Guide, Philosopher and Friend
"Well," said the girl, "what do you think of things?"
"I think," answered Loveland, "it"s a beastly shame we"re not put at the same table."
"I mean of things in general."
"I prefer to think of you in particular."
"It wouldn"t pay," said the girl, with one of her whimsical smiles.
Loveland looked at her sharply. "What makes you say that?" he wanted to know.
"Because it"s true."
"Why do you insinuate that I only want to do things that pay?"
"I told you I wrote stories, didn"t I? Well, to write stories, one must make a study of Man. I do. And I never found it dull yet."
"I"m glad you don"t find it dull where I"m concerned," said Val. "But I"m not glad you consider me a swine."
"Lucky I"ve just been in England, and heard other Englishmen talk," said the girl. "If not, I should hardly understand that pretty expression."
"So you"ve been making a study of other Englishmen? What did you think of us?"
"That you, as a race, are very tall and tweedy. And that you aren"t precisely dissatisfied with yourselves."
It was the next morning, and they were pacing up and down the long white deck. Loveland had joined Miss Dearmer as she walked, and she had not been repellent in her manner. Yet somehow her friendliness did not encourage him to increasing conceit. Even before she had made that little remark about studying Man, he had vaguely felt that she read him as if he were a cypher of which she had found the key.
"I hope you met the right kind of men," he said.
"You mean, men like you? You see, I know who you are, now."
"Who told you anything about me?"
"Miss Milton."
"Oh, you know her--daughter of the white-faced woman, pretty, blushy little thing who sits at my table?"
"Yes. We were travelling in England at the same time, and met often at hotels."
"What did Miss Milton say about me?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes. I"m not a coward."
"She said she wondered if you were going over to our country to try and marry an American girl."
"By Jove! Well, supposing I do try, what"s your opinion? Do you think I stand a good chance of bringing it off?"
"It"s rather soon for me to judge."
"You seem to have made up your mind quickly about some of my other qualities. About my wanting to do things which pay, for instance."
"You haven"t forgiven me that? It might pay to "try" and marry an American girl."
"Well," admitted Loveland on an impulse, "no matter how much I might want to, I couldn"t marry one if it didn"t pay."
"Now you are being frank," replied Miss Lesley. "I like people to be frank."
"So do I," said Loveland, "when that doesn"t mean being disagreeable, as it generally does from one"s relations, especially one"s maiden aunts."
"England expects that every aunt will do her duty."
"Luckily _you"re_ not my aunt, so please don"t do yours if it"s unpleasant. But couldn"t we be frank--and friends? I should like most awfully to have you for my friend. You could be no end valuable to me, you know, about giving me good advice, if you would."
She laughed. "I dare say. But could you be valuable to me?"
Loveland wished that he might dare to be dangerous; but the idea of having her for a friend, into whose pink sh.e.l.l of an ear he could pour confidences, really attracted him--since her value, not being cash value, could be realised by him in no other way. And, of course, if she would promise to be his friend, it would be caddish to make love to her.
He felt very virtuous as he laid down this rule for himself.
"I"ll let you study me as much as you like, and put me into your next story."
"As the villain?"
He looked rather blank. His conception for himself was always the part of hero.
"But after all, it"s usually baronets who"re villains--in stories and plays," she went on. "A Marquis--you are a Marquis, aren"t you--may perhaps be a fellow being."
"Please treat me as such, then," said Loveland.
"I will, anyway till further notice. Now you may begin to tell me frank things, and I"ll give you frank advice about them, as a friend."
"How I wish you were rich!" exclaimed Loveland, thinking aloud, as he did sometimes.
"How do you know I"m not? Oh, of course Major Cadwallader Hunter found out for you. He would! He"s the sort of man who takes a worm"s eye view of the world, and of women and wealth. But never mind if I"m not rich."
"I do mind. I shouldn"t want you for a friend if you were."
"You wouldn"t--oh! Well, now you are being still franker, aren"t you?"
"You said you liked people to be frank."
"Ye--es."
"I haven"t offended you, have I?"