THE LOVER GREETS THE LADY
There was a pause when he had gone.
Mrs. Clive, the very essence of dignified disapprobation, stood in the
centre of the room. Mr. Ash, a little flustered, was near the window,
first gazing through it in the direction which Mr. Summers had taken,
and then, a little dubiously, out of the corners of his eyes at his
indignant friend. Mr. Ely's hands were in his trouser pockets, his
legs were wide apart his countenance was red. He seemed to be in a
very dissatisfied frame of mind indeed.
It was he who broke the silence.
"You see, Ash, it was a wild goose chase we came upon! That man looks
like it, by George!"
"My dear fellow, I hope you will not pay the slightest attention to
what that person says. He is the kind of man who will say anything. I
assure you there is not the slightest occasion for you to feel
concerned."
From Mr. Ash's manner it almost seemed as though he desired to convey
a greater feeling of assurance that he quite felt himself. He cast
several glances in the direction of Mrs. Clive, as though seeking for
support.
"It depends upon what you call the 'slightest occasion' for concern,"
retorted Mr. Ely drily. "When a man tells you that he is going to
marry the girl who has promised to be your wife, and that he is going
to meet her underneath the trysting tree--where love lies dreaming, he
said, by gad!--some people would think that there was some reason to
feel concerned!"
Mr. Ash smiled and rubbed his hands, and fidgeted upon his feet, and
looked at Mrs. Clive. He seemed to find some difficulty in finding
something suitable to say. But Mrs. Clive came nobly to his rescue.
She advanced to Mr. Ely with a smiling countenance and an outstretched
hand.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ely; you have not spoken to me yet. I am pleased
to have you back with us so soon."
Mr. Ely seemed in two minds at first as to whether he should take her
hand. Then he just touched it with his own.
"Good afternoon, ma'am! If you're pleased, I'm sure I am--though I
must say your pleasure's easily found."
But the old lady was not to be so easily put down. Her cue seemed to
be to assume unconsciousness of there being anything unpleasant in the
air.
"The pleasure of your visit is heightened by its unexpectedness. Lily
has been working all the morning in her room upstairs--you have no
idea how industrious she is."
Mr. Ely looked at her suspiciously, as though he doubted if she were a
strict exponent of the truth.
"I thought he said that he was going to meet her underneath the
trysting tree!"
The old lady smiled a superior smile.
"You really must not believe such nonsense as that. I assure you it is
the greatest presumption upon his part."
"It would require a good deal of assurance to make me believe that it
was not."
"Lily will be with us directly. Young ladies cannot rush into a
gentleman's presence quite at a moment's notice, you know."
"I beg that Miss Truscott will take her time!"
Mr. Ely marched to the other end of the room, and stood looking in
rather too obvious admiration at an engraving after Landseer which
hung upon the wall. Mrs. Clive, a little disconcerted, was left to
make conversation with Mr. Ash. But Mr. Ash was in a distinctly uneasy
frame of mind.
"I suppose," he said in a whisper to the lady, keeping one eye fixed
on Mr. Ely all the time, "I suppose she'll come?"
"My dear Mr. Ash, what do you mean?"
The lady's modulated tones betrayed the most intense surprise. Mr. Ash
coughed. His manner was apologetic. But without volunteering an
explanation he sauntered off towards Mr. Ely. He had hardly taken a
step when the door opened and Miss Truscott appeared. The young lady's
entrance, in its way, was perfect. She was so extremely at her ease.
She stood at the door a moment, and then advanced with outstretched
hands and the sweetest smile to Mr. Ash. She did not seem to notice
Mr. Ely. He, on his part, continued to admire the engraving.
"Guardian! How kind of you to take me by surprise like this!"
Mr. Ash took the two hands she offered and looked at her. Certainly
this was a woman whom no man need be ashamed to call his wife. Tall
above the average of her sex, yet her figure was exquisitely
feminine--she bore herself with the daintiest grace. She was dressed
in white from head to foot; a silver belt went round her waist; in the
belt were some red roses; there was another rosebud in the bosom of
her dress. As Mr. Ash held her two soft, white hands in his he
involuntarily glanced in the direction of the dapper little gentleman
who was continuing to examine the engraving which hung upon the wall.
Even if they made a match of it they would scarcely make a pair, these
two.
"What have you to say for yourself?" asked the lady, seeing that he
was still. "Do you know how long it is since you came to look upon my
face? Does your conscience not reproach you, sir? I suppose it is the
Juggernaut of commerce which has kept you so long away?"
Mr. Ash smiled, and pressed her hands. Possibly the source from which
she drew the reference to the Juggernaut of commerce was still fresh
in his mind, for there was something a little uneasy in his smile.
"I think you will allow that I have atoned for my misconduct when you
perceive whom I have brought as my companion."
Mr. Ash motioned towards Mr. Ely with his now disengaged hand. Miss
Truscott turned with her most innocent air. When she perceived the
little gentleman, her countenance was illumined with a seraphic smile.
"Mr. Ely! Who would have thought of seeing you? This is a compliment!
To be able to tear yourself away again so quickly from your Noras and
Doras, and bulls and bears."
Mr. Ely ceased to examine the engraving. Turning, he pulled his
spotless white waistcoat down into its place, and then thrust his
thumbs into the armholes. He looked the lady in the face.
"I knew you would be surprised," he said.
"Surprised! Surprised is not the word!" Then she turned again to Mr.
Ash. "Guardian, would you like to look at the garden? You have no idea
how beautiful it is."
Mr. Ash cleared his throat. He felt that this was a defiance, that in
these seemingly innocent words the gage of challenge was thrown down.
Miss Truscott was quite aware that he had not come down to look at the
garden. He looked at Mr. Ely, but that gentleman kept his eyes fixed
upon his faithless fair one with a sort of glare. He looked at Mrs.
Clive, but there were no signs that help was likely to come from
there. The stockbroker felt that it was incumbent upon him to come to
the point.
"My dear Lily, I shall be delighted to see the garden--delighted--by
and by!" This interpolation was necessary because the young lady
sailed towards the window as though she wished to fly into the garden
on the wings of the wind. "Before I can give myself that pleasure,
there is one little point which I should like to have cleared up."
Miss Truscott, brought to a standstill, looked down at the toe of the
little shoe with which she was tapping the floor.
"Yes, guardian. What is that?"
Nothing could be better--in its way--than the air of shy, sweet
modesty with which she asked the question. But Mr. Ash felt that it
was a little disconcerting all the same.
"It's--eh!--rather a delicate point for an old--and crusty--bachelor
like me to handle."
Mr. Ash said this with an air of forced joviality which was anything
but jovial. His gruesome effort to be cheerful seemed to strike Miss
Truscott, for she gave him a quick, penetrating glance which took him
considerably aback.
"Guardian! Aren't you well?"
"Well? God bless the girl, yes! What do you mean?"
Back went the eyes to the toe, which again began tapping the floor. "I
didn't know."
Mr. Ash pulled himself together. He made another effort, and began
again. He was not a man who was deficient in tact as a rule, but he
was conscious that his was a position in which even something more
than tact might be required. Joining the tips of his fingers, he
balanced himself upon his toes and heels, assuming what he intended to
be a judicial attitude.
"My dear Lily, you are quite aware that you have reached an age at
which it is no longer possible to treat you as a girl."
"Would you treat me as an old woman, then?"
This was disconcerting; even more disconcerting was the glance with
which it was accompanied. Mr. Ash--who had the sense of humour which
Mr. Ely lacked--was quite aware that the young lady was laughing in
her sleeve, and he had very clearly in his mind the memory of previous
occasions on which the young lady had beaten him with weapons against
which none of his were of the least avail. Still, he stuck to his
guns. Was not Mr. Ely looking on? And Mrs. Clive?
"I would treat you as a person who has arrived at years of discretion,
who is conscious of the meaning of the words which she may use. One
moment!" For Miss Truscott murmured something about her not being yet
twenty-one, and he felt that interruption might be fatal. "Lily, you
are at least aware of what a promise means."
The young lady sighed.
"It depends," she said.
"Depends!--depends on what?"
She looked up. Feeling that it would be impossible for him to preserve
his gravity and yet meet the wicked light which he knew was in her
eyes, Mr. Ash's glance in turn sought refuge on the ground.
"Supposing," she explained, "when you were suffering from an attack of
indigestion you promised a friend to cut your throat--you know what
one is inclined to promise when one does feel ill. Would you feel
constrained to carry out your promise when you found that a dose of
somebody's medicine had brought you round?"
Mr. Ash was still. Mrs. Clive took up the parable instead.
"Lily! I'm amazed at you!"
"My dear aunt, why are you amazed?"
"I never thought a niece of mine could have acted so."
Miss Truscott sighed.
"It seems to me that of late I'm always doing wrong. I don't know how
it is. I think I had better go into the garden all alone."
She gave a half-step towards the window. Mr. Ash cleared his throat
with rather a suspicious "hem!"
"It won't do, Lily. I know your genius for turning serious questions
upside down, but I ask you to put it to your conscience if, on the
present occasion, that is fair. A matter which affects the lives of a
man and of a woman ought to be approached with gravity at least."
"Is the woman me?" She looked at him out of the corners of her eyes.
"Oughtn't that to be--Is the woman I?" Then she broke into a smile.
"What can you expect when even the elementary rules of grammar are not
there?"
So far Mr. Ely had kept a judicious, if not a judicial, silence. But
when he saw that Miss Truscott was smiling at Mr. Ash, and more than
suspected that Mr. Ash was smiling back at her, he felt that it was
time for him to speak.
"If you will allow me, Ash, I'll manage this myself."
"Delighted, my dear fellow, I am sure!"
"I fancy I am the person principally concerned."
"Quite so, quite so!"
"If you will leave me alone with Miss Truscott, I've no doubt that in
a few minutes we shall understand each other very well indeed."
"I'm sure you will! I feel quite sure you will!"
Mr. Ash's tone was cheerful--Mr. Ely felt that it was even
exasperatingly cheerful. Advancing, he laid his hand upon his ward's
well-rounded arm.
"Mind you behave yourself," he told her. Then he left the room.
"Lily," said Mrs. Clive, when Mr. Ash had gone, "I trust you will do
credit to the precepts which I have so constantly, and I hope
conscientiously, endeavoured to instil into your mind, and that I
shall not have cause to blush for my own sister's child."
Then Mrs. Clive went after Mr. Ash, and the two were left alone.