"Never!" declared her mother, firmly. "f.a.n.n.y, are you wild? Why, you are a Vanderburgh and are related to the English n.o.bility, and I am an Ashleigh. What would your father say to such a notion?"
"Well, Papa isn"t here," said f.a.n.n.y, "and if he were, he"d do something to keep in with Mr. King. I hate and detest those dreadful Selwyns as much as you do, Mamma, but I"m going to cultivate them. See if I don"t!"
"And I forbid it," said her mother, forgetting herself and raising her voice. "They are low bred and common. And beside that, they are eccentric and queer. Don"t you speak to them or notice them in the slightest."
"Madam," said the gentleman of the black looks, advancing and touching his cap politely, "I regret to disturb you, but I believe you have my chair."
Mrs. Vanderburgh begged pardon and vacated the chair, when the gentleman touched his cap again, and immediately drew the chair up to the one where the stout, comfortable-looking woman sat.
"It seems to me there are more ill-bred, low-lived people on board this boat than it has been my lot to meet on any voyage," said Mrs.
Vanderburgh, drawing her sea coat around her slight figure and sailing off, her daughter in her wake.
VI
A LITTLE SURPRISE
"Sir," said little Mr. Selwyn, bringing his sharp black eyes to bear upon old Mr. King, "you"ve been very good to me, and I"ve not been always pleasant. But it"s my way, sir; it"s my way."
Mr. King nodded pleasantly, although deep in his heart he agreed with the choleric old gentleman. "But as for Polly, why, she"s good--good as gold, sir." There was no mistaking Mr. Selwyn"s sentiments there, and his old cheek glowed while giving what to him meant the most wonderful praise to be paid to a person.
Old Mr. King straightened up. "You"ve said the right thing now," he declared.
"And I wish I could see that girl when she"s grown up," added the little old gentleman. "I want really to know what sort of a woman she"ll make. I do, indeed, sir."
"It isn"t necessary to speculate much on it," answered Mr. King, confidently, "when you look at her mother and remember the bringing up that Polly Pepper has had."
The little old gentleman squinted hard at the clouds scudding across the blue sky. "That"s so," he said at last. "Well, I"m sorry we are to part," he added. "And, sir, I really wish you would come down to my place with your party and give me a fortnight during your stay in England. I really do, sir, upon me word." There was no mistaking his earnestness as he thrust out one thin, long-fingered hand. With the other, he set a card within Mr. King"s fingers.
"Arthur Selwyn, The Earl of Cavendish," met Mr. King"s eyes.
"I had a fancy to do this thing," said the little old gentleman, "to run across from America in simple fashion, and it pleased the boy, who hates a fuss. And we"ve gotten rid of all sorts of nuisances by it; interviews, and tiresome people. And I"ve enjoyed it mightily." He chuckled away till it seemed as if he were never going to stop. Old Mr.
King burst out laughing, too; and the pair were so very jolly that the pa.s.sengers, grouped together waiting for the Liverpool landing, turned to stare at them.
"Just see how intimate Mr. King is with that tiresome, common, old Mr.
Selwyn!" exclaimed Mrs. Vanderburgh to her daughter. "I never was so surprised at anything in all my life, to see that he keeps it up now, for I thought that aristocratic Horatio King was the most fastidious being alive."
"The Kings have awfully nice times," grumbled f.a.n.n.y, picking her gloves discontentedly. "And you keep me mewed up, and won"t let me speak to anybody whose grandfather wasn"t born in our set, and I hate and loathe it all."
"You"ll be glad when you are a few years older, and I bring you out in society, that I always have been so particular," observed Mrs.
Vanderburgh, complacently, lifting her head in its dainty bonnet, higher than ever.
"I want some nice times and a little fun now," whined f.a.n.n.y, with an envious glance over at Polly and Jasper with the dreadful Selwyn boy between them, and Phronsie running up to join them, and everybody in their party just bubbling over with happiness.
"I wish Mr. King and his party would go to Paris now," said her mother, suddenly.
"Oh, don"t I just wish it!" cried f.a.n.n.y, in a burst. "Did you ask him, Mamma?"
"Yes, indeed; I talked for fully half an hour yesterday, but it was no use. And he doesn"t seem to know how long he is going to stay in England; "only a few days," he said, vaguely, then they go to Holland."
"Oh, why couldn"t we go to Holland!" exclaimed f.a.n.n.y, impulsively, and her eyes brightened; "splendid Holland, that would be something like, Mamma!"
"You forget the Van d.y.k.es are to be in Paris awaiting us."
"Oh, those stupid Van d.y.k.es!" exploded f.a.n.n.y. "Mamma, don"t go there now. Do change, and let us go to Holland with the Kings. Do, Mamma,"
she implored.
"Why, f.a.n.n.y Vanderburgh!" exclaimed her mother, sharply, "what is the matter with you? You know it was settled long ago, that we should meet Mrs. Van d.y.k.e and Eleanor in Paris at just this very time. It would never do to offend them, particularly when Eleanor is going to marry into the Howard set."
"And I"ll have the most stupid time imaginable," cried f.a.n.n.y, pa.s.sionately, "dragging around while you and the Van d.y.k.es are buying that trousseau."
"Yes, that"s one thing that I wanted the Kings to go to Paris for,"
said Mrs. Vanderburgh; "you could be with them. And really they are much more important than any one to get in with. And I"d keep up the friendship with the Van d.y.k.es. But that Mr. King is so obstinate, you can"t do anything with him." A frown settled all across her pretty face, and she beat her foot impatiently on the deck.
"You spoil everything, Mamma, with your sets and your stupid people,"
declared f.a.n.n.y, her pa.s.sion by no means cooled. "When I come out in society I"m going to choose my own friends," she muttered to herself, and set her lips tightly together.
Mr. King was saying, "Thank you, so much, Mr. Selwyn, for I really think I"d prefer to call you so, as I knew you so first."
"So you shall," cried the little Earl, glancing around on the groups, "and it"s better just here, at all events," and he chuckled again.
"Then you really will come?" and he actually seized Mr. King"s hand and wrung it heartily.
"No, I was about to say it is quite impossible."
The Earl of Cavendish stared blankly up out of his sharp little black eyes in utter amazement into the other"s face. "My stay in London is short, only a few days," Mr. King was saying, "and then we go directly to Holland. I thank you all the same--believe me, I appreciate it. It is good of you to ask us," he cordially added.
The little Earl of Cavendish broke away from him, and took a few hasty steps down the deck to get this new idea fairly into his brain that his invitation had not been accepted. Then he hurried back. "My dear sir,"
he said, laying his hand on Mr. King"s arm, "will you do me the favour to try to come at some future time--to consider your plans before you return to America, and see if you can"t manage to give me this great pleasure of welcoming you to my home? Think of it, I beg, and drop me a line; if at home, I shall always be most glad to have you with me. I should esteem it a privilege." The Earl of Cavendish was astonished to find himself beseeching the American gentleman without a t.i.tle. And then they awaked to the fact that the groups of pa.s.sengers were merging into a solid ma.s.s, and a slow procession was beginning to form for the stairway, and the landing episode was well under way.
Mrs. Vanderburgh, determined not to bid good-by on the steamer but to be with the Kings till the last moment, rushed up to them on the wharf, followed by f.a.n.n.y.
"Oh, we are _so_ sorry you are not going to Paris with us," cried Mrs.
Vanderburgh, while f.a.n.n.y flew at Polly Pepper and engrossed her hungrily. "Can"t you reconsider it now?" she asked, with a pretty earnestness.
"No, it is impossible," answered Mr. King, for about the fiftieth time.
"Our plans will not allow it. I hope you and your daughter will have the best of times," he remarked politely.
"Yes, we shall; we meet old friends there, and Paris is always delightful." Mrs. Vanderburgh bit her lip in her vexation. "I was going to see you and beg you even now to change your plans, while we were on the steamer waiting to land," she went on hurriedly, "but you were bored--I quite pitied you--by that tiresome, common, old Mr. Selwyn."
"Yes, I was talking with him," said Mr. King, "but excuse me, I was not bored. He is peculiar, but not at all common, and he has many good qualities as a man; and I like the boy immensely."
"How can you?" Mrs. Vanderburgh gave a little high-bred laugh. "They are so insufferably common, Mr. King, those Selwyns are."
"Excuse me," said Mr. King, "that was the Earl of Cavendish; it will do no harm to mention it now, as they have gone."