"Look here," said Charlie. "I can't stop now."
"Hold on a bit."
"I only called to tell you that you've simply _got_ to come up to-night."
"Come up where?"
"To our place. You've simply _got_ to."
The secret fact was that Edwin had once more been under discussion in
the house of the Orgreaves. And Osmond Orgreave had lent Janet a
shilling so that she might bet Charlie a shilling that he would not
succeed in bringing Edwin to the house. The understanding was that if
Janet won, her father was to take sixpence of the gain. Janet herself
had failed to lure Edwin into the house. He was so easy to approach and
so difficult to catch. Janet was slightly piqued.
As for Edwin, he was postponing the execution of all his good
resolutions until he should be installed in the new house. He could not
achieve highly difficult tasks under conditions of expectancy and
derangement. The whole Clayhanger premises were in a suppressed state
of being packed up. In a week the removal would occur. Until the
removal was over and the new order was established Edwin felt that he
could still conscientiously allow his timidity to govern him, and so he
had remained in his shell. The sole herald of the new order was the new
suit.
"Oh! I can't come--not to-night."
"Why not?"
"We're so busy."
"Bosh to that!"
"Some other night."
"No. I'm going back to-morrow. Must. Now look here, old man, come on.
I shall be very disappointed if you don't."
Edwin wondered why he could not accept and be done with it, instead of
persisting in a sequence of insincere and even lying hesitations. But
he could not.
"That's all right," said Charlie, as if clinching the affair. Then he
lowered his voice to a scarce audible confidential whisper. "Fine girl
staying up there just now!" His eyes sparkled.
"Oh! At your place?" Edwin adopted the same cautious tone. Stifford,
outside, strained his ears--in vain. The magic word `girl' had in an
instant thrown the shop into agitation. The shop was no longer
provincial; it became a part of the universal.
"Yes. Haven't you seen her about?"
"No. Who is she?"
"Oh! Friend of Janet's. Hilda Lessways, her name is. I don't know
much of her myself."
"Bit of all right, is she?" Edwin tried in a whisper to be a man of
vast experience and settled views. He tried to whisper as though he
whispered about women every day of his life. He thought that these
Londoners were terrific on the subject of women, and he did his best to
reach their level. He succeeded so well that Charlie, who, as a man,
knew more of London than of the provinces, thought that after all London
was nothing in comparison to the seeming-quiet provinces. Charlie
leaned back in his chair, drew down the corners of his mouth, nodded his
head knowingly, and then quite spoiled the desired effect of doggishness
by his delightfully candid smile. Neither of them had the least
intention of disrespect towards the fine girl who was on their lips.
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