"She is awfully lovely," says Mr. Bellair, evidently continuing a conversation, and saying it with an audible sigh; "quite too lovely for me."
"You seem fetched," says his friend, directing a pale but feeling ray upon him through the beloved gla.s.s.
"I am, I confess it," says Mr. Bellair, effusively; "I adore her, and that"s a fact: but she would not look at me. She"s in love with her cousin,--Chesney, you know,--and they"re to be married straight off the reel, next month, I think--or that."
"Hah!" says the friend. "She"s good to look at, do you know, and rather uncommon style, in spite of her yellow hair. She"s a ward of Chetwoode"s, isn"t she? Always heard he was awfully _epris_ there."
By this time Lilian is crimson, and Archibald hardly less so, though he is distinctly conscious of a desire to laugh; Lilian"s eyes are riveted on Sir Guy, who has grown very pale and has turned a frowning brow upon these luckless young men.
"Not a bit of it," says Mr. Bellair, "at least now. He was, I believe, but she bowled him over in a couple of months and laughed at him afterward. No, Chesney is the white-headed boy with her. Not that I see much in him myself," discontentedly.
"Sour-looking beggar," rejoins the friend, with kind sympathy.
It is growing tremendously jolly for the listeners. Lilian turns a pained, beseeching glance upon Archibald, who returns the glance, but declares by gesture his inability to do anything. He is still secretly amused, and not being able from his point of vantage to see Chetwoode, is scarcely as confused as Lilian. Should he now stir, and walk out of his place of concealment with Miss Chesney, he would only cover with shame the unsuspecting gossips and make two enemies for life, without doing any good.
Chetwoode is in the same condition, but though angry and bitterly stung by their words, hardly cares to resent them, being utterly unaware of Lilian"s eyes, which are bent upon him. He waits impatiently for the moment when Mr. Bellair and his "fat friend" may choose to move on. Did he know who was so close to him, watching every expression of his face, impatience might have pa.s.sed all bounds. As it is, a few chance remarks matter little to him.
But Mr. Bellair"s friend has yet something else to say.
"Fine girl, Miss Beauchamp," says this youth, languidly; "immensely good form, and that. Looks like a G.o.ddess."
"There"s a lot of her, if you mean that. But she"s too nosy," says Mr.
Bellair, grumpily, a sense of injury full upon him. His own nose is of the charming curt and simple order: his "friends in council" (who might be more select) are wont to call it playfully a "spud." "Far too nosy! I hate a woman all nose! makes her look so like a mope."
"You"ve been getting a snubbing there," says his friend, this time unfeelingly and with an inhuman chuckle.
"I have," valiantly: "she has too much of the G.o.ddess about her for my fancy: choke-full of dignity and airs, you know, and all that sort of rubbish. It don"t go down, I take it, in the long run. It"s as much as she can do to say "how d"ye do" to you, and she looks a fellow up and down half a dozen times before she gives him a waltz. You don"t catch me inviting her to the "mazy dance" again in a hurry. I hate affectation. I wouldn"t marry that girl for untold gold."
"She wouldn"t have you," says his friend, with a repet.i.tion of the unpleasant chuckle.
"Maybe she wouldn"t," replies Mr. Bellair, rather hurt. "Anyhow, she is not to be named in the same day with Miss Chesney. I suppose you know she is engaged to Chetwoode, so you needn"t get spoony on her,"
viciously; "it is quite an old affair, begun in the cradle, I believe, and kept up ever since: never can understand that sort of thing myself; would quite as soon marry my sister. But all men aren"t alike."
"No, they aren"t," says the friend, with conviction. "Why don"t he marry her, though? He must be tired of looking at her."
"He funks it, that"s what it is," says Mr. Bellair, "and no wonder; after seeing Miss Chesney he must feel rather discontented with his choice. Ah!"--with a sigh warranted to blow out the largest wax candle,--"there"s a girl for you if you like!"
"Don"t weep over it, old boy, at least here; you"ll be seen," says his friend, jovially, with odious want of sympathy; after which they are pleased to remove themselves and their opinions to another part of the room.
When they have gone, Lilian, who has been turning white and red at intervals all through the discussion, remains motionless, her eyes still fixed on Chetwoode. She does not heed Archibald"s remark, so earnestly is she regarding her guardian. Can it be true what they have just said, that he, Sir Guy, has been for years engaged to Florence? At certain moments such a thought has crossed her own mind, but never until to-night has she heard it spoken of.
Chetwoode, who has moved, comes a little nearer to where she is standing, and pauses there, compelled to it by a pressure in the crowd.
"With what taste do they accredit me!" he says, half aloud, with a rather pale smile and a slight curl of his short upper lip, discernible even beneath his drooping moustache. His eyes are directed toward Florence, who is standing, carrying on a lifeless flirtation at a little distance from him; there is distaste in every line of his face, and Lilian, marking it, draws a long breath, and lets the smile return to her mobile lips.
"Was Chetwoode there all the time?" asks Archibald, aghast.
"Yes: was it not horrible?" replies she, half laughing. "Poor Mr.
Bellair! I had no idea I had done so much mischief."
The hours are growing older, Lady Chetwoode is growing tired. Already with the utmost craftiness has she concealed five distinct yawns, and begins to think with lingering fondness of eider-down and bedroom fires.
Florence, too, who is sitting near her, and who is ever careful not to overdo the thing, is longing for home, being always anxious to husband as far as possible her waning youth and beauty.
"Lilian, dearest, I think you must come home now," Lady Chetwoode says, tapping the girl"s white arms, as she stops close to her in the interval of a dance.
"So soon, auntie!" says Lilian, with dismay.
She is dancing with a very good-looking guardsman, who early in the evening did homage to her charms, and who ever since has been growing worse and worse; by this time he is very bad indeed, and scorns to look at any one in the room except Miss Chesney, who, to confess the truth, has been coquetting with him unremittingly for the past half-hour, without noticing, or at least appearing to notice, Archibald"s black looks or Sir Guy"s averted ones.
At Lady Chetwoode"s words, the devoted guardsman turns an imploring glance upon his lovely partner, that fills her (she is kind-hearted) with the liveliest compa.s.sion. Yes, she will make one last effort, if only to save him from mental suicide.
"Dear auntie, if you love me, "fly not yet,"" she says, pathetically.
"It is so long since I have danced, and"--with the faintest, fleetest glance at the guardsman--"I am enjoying myself so much."
"Lady Chetwoode, it can"t be done," interposes Tom Steyne, who is standing by: "Miss Chesney has promised me the next dance, and I am living in the expectation of it. At my time of life I have noticed a tendency on the part of beauty to rather shun my attentions; Miss Chesney"s condescension, therefore, has filled me with joy. She must wait a little longer: I refuse to resign my dance with the _belle_ of the evening."
"Go and finish your dance, child: I will arrange with auntie," says Mabel, kindly; whereupon Lilian floats away gladly in the arms of her warrior, leaving Mrs. Steyne to settle matters.
"You shall go home, dear, with Florence, because you are tired, and Cyril and his exceedingly beautiful _fiancee_ shall go with you; leave the small night brougham for Lilian, and Guy can take her home. I shan"t keep her beyond another hour, and I shall see that she is well wrapped up."
So it arranges itself; and by and by, when an hour has pa.s.sed away, Lilian and Guy discover to their horror they are in for a _tete-a-tete_ drive to Chetwoode.
They bid good-bye to the unconscious Mabel, and, silently entering the brougham, are presently driving swiftly through the fresh cool air.
"Are you quite comfortable?" Guy asks, as in duty bound, very stiffly.
"Quite, thank you," replies she, even more stiffly; after which outbreak of politeness "silence reigns supreme."
When a good half-mile has been traversed, Guy, who is secretly filled with wonder at the extreme taciturnity of his usually lively companion, so far descends from his pedestal of pride as to turn his head cautiously in her direction: to his utter amazement, he finds she has fallen fast asleep!
The excitement and fatigue of dancing, to which she has been so long unaccustomed, have overpowered her, and, like a tired child as she is, she has given way to restful slumber. Her pale blue cashmere has fallen a little to one side so that a white arm, soft and round as a baby"s, can be seen in all the abandon of sleep, naked beside her, the hand half closed like a little curled sh.e.l.l.
Not yet quite convinced that her slumber is real, Guy lays his hand gently upon hers, but at the touch she makes no movement: no smallest ripple of consciousness crosses her face. In the faint light of the lamp he regards her curiously, and wonders, with a pang, how the little fury of a few hours ago can look so angelic now. At this moment, as he watches her, all the anger that has lain in his heart for her melts, vanishes, never to return.
Then he sees her att.i.tude is uncomfortable: her face is very pale, her head is thrown too much back, a little troubled sigh escapes her. He thinks, or at least tries to think,--let not me be the one to judge him,--she will have unhappy dreams if she continues much longer in her present position. Poor child! she is quite worn out. Perhaps he could manage to raise her in a degree, without disturbing her reviving repose.
Slipping his arm gently round her, he lifts her a little, and draws her somewhat nearer to him. So gently does he move her, that Lilian, who is indeed fatigued, and absolutely tired out with her exertions of the evening, never awakes, but lets her heavy, sleepy little head drop over to the other side, down upon Chetwoode"s shoulder.
Guy does not stir. After all, what does it matter? she is easier so, and it can hurt neither of them; she never has been, she never will be, anything to him; in all probability she will marry her cousin. At this point he stops and thinks about her treatment of that handsome guardsman, and meditates deeply thereon. To him she is a mystery, a lovely riddle yet unsolved; but with his arm round her, and her face so near his own, he is conscious of feeling an irrepressible gladness. A thrill of happiness, the only touch of it he has known for many days, fills his heart, while with it is a bitter regret that chills it at its birth.
The carriage rattles over some unusually large stone, and Lilian awakes.
At first an excessive sense of drowsiness dulls her perception, and then, all at once, it flashes across her mind that she has been asleep, and that now she is encircled, supported by Guy"s arm. Even in the friendly darkness a warm flush suffuses her face, born half of quick indignation, half of shame. Raising herself hastily, she draws back from his embrace, and glances up at him with open surprise.
"You are awake?" says Guy, quietly; he has relaxed his hold, but still has not altogether withdrawn his support. As their eyes meet in the uncertain flickering light that comes to them from outside, she sees so much sadness, so much tenderness in his, that her anger is instantly disarmed. Still, she moves yet a little farther from him, while forgetting to make any reply.
"Are you uncomfortable?" asks he, slowly, as though there is nothing out of the common in his sitting thus with his arm round her, and as though a mere sense of discomfort can be the only reason for her objection to it. He does not make the slightest effort to detain her, but still lets her feel his nearness.