Just to see what would happen, I suddenly squatted down by the side of the road, about twenty yards away, and began to dig furiously with the point of my parasol. I hadn"t been at work for three minutes when I was rewarded. "The Countess has sent me to ask what you are doing, Miss Beechy," announced a nice voice; and there was Sir Ralph peering over my shoulder.
"I"m looking for one of my poor relations," said I. "A worm. She"s sent up word that she isn"t in. But I don"t believe it."
"I"m glad my rich relations aren"t as prying as you are," said he. "I often send that message when it would be exceedingly inconvenient to have further inquiries pressed. Not to rich relations, though, for the very good reason that they don"t bother about me or other poor worms, who have not my Felicite to defend them."
"Who"s Felicite?" I asked, not sorry to keep Sir Ralph for my own sake or that of Mamma--who was probably taking advantage of his absence to put powder on her nose and pink stuff on her lips, by the aid of her chatelaine mirror.
"Who"s Felicite? You might as well ask who is the Queen of England.
Felicite is my cook--my housekeeper--my guide, philosopher and friend; my all."
"That dear, fat duck who brought us tea the day we were at your house?"
"I have two ducks. But Felicite was the one who brought you the tea. The other eats mice and fights the cat. Felicite doesn"t eat mice, and fights me."
"I loved her."
"So do I. And I could love you for loving her."
"Perhaps you"d better not."
"Why? It"s safe and allowable for men of my age to love little girls."
"I"m different from other little girls. You said so yourself. Besides what is your age?"
"Twenty-nine."
"You look about nineteen. Our Chauffeulier looks older than you do."
"Chauffeulier? Oh, I see, that"s your name for Terry. It"s rather smart."
"I call it a t.i.tle, not a name," said I. "I thought he ought to have one, so I dubbed him that."
"He ought to be complimented."
"I mean him to be."
"Come now, tell me what name you"ve invented for me, Miss Beechy."
I shook my head. "You"ve got a ready-made t.i.tle. But you look too boyish to live up to it. The Chauffeulier would come up to my idea of a baronet better than you do."
"Oh, you don"t have to be dignified really to be a baronet, you know.
Terry--er--you mustn"t mention to him that I told you; but he may be something a good deal bigger than a baronet one day."
"He"s a good deal bigger than a baronet now," said I, laughing, and measuring Sir Ralph from head to foot. "But what may he be one day?"
"I mustn"t say more. But if you"re at all interested in him, that will be enough to fix your attention."
"What would be the good of fixing my attention on him, if that"s what you mean," I inquired, "when he"s got his attention fixed upon another?"
"Oh, you mustn"t judge by appearances," said Sir Ralph hastily. "He likes you awfully; though, of course, as you"re so young, he can"t show it as he would to an older girl."
"I shall grow older," said I. "Even before we finish this trip I shall be a _little_ older."
"Of course you will," Sir Ralph a.s.sured me soothingly. "By that time, Terry will, no doubt, have screwed up courage to show you how much he likes you."
"I shouldn"t have thought he lacked courage," said I.
"Only where girls are concerned," explained Sir Ralph.
"He seems brave enough with my cousin Maida. It"s Mamma and me he doesn"t say much to, unless we speak to him first."
"You see he"s horribly afraid of being thought a fortune-hunter. He"s almost morbidly sensitive in that way."
"O-oh, I see," I echoed. "Is that the reason he"s so stand-off with us--because he knows we"re rich?"
"Yes. Otherwise he"d be delightful, just as he is with Miss Destrey, with whom he doesn"t have to think of such things."
"You"re fond of him, aren"t you?" I asked, beginning again to dig for the worm; for Sir Ralph was squatting beside me now, watching the point of my parasol.
"Rather!" he exclaimed. "He"s the finest fellow on earth. I should like to see him as happy as he deserves to be."
"But you don"t want him to fall in love with Maida?"
"That"s the last thing I should choose for either of them. Though it"s early to talk of such contingencies, isn"t it, as they"ve known each other--we"ve all known each other--only a few days?"
"It only takes a few minutes for the most important things to happen, such as being born and dying. _Why_ should falling in love take more? It wouldn"t with me."
"You"re young to judge."
"Pooh, I"ve been in love several times. Now I come to think of it, I"m in love this moment--or almost. _Why_ don"t you want Mr. Barrymore to fall in love with my cousin?"
"It would be imprudent."
"Perhaps you"re falling in love with her yourself."
"I shouldn"t wonder."
"If you"ll tell me whether you are or not, I"ll tell you who it is I _think_ I"m in love with."
"Well, I _could_ be. Now for your secret."
"I give you leave to guess."
"Really?"
"And truly."
"Some one we"ve just been talking about?"