OH, what an afternoon we"ve had!
Talk about "one crowded hour of glorious life." Well, Million and I have had from two to six; that is, four crowded glorious hours of shopping! I scarcely know where we"ve been, except that they were all the most expensive places. Any woman who reads this story will understand me when I say I made a bee-line for those shops that don"t put very much in the show-window.
Just one perfect gown on a stand, perhaps, one filmy dream of a lingerie blouse, a pair of silk stockings that looked as if they"d been fashioned by the fairies out of spun sunset, and a French girl"s name splashed in bold white letters across the pane--that was the sort of decoration of the establishments patronised by Miss Million and her maid.
As before, the maid (myself) had to do all the ordering, while the heiress shrank and slunk and cowered in the background. For poor little Million was really too overawed for words by those supercilious and slim young d.u.c.h.esses in black satin, the shop a.s.sistants who glided towards us with a haughty "What may I show you, Moddom?" From "undies" (all silk) to corsets (supple perfection!), through ready-made costumes to afternoon frocks and blouses and hats and evening-gowns I made my relentless way.
After the first few gasps from Million of "Oh, far too expensive.... Oh, Miss!... Haven"t they any cheaper than.... Twenty? Lor"! Does she mean twenty shillings, Miss Beatrice? What! Twenty pounds? Oh, we can"t----"
I left off asking the prices of things. I simply selected the garments or the hats that looked the sweetest and harmonised the best with my new employer"s black hair and bright grey frightened eyes. I heard myself saying with a new note of authority in my voice: "Yes! That"ll do. And the little shoes to match. And two dozen of these. And put that with the others. I will have them all sent together." What did money matter, when it came to ordering an outfit for a millionairess?
I grew positively intoxicated with the mad joy of choosing clothes under these conditions. Isn"t it the day-dream of every human being who wears a skirt? Isn"t it "what every woman wants?" A free hand for a trousseau of all new things! To choose the most desirable, to materialise every vision she"s ever had of the Perfect Hat, the Blouse of Blouses, and to think "never mind what it costs!"
And this, at last, had fallen to my lot. I quite forgot that I was not the millionairess for whom all this many-coloured and soft perfection was to be sent "home"--"to the Hotel Cecil, I"ll trouble you." I only remembered that I was the millionairess"s maid when one of the black-satin d.u.c.h.esses, in the smartest hat shop, informed me that I "could perfectly wear" the little Viennese hat with the flight of jewelled humming-birds, and I had had to inform her that the hat was intended for "the other lady."
"We"ll do a little shopping for me, now," I decided, when we left that hat-shop divinity with three new creations to pack up for Miss Million at the Cecil. I said: "I"m tired of people not knowing exactly what I am. I"m going to choose a really "finished" kit for a superior lady"s-maid, so that everybody shall recognise my "walk in life" at the first glance!"
"Miss! Oh, Miss Beatrice, you can"t," protested Million, in shocked tones. "You"re never going to wear--livery, like?"
"I am," I declared. "A plain black gown, very perfectly cut, an exquisite muslin ap.r.o.n with a little bib, and a cap like----"
"Miss! You can"t wear a cap," declared little Million, standing stock still at the top of Bond Street and gazing at me as if I had planned the subversion of all law and order and fitness. "All very well for you to come and help me, as you might say, just to oblige, and to be a sort of companion to me and to call yourself my maid. But I never, never bargained for you, Miss Beatrice, to go about wearing no caps! Why, there"s plenty of young girls in my own walk of life--I mean in what used to be my own walk! Plenty of young girls who wouldn"t dream of being found drowned in such a thing as a cap! Looks so menial, they said. Several of the girls at the Orphanage said they"d never put such a thing on their heads once they got away. And a lady"s-maid, well, "tisn"t even the same as a parlour-maid! And you with such a nice head of hair of your own, Miss Beatrice!" Million expostulated with almost tearful incoherence. "A reel lady"s-maid isn"t required to wear a cap, even if she does slip on an ap.r.o.n!"
"You shut up," I gaily commanded the employer upon whom I now depend for my daily bread. "I am going to wear a cap. And to look rather sweet in it."
And I did.
For when I"d spent the two quarters" salary that I"d ordered Million to advance to me, I looked at myself in a long gla.s.s at the establishment where they seem particularly great on "small stock sizes"--my size. I beheld myself a completely different shape from the lumpy little bunch of a girl that I"d been in blue serge that seemed specially designed to hide every decent line of her figure. I was really quite as graceful as the portrait of Lady Anastasia herself! This was thanks to the beautifully built, severely simple gown, fitted on over a pair of low-cut, glove-like, elastic French stays. The dead-black of it showed up my long, slim throat (my one inheritance from my great-grandmother!), which seemed as white as the small, impertinently befrilled ap.r.o.n that I tied about my waist. The cap was just a white b.u.t.terfly perched upon the bright chestnut waves of my hair.
And the general effect of Miss Million"s maid at that moment was of something rather pretty and fetching in the stage-lady"s maid line, from behind the footlights at Daly"s. I"m sorry to have to blow my own trumpet like this, but after all it was the first time I"d ever seen myself look so really nice. I thought it was quite a pity that there was no one but Million and the girl in the "maids" caps department" to admire me! Then, for some funny, unexplained reason, I thought of somebody else who might possibly catch a glimpse of me looking like this. I thought of the blue-eyed, tall, blonde manager of the bank where Million has opened her account; Mr. Reginald Brace, who lives next door to where we used to live; the honest, pleasant-voiced person whom I look upon as such a good match for Million; the young man who"s arranged to come and have tea with her at her hotel next Thursday.
He will be the very first caller she"s had since she ceased to be little Nellie Million, the maid-of-all-work.
CHAPTER XI
AN OLD FRIEND OF THE FAMILY
I WAS _wrong_.
She will have another caller first.
In fact, she has had another caller. When we got back to our--I really must remember to say her--rooms at the Cecil we were met, even as I unlocked the door, by a whiff of wonderful perfume, heady, intoxicating.
The scent of carnations. A great sheaf of the flowers was laid on the table near the window. Red carnations, Carmen"s carnations, the flowers that always seem to me to stand for something thrilling.... In the language of flowers it is "a red rose" that spells the eternal phrase, "I love you." But how much more appropriate would be one handful of the jagged petals of my favourite blood-red carnations!
"Lor"! Ain"t these beauties!" cried Million, sniffing rapturously. "Talk about doin" things in style! Well, it"s a pretty cla.s.sy kind of hotel where they gives you cut flowers like this for your table decorations."
"My dear Million, you don"t suppose the hotel provided these carnations," I laughed, "as it provided the palms downstairs?"
"Lor"! Do I pay more money for "em, then, Miss--Smith, I mean?"
"Pay? Nonsense. The flowers have been sent in by some one," I said.
"Sent? Who"d ever send flowers to me?"
I thought I could guess. I considered it a very pretty attention of Mr.
Reginald Brace, Million"s only new friend so far, the young bank manager.
I said: "Look and see; isn"t there a note with the flowers?"
Million took up the fragrant sheaf. Something white was tucked in among the deep red blooms.
"There is a card," she said. She took it out, and glanced at it. I heard her exclaim in a startled voice: "Lor"! Who may he be when he"s at home?"
I looked up quickly.
"What?" I said. "Don"t you remember who Mr. Brace is?"
"I remember Mr. Brace all right, Miss--Smith, I mean. But these here ain"t from no Mr. Brace," said Million, in a voice of amazement. "Look at the card!"
I took the card and read it.
On one side was:
"To Miss Million, with kindest greetings from an old friend of the family!"
On the other side was the name:
"The Honourable James Burke, Ballyneck, Ireland."
"The Honourable!" echoed Million, breathing heavily on the H in "honourable." "Now who in the wide world is the gentleman called all that, who thinks he"s a friend of my family (and one that hasn"t any family), whoever"s he?"
"It"s very mysterious," I agreed, staring from the flowers to the card.
"Must be some mistake!" said Million.
An idea occurred to me.
"Ring the bell, Million," I said. Then, remembering my place, I crossed the room and rung the bell myself.
"For the chamber-maid. She may be able to tell us something about this,"
I explained. "We"ll ask her."
More surprises!
The rather prim-faced and middle-aged chamber-maid who appeared in answer to our summons had a startling announcement to make in answer to my query as to who was responsible for that sheaf of glorious carnations that we had found waiting.