And in her comfortable bed in Berkeley Square, Katherine Bush read "The Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu" far into the night.
Society had not altered in many respects since these hundred and sixty odd years ago, she thought!
The tableaux were the greatest success and a large sum of money was secured for one of Lady Garribardine"s pet charities.
Time went on, Christmas was approaching. It was to be spent at Blissington Court, the place Lady Garribardine had inherited with the barony of d"Estaire from her father. Garribardine was a Scotch t.i.tle while her ladyship was rabidly English. They would go down to Blissington and have a family party. Her three grandchildren (her daughter, Lady Mereton, was far away, the bored wife of a Colonial Governor), Gerard Strobridge and perhaps Lady Beatrice and the two old cousins with a young niece of theirs, and a stray man or two, and Mrs.
Delemar--but no one could be sure who would turn up at the end.
Katherine was not to have any holiday; she had come too recently, her employer explained to her, and the Christmas acc.u.mulations were quite beyond her power to tackle alone.
Katherine was grateful--she looked forward to seeing this country home with pleasure. She had been kept unusually busy and so had very rarely seen any one except Her Ladyship. But one morning about ten days before they were to go down into Blankshire, Lady Garribardine informed her secretary she was to be given for the whole afternoon to Mr. Strobridge to type a quant.i.ty of letters about a new charity he was arranging for her.
"My nephew dictates abominably, but he said that you had understood him so well that first evening when you arrived a month ago, that he has asked me to lend you to him to-day for this business, and I have consented. He will lunch here, so have plenty of paper ready for the afternoon." Then as Katherine was leaving the room, she handed her a ten-pound note.
"Here is a little present for you, Miss Bush, for Christmas; I want you to buy yourself an evening frock--you must dine with us on Christmas Day and perhaps you had not provided for this possibility. I am very pleased with you, girl--you work splendidly."
Katherine coloured to the roots of her ashen-hued, glistening hair. She could not a.n.a.lyse her emotions. She hated presents, and yet she was gratified at the kindliness and appreciation which lay in the manner of the gift.
"Your Ladyship is too good," she said very low. "I have simply done my duty--but I will endeavour to buy something suitable with the money which is far more than enough."
The old lady looked at her critically with her head a little on one side--she understood what the blush had arisen from and she appreciated the pride in the girl.
"The creature must have some breeding in her somewhere in spite of the auctioneer parentage. I must talk to her when we get to Blissington. She may prove a great interest for my old age."
But she said aloud:
"Well, get what you like with it. I leave it to you, your taste is excellent--and while you are out, pay these two bills for me, and take a little walk--you have been looking rather pale; I fear you have not taken enough outdoor exercise lately."
Katherine thanked her and went rapidly to her room, a sense of excitement and antic.i.p.ation in her heart. This might prove an interesting afternoon. There she reviewed her wardrobe. Her "dressy"
blouse from Oxford Street was too ornate for the daytime, and she thought now in rather bad taste, and her morning ones were too dowdy.
This was a great occasion and one which she had been waiting for. She was to go home late on this Friday to stay the night at Bindon"s Green.
Matilda had insisted upon it, because it was her birthday; she would be thirty years old. She had been quite tearful about it on the second occasion on which she had met her sister in the Park.
"You need not cast us all off like this, Kitten," she pleaded, "and we shall have Mabel and a few other friends on Friday night, and Fred has given us a lot of lovely new n.i.g.g.e.r song records for the gramophone, and it will all be so awfully jolly."
So Katherine had promised to go, and this fell in admirably with her plans. There would be a real excuse for her to have her hair waved. She had been given the evening off and it was known that she was going home.
She would consult Gladys again for the frock for Christmas night and buy what was necessary on her way back to Berkeley Square on the morrow.
It was the first time in her life that a hairdresser had ever touched her thick mop of hair, and she had no idea of the difference to her appearance that it would make. But so critical and observant of all things had become her eye that she realised with her first peep in the mirror, when the ondulation was complete, that it had turned her into almost a beauty. The broad waves fell back from the parting and showed the admirable planting of her brow and the Greek setting of her magnetic eyes. She allowed no elaboration of fashion, but had her ample tresses bound tightly to her head--the effect was distinguished and gave her satisfaction. Then from the hairdresser"s she went and bought another blouse--something pale grey and becoming, and with the parcel she got back to Berkeley Square in good time for luncheon and began to dress herself.
She was glad her hands were so white, she had lately taken to giving great care to the polish of her nails--she wished her feet were smaller, but they were well shaped and no one"s feet were really small nowadays, Lady Garribardine had said!
She was quite content with the picture she saw in her looking-gla.s.s before she went downstairs. It was of a tall, slim girl with a very white, smooth face--extraordinary eyes under level, dark brows, and a big red mouth, and hair of silvery fairness that glistened grey, not gold, in its lights. She knew very well that she was attractive, and gave one of her rare soft laughs.
A month and more of mental discipline and acute observation of those in that status of refinement to which she wished to attain had given her numerous subtle distinctions of manner which she had not possessed before. She looked like a lady, and felt that she was approaching the time when she herself--most severe of all critics--might consider herself to be one. She was nearly as excited as on that afternoon when she had left Livingstone and Devereux"s to go on a three days" honeymoon with Lord Algy. She made herself eat her luncheon as calmly as usual, and then when the tray had been taken away she opened the window wide and poured a packet of cedarwood dust on the fire--and she was sitting demurely at the table when from the library Lady Garribardine and Mr.
Strobridge came in.
Gerard Strobridge carried a bag full of papers and looked cross and hara.s.sed.
"Now G. you may have the services of Miss Bush until five o"clock; that will give you two hours and a half--you must not keep her, as she is going home to-night--then come up to my sitting-room to tea," and Lady Garribardine went out of the other door which her nephew held open for her.
Katherine had risen and gone immediately to a cupboard, ostensibly to get something out for her work, so she hoped Her Ladyship had not remarked her hair--which indeed had happily been the case.
Mr. Strobridge had not even glanced in her direction, but her moment came when she sat down at the typing machine, and looked straight up into his eyes as she asked in her deep alluring voice:
"What do you wish me to begin upon, please?"
Then he took in the whole effect and a wave of intense astonishment swept over him. What had happened? Was he dreaming? Was this beautiful creature the ordinary, silent, admirable typist, Katherine Bush?
CHAPTER X
He pulled himself together and took some papers from his bag without speaking, and when he had selected two or three, he drew a chair up to the other side of the table and began to dictate, stopping every now and then to explain the purport of his arguments.
They worked so for perhaps an hour.
"One has to do these things," he said at last, as Katherine had not uttered a word. "One wonders sometimes if there is any good in them."
"I suppose all effort has some merit," she responded, without looking up. He began to long to make her raise her eyes again.
"You think so?--On what grounds?"
"It exercises a useful faculty."
"What faculty?"
"Will, of course; to use effort is an exercise of will, because if there was no effort needed, no will would be required either."
He smiled whimsically; this was obvious.
"Then I must look upon the organisation of this very intricate charity, of doubtful use to mankind, as profitable to me because of the effort entailed."
"It is as good a way as any other of looking at it.--Did you say quarterly or monthly returns upon the capital?"
"Oh--er--" glancing at his papers--"the confounded thing! Where is it--Yes--quarterly."
The machine clicked uninterruptedly. Katherine never looked up.
He began to allow himself to take in details. Why had he not remarked before that she had an extraordinarily well-shaped head?--And what wonderful hands--in these days of athletic, weather-beaten paws! She would be very stately, too, when she filled out a little. The whole thing was agreeably symmetrical, throat and shoulders, and bust and hips.
"Why, in the name of all the G.o.ds, have I never noticed this young woman before! She thinks, too! That was a curious reflection about will--I"d like to talk to her--The devil takes this d--d--charity!"
So his thoughts ran and his eyes eagerly devoured Katherine"s face.
She was perfectly conscious of the fact; she knew with unerring instinct that the spark which she had dispatched by that first steady gaze of her eyes had struck tinder, the flame of interest was ignited, and the more difficult she made things now, the more complete would be her triumph presently. She resolutely kept her attention upon her work, never raising her head.
"To be so meritoriously industrious, are you using effort?" he asked, in a moment or two. "You look as though you had a most formidable will!"