The Meddlechips were giving a ball, therefore the mansion at Toorak was brilliantly illuminated and crowded with fashionable people. The ball-room was at the side of the house, and from it French windows opened on to a wide verandah, which was enclosed with drapery and hung with many-coloured Chinese lanterns. Beyond this the smooth green lawns stretched away to a thick fringe of trees, which grew beside the fence and screened the Meddlechip residence from the curious gaze of vulgar eyes.
Kitty came under the guardianship of Mrs Riller, a young matron with dark hair, an imperious manner, and a young man always at her heels. Mrs Villiers intended to have come, but at the last moment was seized with one of her nervous fits, so decided to stop at home with Selina for company. Kitty, therefore, accompanied Mrs Riller to the ball, but the guardianship of that lady was more nominal than anything else, as she went off with Mr Bellthorp after introducing Kitty to Mrs Meddlechip, and flirted and danced with him the whole evening. Kitty, however, did not in the least mind being left to her own devices, for being an extremely pretty girl she soon had plenty of young men round her anxious to be introduced. She filled her programme rapidly and kept two valses for Vandeloup, as she knew he was going to be present, but he as yet had not made his appearance.
He arrived about a quarter past ten o"clock, and was strolling leisurely up to the house, when he saw Pierre, standing amid a number of idlers at the gate. The dumb man stepped forward, and Vandeloup paused with a smile on his handsome lips, though he was angry enough at the meeting.
"Money again, I suppose?" he said to Pierre, in a low voice, in French; "don"t trouble me now, but come to my rooms to-morrow."
The dumb man nodded, and Vandeloup walked leisurely up the path. Then Pierre followed him right up to the steps which led to the house, saw him enter the brilliantly-lighted hall, and then hid himself in the shrubs which grew on the edge of the lawn. There, in close hiding, he could hear the sound of music and voices, and could see the door of the fernery wide open, and caught glimpses of dainty dresses and bare shoulders within.
Vandeloup, quite ignorant that his friend was watching the house, put on his gloves leisurely, and walked in search of his hostess.
Mrs Meddlechip glanced approvingly at Vandeloup as he came up, for he was extremely good-looking, and good-looking men were Mrs Meddlechip"s pet weakness. Barty was in attendance on his liege lady, and when he saw how she admired Vandeloup, he foresaw he would be off duty for some time. It would be Vandeloup promoted vice Jarper resigned, but Barty very well knew that Gaston was not a man to conduct himself like a poodle dog, so came to the conclusion he would be retained for use and M. Vandeloup for ornament. Meanwhile, he left Mrs Meddlechip to cultivate the acquaintance of the young Frenchman, and went off with a red-haired girl to the supper-room. Red-haired girl, who was remarkably ugly and self-complacent, had been a wallflower all the evening, but thought none the less of herself on that account. She a.s.sured Barty she was not hungry, but when she finished supper Mr Jarper was very glad, for the supper"s sake, she had no appet.i.te.
"She"s the hungriest girl I ever met in my life," he said to Bellthorp afterwards; "ate up everything I gave her, and drank so much lemonade, I thought she"d go up like a balloon."
When Barty had satisfied the red-haired girl"s appet.i.te--no easy matter--he left her to play wallflower and make spiteful remarks on the girls who were dancing, and took out another damsel, who smiled and smiled, and trod on his toes when he danced, till he wished her in Jericho. He asked if she was hungry, but, unlike the other girl, she was not; he said she must be tired, but oh, dear no, she was quite fresh; so she danced the whole waltz through and b.u.mped Barty against everyone in the room; then said his step did not suit hers, which exasperated him so much--for Barty flattered himself on his waltzing--that he left her just as she was getting up a flirtation, and went to have a gla.s.s of champagne to soothe his feelings. Released from Mrs Meddlechip, Gaston went in search of Kitty, and found her flirting with Felix Rolleston, who was amusing her with his gay chatter.
"This is a deuced good-looking chappie," said Mr Rolleston, fixing his eyegla.s.s in his eye and looking critically at Gaston as he approached them; "M. Vandeloup, isn"t it?"
Kitty said it was.
"Oh! yes," went on Felix, brightly, "saw him about town--don"t know him personally; awfully like a fellow I once knew called Fitzgerald--Brian Fitzgerald--married now and got a family; funny thing, married Miss Frettlby, who used to live in your house."
"Oh! that hansom cab murder," said Kitty, looking at him, "I"ve heard all about that."
"Egad! I should think you had," observed Mr Rolleston, with a grin, "it was a nine days" wonder; but here"s your friend, introduce me, pray," as Vandeloup came up.
Kitty did so, and Felix improved the occasion.
"Knew you by sight," he said, shaking hands with Gaston, "but it"s a case of we never speak as we pa.s.s by, and all that sort of thing--come and look me up," hospitably, "South Yarra."
"Delighted," said Gaston, smoothly, taking Kitty"s programme and putting his name down for the two vacant waltzes.
"Reciprocal, I a.s.sure you," said the lively Felix. "Oh, by Jove! excuse me, Miss Marchurst--there"s a polka--got to dance with a girl--you"ll see me in a minute--she"s a maypole--I"m not, ha! ha! You"ll say it"s the long and the short of it--ta-ta at present."
He hopped off gaily, and they soon saw him steering the maypole round the room, or rather, the maypole steered Felix, for her idea of the dance was to let Felix skip gaily round her; then she lifted him up and put him down a few feet further on, when he again skipped, and so the performance went on, to the intense amus.e.m.e.nt of Kitty and Gaston.
"My faith!" said Vandeloup, satirically, dropping into a seat beside Kitty, "she is a maypole, and he"s a merry peasant dancing round it. By the way, Bebe, why isn"t Madame here to-night?"
"She"s not well," replied Kitty, unfurling her fan; "I don"t know what"s come over her, she"s so nervous."
"Oh! indeed," said Vandeloup, politely; "Hum!--still afraid of her husband turning up," he said to himself, as Kitty was carried away for a valse by Mr Bellthorp; "how slow all this is?" he went on, yawning, and rising from his seat; "I shan"t stay long, or that old woman will be seizing me again. Poor Kestrike, surely his sin has been punished enough in having such a wife," and M. Vandeloup strolled away to speak to Mrs Riller, who, being bereft of Bellthorp, was making signals to him with her fan.
Barty Jarper had been hard at work all night on the poodle-dog system, and had danced with girls who could not dance, and talked with girls that could not talk, so, as a reward for his work, he promised himself a dance with Kitty. At the beginning of the evening he had secured a dance from her, and now, all his duties for the evening being over, he went to get it. Bellthorp had long since returned to Mrs Riller and flirtation, and Kitty had been dancing with a tall young man, with unsteady legs and an eye-gla.s.s that would not stick in his eye. She did not particularly care about Mr Jarper, with his effeminate little ways, but was quite glad when he came to carry her off from the unsteady legs and the eye-gla.s.s. The dance was the Lancers; but Kitty declared she would not dance it as she felt weary, so made Mr Jarper take her to supper. Barty was delighted, as he was hungry himself, so they secured a pleasant little nook, and Barty foraged for provisions.
"You know all about this house," said Kitty, when she saw how successful the young man was in getting nice things.
"Oh, yes," murmured Barty, quite delighted, "I know most of the houses in Melbourne--I know yours."
"Mrs Villiers"?" asked Kitty.
Barty nodded.
"Used to go down there a lot when Mr Frettlby lived there," he said, sipping his wine. "I know every room in it."
"You"d be invaluable as a burglar," said Kitty, a little contemptuously, as she looked at his slim figure.
"I dare say," replied Barty, who took the compliment in good faith.
"Some night I"ll climb up to your room and give you a fright."
"Shows how much you know," retorted Miss Marchurst. "My room is next to Madame"s on the ground floor."
"I know," said Barty, sagely, nodding his head. "It used to be a boudoir--nice little room. By the way, where is Mrs Villiers to-night?"
"She"s not well," replied Kitty, yawning behind her fan, for she was weary of Barty and his small talk. "She"s very worried."
"Over money matters, I suppose?"
Kitty laughed and shook her head.
"Hardly," she answered.
"I dare say," replied Barty, "she"s awfully rich. You know, I"m in the bank where her account is, and I know all about her. Rich! oh, she is rich! Lucky thing for that French fellow if he marries her."
"Marries her?" echoed Kitty, her face growing pale. "M. Vandeloup?"
"Yes," replied Barty, pleased at having made a sensation. "Her first husband has vanished, you know, and all the fellows are laying bets about Van marrying the gra.s.s widow."
"What nonsense!" said Kitty, in an agitated voice. "M. Vandeloup is her friend--nothing more."
Barty grinned.
"I"ve seen so much of that "friendship, and nothing more", business," he said, significantly, whereupon Kitty rose to her feet.
"I"m tired," she said, coldly. "Kindly take me to Mrs Riller."
"I"ve put my foot into it," thought Jarper, as he led her away. "I believe she"s spoons on Van herself."
Mrs Riller was not very pleased to see Kitty, as Mr Bellthorp was telling her some amusing scandals about her dearest friends, and, of course, had to stop when Kitty came up.
"Not dancing, dear?" she asked, with a sympathetic smile, glancing angrily at Bellthorp, who seemed more struck with Kitty than he had any right to be, considering he was her property.
"No," replied Kitty, "I"m a little tired."
"Miss Marchurst," observed Bellthorp, leaning towards her, "I"m sure I"ve seen you before."
Kitty felt a chill running through her veins as she remembered where their last meeting had been. The extremity of the danger gave her courage.