"I"ve always had a great ambition," said Mr. Fentiman of Woollens, "to get a peep at Switzerland before I die."
"Then you must arrange to do so," said Mrs. Thompson, with kindly significance. "Some autumn--I"m sure it would be easy to arrange."
"I figure it," said Mr. Fentiman sententiously, "as a gigantic panorama--stupefying in its magnitude--and, ah, in all respects unique."
"It is very beautiful," said Mrs. Thompson; and she glanced at Enid, who was pensively playing with her breadcrumbs.
"The Swiss," said Mr. Mears, "are reputed a thrifty race. Did you, madam, observe signs of economic prosperity among the people?"
Mr. Prentice chimed in boisterously from the bottom of the table.
"What no one will ever observe among the Swiss people is a pretty girl.
Did you see a pretty girl on all your travels, Mrs. Thompson--except the one you took with you?" And Mr. Prentice bowed to Enid, and then laughed loudly and cheerfully.
"Is that a fact?" asked Mr. Ridgway. "Are they really so ill-favoured?"
"Plainest-headed lot in Europe," shouted Mr. Prentice.
"And do you, madam, endorse the verdict?"
"Oh, no. Far too sweeping;" and Mrs. Thompson laughed nervously, and attempted to draw her daughter into the conversation. "Enid, Mr. Ridgway is asking if we saw no pretty girls in Switzerland."
But Enid was dull. She had volunteered to join the party, but she would not a.s.sist the hostess in making it a success. She need not have been here; and it was stupid or unkind of her to come, and yet not try to be pleasant.
"Didn"t we, mother? I don"t remember."
All this strained talk about Switzerland was heavy and spiritless. One heard the note of effort all through it. In the old days they would have been chattering freely of the shop and themselves. Mrs. Thompson felt painfully conscious that there was something wrong with the feast. No gaiety. Some influence in the air that proved alternately chilling and nerve-disturbing. She knew that Mr. Prentice felt it, too. He was endeavouring to make things go; and when he wanted things to go, he became noisy. He was growing noisier and noisier.
She looked at her guests while Mr. Prentice bellowed in monologue. They were eating and drinking, but somehow failing to enjoy themselves.
Big Mr. Mears, sitting beside her, ate enormously. He wore a black bow tie, with a low-cut black waistcoat and his voluminous frock-coat--he would not go nearer to the conventional dress-clothes, not judging the swallow-tail as befitting to his station in life, or his figure. Scrubby little Mr. Ridgway, on her other side, emptied his gla.s.s with surprising rapidity. Mr. Fentiman, a tall skinny man, ate almost as much as Mr. Mears. He had cleared his plate and was looking at the ceiling, with his long neck saliently exposed above a turn-down collar, as he dreamed perhaps of next year"s holiday and a foreign trip financed by a liberal patroness. Wherever she turned her eyes, she saw the familiar commonplace faces--bald heads glistening, jaws masticating, hands busy with knife and fork; but nowhere could she see any light-hearted jollity or genuine amus.e.m.e.nt and interest.
She looked at the head of China and Gla.s.s last of all. On this occasion Mr. Marsden made his initial appearance at her hospitable board. It was, of course, impossible to leave him out of the gathering; but great, very great trouble of mind had been aroused by the necessity to include him.
She had feared the meeting under the relaxed conditions of friendly informal intercourse. Perhaps, so far as she was concerned, all the nerve-vibrating element in the atmosphere was caused by his quiet un.o.btrusive presence.
He wore faultless evening-dress, with a pique shirt, a white waistcoat, and a flower in his b.u.t.ton-hole; and, sitting at the other end of the table, near Mr. Prentice, he was very silent--almost as silent as Enid.
Not quite, because he spoke easily and naturally when anybody addressed him. And his silence was smiling and gracious. Among the other men he seemed to be a creature from a different world--so firm in his quiet strength, so confident in his own power, so young, so self-possessed, and so extraordinarily, overbearingly handsome.
The dinner was more than half over; the Dolphin waiters were carving and serving some savoury game; Mrs. Thompson exerted herself as a watchful and attentive hostess.
"Mr. Greig, you mustn"t refuse the grouse. It was specially sent from Scotland for us."
"Really, madam," said Mr. Greig, the obese chief of Cretonnes etc., "your menoo is that ample I find it difficult not to shirk my duties to it. But still, since you"re so kind as to mention it--yes, I thank you."
"That"s right, Mr. Greig."
"Greig, my good friend," said Mr. Prentice, "you"d make a poor show at the Guildhall or the Mansion House, if you can"t stay the course without all these protestations and excuses."
"I"ve never dined with the Lord Mayor," said Mr. Greig; "but I cannot believe his lordship offers the most distinguished company a more ample menoo than this."
"Enid," said Mrs. Thompson, "do have some grouse."
"No, thank you, mother."
It was Enid who cast a chill upon everything and everybody; all the cold and depressing influence issued from her. She looked pretty enough in her pink and silver frock, and she ought to have been a charming and welcome addition to the party; but she would not put herself to the trouble of talking and smiling. She made no slightest effort to set these more or less humble folk at their ease. She showed that she was absent-minded, and allowed people to guess that she was also bored. Now Mr. Prentice was rallying her with genial, paternal freedom--and she would not even answer his questions. He turned away, to bellow at Mr.
Fentiman; and obviously felt crushed by his failure to make things go.
The point had been reached when it was customary to begin their friendly business talk; but to-night it seemed impossible for them to speak comfortably of the shop. The presence of the fashionable outsider tied all their tongues.
Old Mears ponderously started the ball; but no one could keep it rolling.
"Well, ma"am," said Mr. Mears. "Another year has come and gone. We are in a position to look behind us; and, as usual, before we commence to look ahead of us, any words that fall from your lips will be esteemed a favour."
"Hear, hear," said Mr. Ridgway, shyly and feebly.
"Really, gentlemen," said Mrs. Thompson, "I don"t know that I have any words likely to be of value."
"Always valuable--your words," said fat Mr. Greig.
"But I take this opportunity," and Mrs. Thompson looked nervously at her daughter--"this opportunity of thanking you for all you have done for me in the past, and of a.s.suring you that I place the fullest confidence in you--in you all--for the future."
Enid had thrown a blight over the proceedings. She made them all shy and uneasy. Even Mrs. Thompson herself could not speak of the shop without hesitating and stammering.
"So, really," she went on, "that is all I need say, gentlemen. But, as always, I shall be--shall be glad--extremely glad if you will give me your candid views on any subjects--on all subjects.... Have you any suggestions to make, Mr. Mears?"
Mr. Mears coughed, and hummed and hawed before replying.
"We must adhere to our maxims--and not get slack, no matter how good business may be."
"That"s it," said Mr. Ridgway. "Keep up the high standard of Thompson"s, whatever else we do."
"Any suggestions from _you_, Mr. Greig?"
"No more," said Mr. Greig, "than the remarks which my confreers have pa.s.sed. I say the same myself."
She asked them each in turn, hurrying through her questions, scarcely waiting to hear the unusually imbecile answers.
"Mr. Marsden--have you any suggestions to make?"
"None," said Marsden, firmly and unhesitatingly. "Unless, madam, you would authorise me to break the neck of Mr. Archibald Bence."
This sally was received with universal applause and laughter.
"Bravo," cried Mr. Prentice. "Take me with you, my boy, when you go on that job."
"And me, too."
"And I must be there--if it"s only to pick up the remains."