Dodo's marriage was announced in September. It was to be celebrated at
the beginning of December, and was to be very grand indeed. Duchesses
were expected to be nothing accounted of. She was still in Switzerland
when it was made known, and events had developed themselves. The
announcement came out in the following manner. She had taken her
moonlight walk, but not with Prince Waldenech. She had mentioned to him
incidentally that Jack was coming as well, and after dinner the Prince
found he had important despatches waiting for him. Dodo was rather
amused at the inadequacy of this statement, as no post had come in that
morning. The thought that the Prince particularly wished to take a
romantic walk with her was entertaining. Next morning, however, while
Dodo was sitting in her room, looking out over the wide, green valley,
her maid came in and asked if Prince Waldenech might have permission to
speak to her.
"Good morning," said Dodo affably, as he entered. "I wish you had been
with us last night. We had a charming walk, but Jack was dreadfully
dull. Why didn't you come?"
The Prince twisted his long moustaches.
"Certainly I had no despatches," he declared with frankness; "that
was--how do you call it?--oh, a white lie."
"Did you expect me to believe it?" asked Dodo.
"Assuredly not," he returned. "It would have been an insult to your
understanding. But such statements are better than the truth sometimes.
But I came here for another purpose--to say good-bye."
"You're not going?" said Dodo surprisedly.
"Unless you tell me to stop," he murmured, advancing to her.
Dodo read his meaning at once, and determined to stop his saying
anything more.
"Certainly I tell you to stop," she said. "You mustn't break up our
charming party so soon. Besides, I have a piece of news for you this
morning. I ask for your congratulations."
"Ah, those despatches," murmured the Prince.
"No, it was not the fault of your despatches," said Dodo, laughing. "It
was settled some time ago. I shall be Lady Chesterford again next year.
Allow me to introduce the Marchioness of Chesterford elect to your
Highness," and she swept him a little curtsey.
The Prince bowed.
"The Marquis of Chesterford is a very fortunate man," he said.
"Decidedly I had better go away to-morrow."
Dodo felt annoyed with him. "I thought he was clever enough not to say
that," she thought to herself.
"No, my dear Prince, you shall do nothing of the sort," she said. "You
are very happy here, and I don't choose that you should go away--I tell
you to stop. You said you would if I told you."
"I am a man of honour still," said he, with mock solemnity. He put both
hands together and bowed. "I shall be the first to congratulate the
Marquis," he said, "and may I hope the Marchioness will think with
pity on those less fortunate than he."
Dodo smiled benignantly. He really had got excellent manners. The scene
was artistic, and it pleased her.
"I should think you were too proud to accept pity," she said.
"Have you ever seen me other than humble--to you?" he asked.
"Take it then," said Dodo; "as much as your case requires. But I feel
it is insolent of me to offer it."
"I take all the pity you have," said he, smiling gravely. "I want it
more than any other poor devil you might think of bestowing it on."
He bowed himself gracefully out of the room. He and Dodo had been
discussing English proverbs the day before, and Dodo asserted broadly
that they were all founded on universal truths. The Prince thought that
pity was quite a promising gift.
Dodo was a little uneasy after he had gone. She was always a trifle
afraid of him, though, to do her justice, no one would have guessed it.
He had acted the rejected lover in the theatricals of the week before,
and his acting had been rather too good. The scene she had just gone
through reminded her very forcibly of it. She had found that she could
not get the play out of her head afterwards, and had had long waking
dreams that night, in which the Prince appeared time after time, and
her refusal got more faint as he pressed his suit. She felt that he
was the stronger of the two, and such a scene as the last inspired her
with a kind of self-distrust. "He will not make himself 'cheap,'" Dodo
said to herself. She was very glad he was going to stop, and had been
surprised to feel how annoyed she was when he said he had come to wish
good-bye. But she felt he had a certain power over her, and did not
quite like it. She would take Jack out for a walk and make things even.
Jack had no power over her, and she thought complacently how she could
turn him round her little finger. Dear old Jack! What a good time they
were going to have.
She went downstairs and met the Prince and Jack on the verandah. The
former was murmuring congratulatory speeches, and Jack was saying
"Thanks awfully" at intervals. He had once said to Dodo that the Prince
was "an oily devil," which was putting it rather strongly. Dodo had
stuck up for him. "You only say he's oily," she said, "because he's
got much better manners than you, and can come into the room without
looking ridiculous, and I rather like devils as a rule, and him in
particular, though I don't say he is one. Anyhow he is a friend of
mine, and you can talk about something else."
Jack followed Dodo into the square, and sat down by her.
"What made you tell that chap that we were engaged?" he asked.
"Oh, I had excellent reasons," said Dodo.
The memory of the interview was still rather strong in her mind, and
she felt not quite sure of herself.
"No doubt," said Jack; "but I wish you'd tell me what they were."
"Don't talk as if you were the inquisition, old boy," she said. "I
don't see why I should tell you if I don't like."
"Please yourself," said Jack crossly, and got up to walk away.
"Jack, behave this minute," said Dodo. "Apologise instantly for
speaking like that."
"I beg its little pardon," said Jack contentedly.
He liked being hauled over the coals by Dodo.
"That's right; now, if you'll be good, I'll tell you. Has he gone quite
away?"
"Quite; thank goodness," said Jack.
"Well," said Dodo, "I told him because he was just going to propose to
me himself, and I wanted to stop him."
"Nasty brute," said Jack. "I hope you gave it him hot."
"That's a very rude thing to say, Jack," said she. "It argues excellent
taste in him. Besides, you did it yourself. Nasty brute!"
"What right has he got to propose to you, I should like to know?" asked
Jack.
"Just as much as you had."
"Then I ought to be kicked for doing it."
Dodo applied the toe of a muddy shoe to Jack's calf.
"Now, I've dirtied your pretty stockings," she said. "Serves you right
for proposing to me. How dare you, you nasty brute!"
Jack made a grab at her foot, and made his fingers dirty.
"Jack, behave," said Dodo; "there are two thousand people looking."
"Let them look," said Jack recklessly. "I'm not going to be kicked in
broad daylight within shouting distance of the hotel. Dodo, if you kick
me again I shall call for help."
"Call away," said Dodo.
Jack opened his mouth and howled. An old gentleman, who was just
folding his paper into a convenient form for reading, on a seat
opposite, put on his spectacles and stared at them in blank amazement.
"I told you I would," remarked Jack parenthetically, "It's only Lord
Chesterford," exclaimed Dodo, in a shrill, treble voice, to the old
gentleman. "I don't think he's very well. I daresay it's nothing."
"Most distressin'," said the old gentleman, in a tone of the deepest
sarcasm, returning to his paper.
"Most distressin'," echoed Dodo pianissimo to Jack, who was laughing in
a hopeless internal manner.
Dodo led him speechless away, and they wandered off to the little, low
wall that separates the street from the square.
"Now, we'll go on talking,", said Jack, when he had recovered somewhat.
"We were talking about that Austrian. What did you say to him?"
"Oh, I've told you. I simply stopped him asking me by telling him I was
going to marry someone else."
"What did he say then?" demanded Jack.
"Oh, he asked me for sympathy," said Dodo.
"Which you gave him?"
"Certainly," she answered. "I was very sorry for him, and I told him
so; but we did it very nicely and politely, without stating anything,
but only hinting at it."
"A nasty, vicious, oily brute," observed Jack.
"Jack, you're ridiculous," said she; "he's nothing of the sort. I've
told him to come and see us when we're in England, and you'll have to
be very polite and charming to him."
"Oh, he can come then," said Jack, "but I don't like him."
They strolled down the street towards the church, and Dodo insisted
on buying several entirely useless brackets, with chamois horns stuck
aimlessly about them.
"I haven't got any money," she observed. "Fork up, Jack. Seven and
eight are fifteen and seven are twenty-two. Thanks."
Dodo was dissatisfied with one of her brackets before they reached the
hotel again, and presented it to Jack.
"It's awfully good of you," said he; "do you mean that you only owe me
fifteen?"
"Only fourteen," said Dodo; "this was eight francs. It will be very
useful to you, and when you look at it, you can think of me," she
observed with feeling.
"I'd sooner have my eight francs."
"Then you just won't get them," said Dodo, with finality; "and you
sha'n't have that unless you say, 'Thank you.'"