Meanwhile Agatha was left standing near the doorway, whilst her
chaperon was explaining the reason of her late arrival to old
Miss Firs-Robinson, Elfrida's aunt.
The girl's eyes were directed towards the dancers, and so
absorbed was her gaze that she started visibly when a voice
sounded at her elbow--that hated voice!
"May I have the pleasure of this waltz, Miss Nesbitt?"
Agatha looked up. Dr. Darkham, tall, handsome, almost young, was
standing beside her.
"I am sorry--but the dance is promised," said Agatha, gently
but coldly.
"I am unfortunate." He looked keenly at her, with open question
in his eyes. He had educated himself very carefully on the lines
of social etiquette; but education of that sort, unless it comes
by nature, is often defective and sometimes he forgot. It did not
now suggest itself to him that to question Agatha's word, whether
that word were true or false, was a _bêtise_. Some men had come
up to ask, Agatha for a dance, and when they were gone he spoke.
"It is promised, then?" he said. "And yet you have only just
come?"
Agatha looked at him for a moment as if surprised.
"It is promised," she said again.
She made no attempt to explain herself. Her manner, however, was
very quiet, although her face was set and her tone frozen.
Suddenly, however, her expression changed. It lit up with a happy
fervour, and her eyes shone. They were looking past Dr. Darkham's
towards something beyond, and the latter, as though unable to
control his longing to learn the cause of this sweet change in
the lovely face before him, turned to follow her glance, and saw
over there, making anxious efforts to reach her, a young man
rather above middle height, with a face that, if not strictly
handsome, was at all events extremely good to look at.
It was Dillwyn, the young doctor who had lately come into the
neighbourhood, and who was beginning to do pretty well with a
certain class of patients. Not the better classes; those belonged
almost exclusively to Darkham.
Dillwyn was still a long way off, hemmed in by a crowd of skirts
that now, being a little stiffened at the tail, took up a
considerable amount of room and were not easily passed. There was
still a moment or two before he could reach Agatha. Darkham
caught his opportunity and turned hurriedly to her.
"I hope you will give me a dance later on?" he said, with a
dogged sort of determination. He saw that she did not wish to
dance with him, but the knowledge only served to strengthen his
desire to dance with her; yet he did not ask her for the next
dance. An almost mad longing to waltz with her, to hold her in
his arms for even a few minutes, to feel her hand in his, took
possession of him. He would risk it.
"If the first supper dance is not engaged, may I hope for that?"
he said, his voice quite even, his heart beating wildly.
"I am afraid I have promised that, too," said Agatha, who had
_not_ promised it, but she felt driven to desperation. Her voice
was low and tremulous. What was it about him that repelled her
so? She could not, she _would_ not dance with him, whatever came
of it.
Darkham bowed and drew back, leaning against the wall just behind
her. She felt miserable, and yet thankful, that she could no
longer see him. Yet she knew he was behind her, watching her; and
she had been rude--certainly, very rude.
At that moment Mrs. Poynter joined her.
"Not a partner yet? I suppose you must wait for this dance to be
over? Ah! here I see Dr. Dillwyn coming towards us. You know,
Agatha dearest, that he is a cousin of mine, and quite good
family and all that."
Agatha laughed.
"Yes, yes; you ought to take it that way. It really should not be
serious," said Mrs. Poynter, who was a young woman and fond of
Agatha, and thought the girl with her charming face ought to make
a good match. "I am so glad you are not going to be serious over
it, because, really, it would be a terrible throwing away of
yourself."
"But Mrs. Poynter---"
"Yes, of course. He hasn't proposed, you mean; but--I really
wish he had not been placed here through the influence of old
Mrs. Greatorex, Reginald Greatorex. The old gentleman might just
as well have sent him anywhere else, and he _does_ run after you
a good deal, Agatha, doesn't he now?"
"I never saw him run in my life," said Agatha demurely.
"Ah, there! I see you are evading the subject. And here he comes.
Now Agatha, be careful; you know---"
"Yes; I know, I know," said Agatha, smiling at her. Yet she
hardly heard her; her eyes and thoughts were for the young man
who was standing before her.
Neither of them saw the face behind them--the face of the man
leaning against the wall!