Short I call them, but what have you been doing?'
'Duty.'
'Oh!'
Then after a pause he says, 'I can't make up my mind about the Dadfords,
shall I go?'
Lippa feels naughty. 'What difference could it make to me whether you
went or not?' she says.
'None, I suppose,' replies he sadly.
'None whatever,' she repeats, 'unless perhaps you make yourself very
disagreeable, then I must say I would rather you stayed away.'
'But,' says he, his face brightening, 'suppose I make myself very
agreeable, what then?'
'Could you?' she asks coquettishly.
'Miss Seaton,' protests he, 'how cruel you can be.'
But she appears deaf, and enters the other room. Nevertheless she gives
him the benefit of a lovely little smile when he goes away, which makes
him settle at once as to whether he goes to the Dadfords or not. And of
course he is the first person Lippa sees on arriving there, and who
shall say that it does not cause her pleasure.