When Wyndham came back to Queen's Gate his wife met him with sparkling
eyes.
"How much time can you give me to-morrow?" she said. "I want to go out
with you. I have been speaking to father, and he accedes to all our
wishes--he will give us an income. He says he thinks a thousand a year
will be enough. Oh, he is kind, and I feel so excited. Don't let us
drive, let us walk home, Gerry. I know the night is fine. I feel that
everything is bright just now, and you will come with me to-morrow,
won't you, Gerry? Father, could you spare Gerald from business
to-morrow? You know it is so important."
Mr. Paget was standing a little in the shadow, his face was beaming,
his eyes smiling. When Valentine turned to him, he laid his hand
lightly on her shoulder.
"You are an inconsistent little girl," he said. "You want to become a
business woman yourself. You want to be practical, and clever, and
managing, and yet you encourage that husband of yours to neglect his
work."
Gerald flushed.
"I don't neglect my work," he said. "My heavy work has never a chance
of being neglected, it is too crushing."
Valentine looked up in alarm, but instantly Mr. Paget's smiling face
was turned to the young man, and his other hand touched his arm.
"Your work to-morrow is to go with your wife," he said gently. "She
wants to shop--to spend--to learn saving by expenditure. You have to go
with her to give her the benefit of your experience. Look out for cheap
sales, my dear child--go to Whiteley's, and purchase what you don't
want, provided it is a remnant, and sold under cost price. Save by
learning, Val, and, Gerald, you help her to the best of your ability.
Now good-night, my children, good-night, both of you, bless you."
"It almost seemed to me," said Valentine, as they walked home
together--it was a starry night and she clung affectionately to her
husband's arm--"it almost seemed to me that father was put out with
you, and you with him. He was so sweet while you were out, but although
he smiled all the time after you returned I don't think he was really
sweet, and you didn't speak nicely to him, Gerald, about the work I
mean. Is the work at the office very heavy. Gerald? You never spend
more than about two hours a day there."
"The work is heavy, Val, and it will grow more so. I don't complain,
however--I have not the shadow of a right to complain. I am sorry I
spoke to your father so as to vex you, dearest----I won't do so again."
"I want you to love him, Gerry; I want you to feel for him a little
bit, as I do, as if he were the first of men, you understand. Don't you
think you could try. I wish you would."
"You see I have my own father, darling."
"Oh yes, but really now--the rector is a nice old man, but, Gerry, if
you were to speak from your inmost heart, without any prejudice, you
know; if you could detach from your mind the fact that you are the son
of the rector, you would not compare them, Gerry, you could not."
"As you say, Valentine, I could not. They stand on different pedestals.
Now let us change the subject. So you are the happy possessor of a
thousand a year."
"We both possess that income, Gerry. Is not it sweet of father--he felt
for me at once. He said he was proud of me, that I was going to make a
capital wife--he said you were a lucky fellow, Gerry."
"Yes, darling, so I am, so I am."
"Then he spoke of a thousand a year to begin with. He mentioned a lot
more, but he said a thousand was an income on which I might begin to
learn to save. And he gave me a cheque for the first quarter to-night.
He said we had better open a banking account. As soon as we get in, I'm
going to give you the cheque, I'm afraid to keep it. Father said we
might open a separate account in his bank."
"My father has always banked at the Westminster," said Gerald. "It
would suit me best to take the money there."
They had reached the house by this time. Gerald opened the door with a
latch-key, and the two went into the pretty, cosy drawing-room.
Valentine threw off her white fur wrap, and sank down into an
easy-chair. Her dinner dress was white, and made in a very simple
girlish fashion--her hair, which was always short and curled in little
rings about her head and face, added to the extreme youth of her
appearance. She raised her eyes to her husband, who stood by the
mantel-piece. The expression she wore was that of a happy, excited,
half-spoiled child, a creature who had been somebody's darling from her
birth. This was the predominating expression of her face, and yet--and
yet--Gerald seemed to read something more in the gaze of the sweet eyes
to-night; a question was half coming into them, the dawn of a possible
awakening might even be discerned in them.
"My darling," he said, suddenly coming up to her, putting his arm about
her, and kissing her with passion, "I love you better than my
life--better--better than my hope of heaven. Can you love me a little,
Valentine--just a little?"
"I do love you, Gerald." But she spoke quietly, and without any
answering fire.
His arms dropped, the enthusiasm went out of his face; he went back
again to his old position with his back to the fire.
"What kind of girl is Esther Helps, Gerald?"
"A beautiful girl."
"As beautiful as I am?"
"In her way quite as beautiful."
"Why do you say 'in her way?' Beauty must always be beauty."
"It has degrees, Esther Helps is not a lady."
Valentine was silent for half a minute.
"I should like to know her," she said then. "I wonder how much she
cares for old Helps."
"Look here, Valentine, Esther Helps is not the least like you. I don't
know that she has any romantic attachment for that old man. She is a
very ordinary girl--a most commonplace person with just a beautiful
face."
"How queerly you speak, Gerald. As if it were something strange for an
only daughter to be attached to her father."
"The amount of attachment you feel, darling, is uncommon."
"Is it? Well, I have got a very uncommon father."
"My dear Valentine, God knows you have."
Gerald sank down into a chair by the fire. He turned his face, dreary,
white and worn, to the blaze. Valentine detected no hidden sarcasm in
his tones. After a time she took the cheque out of her purse and handed
it to him.
"Here, Gerry, you will put this into your bank to-morrow, won't you? We
will open an account in our joint names, won't we? And then we can
calculate how much we are to spend weekly and monthly. Oh, won't it be
interesting and exciting. So much for my clothes, so much for yours, so
much for servants, so much for food--we need not spend so much on food,
need we? So much for pleasures--I want to go to the theatre at least
twice a week--oh, we can manage it all and have something to spare. And
no debts, remember, Gerry--ready money will be our system. We'll go in
omnibuses, too, to save cabs--I shall love to feel that I am doing for
a penny what might cost a shilling. Gerald darling, do you know that
just in one way you have vexed my father a little?"
"Vexed him--how, Valentine?"
"He says it is very wrong of you to croak, and have gloomy
prognostications. You know you said it was not worth while for me to
learn to housekeep. Just as if you were going to die, or I were going
to die. Father was quite vexed when I told him. Now you look vexed,
Gerry. Really between such a husband and such a father, a poor girl may
sometimes feel puzzled. Well, have you nothing to say?"
"I'm afraid I have nothing to say, Valentine."
"Then you won't croak any more."
"Not for you--I have never croaked for you."
"Nor for yourself."
"I cannot promise. Sometimes fits of depression come over me. There,
good-night, sweet. Go to bed. I am not sleepy. I shall read for a time.
Your future is all right, Valentine."