GALVIN HOUSE MEETS A LORD
The effect of _The Morning Post_ announcement upon Galvin House had
been little short of sensational. Although all were aware of the
engagement, to see the announcement in print seemed to arouse them to a
point of enthusiasm. Everyone from the servants upwards possessed a
copy of _The Morning Post_, with the single exception of Mrs. Barnes,
who had mislaid hers and made everybody's life a misery by insisting on
examining their copy to make quite sure that they had not taken hers by
mistake.
Had not Patricia been so preoccupied, she could not have failed to
notice the atmosphere of suppressed excitement at Galvin House. Many
glances were directed at her, glances of superior knowledge, of which
she was entirely unconscious. Woman-like she never paused to ask
herself what she really felt or what she really meant. Her thoughts
ran in a circle, coming back inevitably to the maddening question,
"What does he really think of me?" Why had Fate been so unkind as to
undermine a possible friendship with that damning introduction? After
all, she would ask herself indifferently, what did it matter? Bowen
was nothing to her. Then back again her thoughts would rush to the
inevitable question, what did he really think?
Since the night of her adventure, Patricia had formed the habit of
dressing for dinner. She made neither excuse nor explanation to
herself as to why she did so. Miss Wangle and Mrs. Mosscrop-Smythe,
however, had covertly remarked upon the fact; but Patricia had ignored
them. She had reached that state in her psychological development when
she neither explained nor denied things.
With delicacy and insight Providence has withheld from woman the
uncomfortable quality of introspection. Had Patricia subjected her
actions to the rigid test of reason, she would have found them
strangely at variance with her determination. With a perversity
characteristic of her sex, she forbade Bowen to see her, and then spent
hours in speculating as to when and how he would disobey her. A parcel
in the hall at Galvin House sent the colour flooding to her cheeks,
whilst Gustave, entering the lounge, bearing his flamboyant
nickle-plated apology for the conventional silver salver, set her heart
thumping with expectation.
As the day on which Bowen was to dine at Galvin House drew near, the
excitement became intense, developing into a panic when the day itself
dawned. All were wondering how this or that garment would turn out
when actually worn, and those who were not in difficulties with their
clothes were troubled about their manners. At Galvin House manners
were things that were worn, like a gardenia or a patent hook-and-eye.
Patricia had once explained to an uncomprehending Aunt Adelaide that
Galvin House had more manners than breeding.
On the Friday evening when Patricia returned to Galvin House, Gustave
was in the hall.
"Oh, mees!" he involuntarily exclaimed.
Patricia waited for more; but after a moment of hesitation, Gustave
disappeared along the hall as if there were nothing strange in his
conduct, leaving Patricia staring after him in surprise.
At that moment Mrs. Craske-Morton bustled out of the lounge, full of an
unwonted importance.
"Oh, Miss Brent!" she exclaimed. "I am so glad you've come. I have a
few friends coming to dinner this evening and we are dressing."
Without waiting for a reply Mrs. Craske-Morton turned and disappeared
along the passage leading to the servants' regions.
At that moment Mr. Bolton appeared at the top of the stairs in his
shirt sleeves; but at the sight of Patricia he turned and bolted
precipitately out of sight.
Patricia walked slowly upstairs and along the corridor to her room,
unconscious that each door she passed was closed upon a tragedy.
In one room Mrs. Barnes sat on her bed in an agony of indecision and a
camisole, wondering how the seams of her only evening frock could be
made black with the blue-black ink that had been given her at the
stationer's shop in error.
Mr. James Harris, a little bearded man with long legs and a short body,
stood in front of his glass, frankly baffled by the problem of how to
keep the top of his trousers from showing above the opening of his
low-cut evening waistcoat, an abandoned garment that seemed determined
to show all that it was supposed to hide.
Miss Sikkum was engaged in a losing game with delicacy. On her lap lay
the Brixton "Paris model blouse," which she had adorned with narrow
black velvet ribbon. Should she or should she not enlarge the surface
of exposure? If she did Miss Wangle might think her fast; if she did
not Lord Peter might think her suburban.
Mr. Sefton was at work upon his back hair, striving to remove from his
reflection in the glass a likeness to a sandy cockatoo.
Mr. Cordal was vainly struggling with a voluminous starched shirt,
which as he bent seemed determined to give him the appearance of a
pouter pigeon.
To each his tragedy and to all their anguish. Even Miss Wangle had her
problem. Should she or should she not remove the lace from the modest
V in her black silk evening gown. The thought of the bishop, however,
proved too much for her, and her collar-bones continued to remain a
mystery to Galvin House.
The dinner-gong found everyone anxious and unprepared. All had a
vision of Bowen sitting in judgment upon them and mentally comparing
Galvin House with Park Lane; for in Bayswater Park Lane is the pinnacle
of culture and social splendour.
A few minutes after the last strain of the gong, sounded by Gustave in
a manner worthy of the occasion, had subsided, Miss Sikkum crept out
from her room feeling very "undressed." The sight of Mr. Sefton nearly
drove her back precipitately to the maiden fastness of her chamber.
"Was she really too undressed?" she asked herself.
Slowly the guests descended, each anxious to cede to others the pride
of place, all absorbed with his or her particular tragedy. By the aid
of pins Mr. Cordal had overcome his likeness to a pigeon, but he had
not allowed for movement, which tore the pins from their hold, allowing
his shirt-front to balloon out joyfully before him, for the rest of the
evening obscuring his boots.
Miss Wangle looked at Miss Sikkum and mentally thanked Heaven and the
bishop that she had restrained her abandoned impulse to remove the
black lace from her own neck.
Mr. Bolton's attention was concentrated upon the centre stud of his
shirt. The button-hole was too large, and the head of the stud
insisted on disappearing in a most coquettish and embarrassing manner.
Mr. Bolton was not sure that Bowen would approve of blue underwear, and
consequently kept a finger and thumb upon his stud for the greater part
of the evening.
As each entered the lounge, it was with a hurried glance round to see
if the guest of the evening had arrived, followed by a sigh of relief
on discovering that he had not. Mrs. Craske-Morton had taken the
precaution of deferring the dinner until eight o'clock. She wished
Bowen's entry to be dramatic.
Mrs. Craske-Morton had asked a few friends of her own to meet her
distinguished guest; a Miss Plimsoll, who was composed in claret colour
and royal blue trimming, and Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Ragbone. Mrs. Ragbone
was a stout, jolly woman with a pronounced cockney accent. Mr. Ragbone
was a man whose eyebrows seemed to rise higher with each year, and
whose manner of patient suffering became more pathetically unreal with
the passage of each season. Mrs. Craske-Morton always explained him as
a solicitor. Morton, Gofrim and Bowett, of Lincoln's Inn, knew him as
their chief clerk.
The atmosphere of the lounge was one of nervous tension. All were
listening for the bell which would announce the arrival of Bowen. When
at last he came, everybody was taken by surprise, Mr. Bolton's stud
eluded his grasp, Mr. Sefton felt his back hair, whilst Miss Sikkum
blushed rosily at her own daring.
A dead silence spread over the company, broken by Gustave, who,
throwing open the door with a flourish, announced "Lieutenant-Colonel
Lord Peter Bowen, D.S.O." Bowen gave him a quick glance with widened
eyes, then coming forward, shook hands with Mrs. Craske-Morton.
Miss Sikkum was disappointed to find that he was in khaki. She had a
vague idea that the nobility adopted different evening clothes from the
ordinary rank and file. It would have pleased her to see Bowen with
velvet stripes down his trousers, a velvet collar and velvet cuffs. A
coloured silk waistcoat would have convinced her.
Mrs. Craske-Morton was determined to do her work thoroughly. She had
taken the precaution of telling Patricia that dinner would not be
served until a few minutes after eight, that would give her time to
introduce Bowen to all the guests. She proceeded to conduct him round
to everyone in turn. In her flurry she quite forgot the careful
schooling to which she had subjected herself for a week past, and she
introduced Miss Wangle to Bowen.
"Lord Peter, allow me to introduce Miss Wangle. Miss Wangle, Lord
Peter Bowen," and this was the form adopted with the rest of the
company.
Bowen's sixth bow had just been interrupted by Mr. Cordal grasping him
warmly by the hand, when Patricia entered. For a moment she looked
about her regarding the strange toilettes, then she saw Bowen. She
felt herself crimsoning as he slipped away from Mr. Cordal's grasp and
came across to her. All the guests hung back as if this were the
meeting between Wellington and Bluecher.
"I've done six, there are about twenty more to do. If you save me,
Patricia, I'll forgive you anything after we're married."
Patricia shook hands sedately.
Mrs. Craske-Morton bustled up to re-claim Bowen. "A little surprise,
Miss Brent; I hope you will forgive me."
Patricia smiled at her in anything but a forgiving spirit.
"And now, Lord Peter, I want to introduce you to----"
"Deenair is served, madame." Gustave was certainly doing the thing in
style.
At a sign from Mrs. Craske-Morton, Miss Wangle secured Mr. Samuel
Ragbone and they started for the dining-room. The remainder of the
guests paired off in accordance with Mrs. Craske-Morton's instructions,
written and verbal, she left nothing to chance, and the procession was
brought up by Mrs. Craske-Morton herself and Bowen. Patricia fell to
the lot of Mr. Sefton.
As soon as the guests were seated a death-like stillness reigned.
Bowen was looking round with interest as he unfolded his napkin into
which had been deftly inserted a roll. Miss Sikkum, Mrs.
Mosscrop-Smythe and Mr. Bolton each lost their rolls, which were
retrieved from underneath the table by Gustave and Alice.
Mr. Sefton, also unconscious of the secreted roll, opened his napkin
with a debonair jerk to show that he was quite at his ease. The bread
rose in the air. He made an unsuccessful clutch, touched but could not
hold it, and watched with horror the errant roll hit Miss Wangle
playfully on the side of the nose, just as she was beginning to tell
Bowen about "the dear bishop."
Patricia bit her lip, Bowen bent solicitously over the angry Miss
Wangle, whilst Mr. Bolton threatened to report Mr. Sefton to the Food
Controller. Gustave created a diversion by arriving with the soup.
His white cotton gloves, several sizes too large even for his hands,
caused him great anxiety. Every spare moment during the evening he
spent in clutching them at the wrists, just as they were on the point
of slipping off. Nothing, however, could daunt his courage or mitigate
his good-humour. For the first time in his life he was waiting upon a
real lord, and from the circumstance he was extracting every ounce of
satisfaction it possessed.
In serving Bowen his attitude was that of one self-convicted of
unworthiness. Accustomed to the complaints and bickerings of a
Bayswater boarding-house, Bowen's matter-of-fact motions of acceptance
or refusal impressed him profoundly. So this was how lords behaved.
Nothing so impressed him as the little incident of the champagne.
At Galvin House it was the custom for the guests to have their own
drinks. Mr. Cordal, for instance, drank what the label on the bottle
announced to be "Gumton's Superior Light Dinner Ale." Mrs.
Mosscrop-Smythe favoured Guinness's Stout, Miss Sikkum took hot water,
whilst Miss Wangle satisfied herself with a claret bottle. There is
refinement in claret, the dear bishop always drank it, with water: but
as claret costs money Miss Wangle made a bottle last for months.
The thought of the usual heterogeneous collection of bottles on the
occasion of Lord Peter's visit had filled Mrs. Craske-Morton with
horror, and she had decided to "spring" wine, as Mr. Bolton put it. In
other words, she supplied for the whole company four bottles of
one-and-eightpenny claret, the bottles rendered beautifully old by
applied dust and cobwebs. To this she had added a bottle of grocer's
champagne for Bowen. Gustave had been elaborately instructed that this
was for the principal guest and the principal guest only, and Mrs.
Craske-Morton had managed to convey to him in some subtle way that if
he poured so much as a drop of the precious fluid into any other
person's glass, the consequences would be too terrifying even to
contemplate.
Whilst Galvin House was murmuring softly over its soup, Gustave
approached Bowen with the champagne bottle swathed in a white napkin,
and looking suspiciously like an infant in long clothes. Holding the
end of the bottle's robes with the left hand so that it should not
tickle Bowen's ear, Gustave bent anxiously to his task.
Bowen, however, threw a bomb-shell at the earnest servitor. He
motioned that he did not desire champagne. Gustave hesitated and
looked enquiringly at his mistress. Here was an unlooked-for
development.
"You'll take champagne?" enquired Mrs. Craske-Morton ingratiatingly.
Gustave breathed again, and whilst Bowen's attention was distracted in
explaining to Mrs. Craske-Morton that he preferred water, he had a
delicate taste in wine, Gustave filled the glass happily. Of course,
it was all right, he told himself, the lord merely wanted to be
pressed. If he had really meant "no," he would have put his hand over
his glass, as Miss Sikkum always did when she refused some of Mr.
Cordal's "Light Dinner Ale."
Gustave retired victorious with the champagne bottle, which he placed
upon the sideboard. At every interval in his manifold duties, Gustave
returned with the white-clothed bottle, and strove to squeeze a few
more drops into Bowen's untouched glass.
The terrifying constraint with which the meal had opened gradually wore
off as the wine circulated. Following the path of least resistance, it
mounted to Mrs. Mosscrop-Smythe's head; but with Miss Sikkum it seemed
to stop short at her nose. Mr. Cordal's shirt-front announced that he
had temporarily given up Gumton in favour of the red, red wine of the
smoking-concert baritone. Mrs. Barnes seemed on the point of tears,
whilst Mr. Sefton's attentions to Patricia were a direct challenge to
Bowen.
Conversation at Galvin House was usually general; but it now became
particular. Every remark was directed either to or at Bowen, and each
guest strove to hear what he said. Those who were fortunate enough to
catch his replies told those who were not. A smile or a laugh from
anyone who might be in conversation with Bowen rippled down the table.
Mr. Cordal was less intent upon his food, and his inaccuracy of aim
became more than ever noticeable.
"Oh, Lord Bowen!" simpered Miss Sikkum, "do tell us where you got the
D.S.O."
Bowen screwed his glass into his eye and looked across at Miss Sikkum,
at the redness of her nose and the artificial rose in her hair.
Everyone was waiting anxiously for Bowen's reply. Mr. Cordal grunted
approval.
"At Buckingham Palace," said Bowen, "from the King. They give you
special leave, you know."
Patricia looked across at him and smiled. What was he thinking of
Galvin House refinement? What did he think of her for being there?
Well, he had brought it on himself and he deserved his punishment. At
first Patricia had been amused: but as the meal dragged wearily on,
amusement developed into torture. Would it never end? She glanced
from Miss Wangle, all graciousness and smiles, to Mrs. Mosscrop-Smythe,
in her faded blue evening-frock, on to Miss Sikkum bare and abandoned.
She heard Mr. Sefton's chatter, Mr. Bolton's laugh, Mr. Cordal's jaws
and lips. She shuddered. Why did not she accept the opening of escape
that now presented itself and marry Bowen? He could rescue her from
all this and what it meant.
"And shall we all be asked to the wedding, Lord Bowen?"
It was again Miss Sikkum's thin voice that broke through the curtain of
Patricia's thoughts.
"I hope all Miss Brent's friends will be there," replied Bowen
diplomatically.
"And now we shall all have to fetch and carry for Miss Brent," laughed
Mr. Bolton. "Am I your friend, Miss Brent?" he enquired.
"She always laughs at your jokes when nobody else can," snapped Miss
Pilkington.
Everybody turned to the speaker, who during the whole meal had silently
nursed her resentment at having been placed at the bottom of the table.
Mr. Bolton looked crestfallen. Bowen looked across at Patricia and saw
her smile sympathetically at Mr. Bolton.
"I think from what I have heard, Mr. Bolton," he said, "that you may
regard yourself as one of the elect."
Patricia flashed Bowen a grateful look. Mr. Bolton beamed and, turning
to Miss Pilkington, said with his usual introductory laugh:
"Then I shall return good for evil, Miss Pilkington, and persuade Lady
Peter to buy her stamps at your place."
Miss Pilkington flushed at this reference to her calling, a
particularly threadbare joke of Mr. Bolton's.
"When is it to be, Lord Peter?" enquired Mrs. Craske-Morton.
Miss Sikkum looked down modestly at her plate, not quite certain
whether or no this were a delicate question.
"That rests with Miss Brent," replied Bowen, smiling. "If you, her
friends, can persuade her to make it soon, I shall be very grateful."
Miss Sikkum simpered and murmured under her breath, "How romantic."
"Now, Miss Brent," said Mr. Bolton, "it's up to you to name the happy
day."
Patricia smiled, conscious that all eyes were upon her; but
particularly conscious of Bowen's gaze.
"I believe in long engagements," she said, stealing a glance at Bowen
and thrilling at the look of disappointment on his face. "Didn't Jacob
serve seven years for Rachel?"
"Yes, and got the wrong girl then," broke in Mr. Bolton. "You'll have
to be careful, Miss Brent, or Miss Sikkum will get ahead of you."
"Really, Mr. Bolton!" said Mrs. Craske-Morton, looking anxiously at
Bowen.
Miss Sikkum's cheeks had assumed the same tint as her nose, and her
eyes were riveted upon her plate. Miss Pilkington muttered something
under her breath about Mr. Bolton's remark being outrageous.
"I think we'll take coffee in the lounge," said Mrs. Craske-Morton,
rising. Turning to Bowen, she added, "We follow the American custom,
Lord Peter, the gentlemen always leave the dining-room with the ladies."
There was a pushing back of chairs and a shuffling of feet and Galvin
House rose from its repast.
"Coffee will not be served for half an hour, and if you and Miss Brent
would like to--to----"
Mrs. Craske-Morton paused significantly. "My boudoir is at your
service."
Bowen looked at her and then at Patricia. He saw the flush on her
cheeks and the humiliation in her eyes.
"I think we should much prefer not to interrupt our pleasant
conversation. What do you say, Patricia?" he enquired, turning to
Patricia, who smiled her acquiescence.
They all trooped into the lounge, where everybody except Patricia,
Bowen and Mrs. Craske-Morton stood about in awkward poses. The arrival
of Gustave with coffee relieved the tension.
For the next hour each guest endeavoured to attract to himself or
herself Bowen's attention, and each was disappointed when at length he
rose to go and shook hands only with Mrs. Craske-Morton, including the
others in a comprehensive bow. Still more were they disappointed and
surprised when Patricia did not go out into the hall to see him off.
"Oh, Miss Brent!" simpered Miss Sikkum, "aren't you going to say good
night to him?"
"Good night!" interrogated Patricia, "but I did."
"Yes; but I mean----" began Miss Sikkum.
"Oh, you know," she said with a simper, but Patricia had passed over to
a chair, where she seated herself and began to read a newspaper upside
down.
Miss Sikkum's romantic soul had received a shock.