They were walking slowly up towards Piccadilly. A fine rain had begun to fall, and already the pavements were shining. Neither of them had an umbrella, and Letty"s hat, with its cheap flowers and ribbon, showed signs of collapse. Suddenly Macheson had an idea.
"Look here," he said, "supposing you spent the night at Miss Thorpe-Hatton"s house in Berkeley Square--no one could say anything then, could they?"
The girl looked up with a sudden gleam of hope.
"No! I don"t suppose they could," she admitted; "but I don"t know where it is, and I don"t suppose they"d take me in anyway."
"I know where it is," Macheson declared, "and we"ll see about their taking you in. I believe Miss Thorpe-Hatton may be there herself. Stop that fourwheeler, d.i.c.k."
They climbed into a pa.s.sing cab, and Macheson directed the driver. The girl was beginning to lose confidence again.
"The house is sure to be shut up," she said.
"There will be a caretaker." Macheson declared hopefully. "We"ll manage it, never fear. I believe Miss Thorpe-Hatton is there herself."
Letty was trembling with excitement and fear.
"I"m scared to death of her," she admitted. "She"s so beautiful, and she looks at you always as though you were something a long way off."
Macheson was suddenly silent. A rush of memories surged into his brain.
He had sworn to keep away! This was a different matter, an errand of mercy. Nevertheless he would see her, if only for a moment. His heart leaped like a boy"s. He looked eagerly out of the window. Already they were entering Berkeley Square. The cab stopped.
Macheson looked upwards. There were lights in many of the windows, and a small electric brougham, with a tall footman by the side of the driver, was waiting opposite the door.
"The house is open," he declared. "Don"t be afraid, Letty."
The girl descended and clung to his arm as they crossed the pavement.
"I shall wait here for you," Holderness said. "Good luck to you, and good night, young lady!"
Macheson rang the bell. The door was opened at once by a footman, who eyed them in cold surprise.
"We wish to see Miss Thorpe-Hatton for two minutes," Macheson said, producing his card. "It is really an important matter, or we would not disturb her at such an hour. She is at home, is she not?"
The footman looked exceedingly dubious. He looked from the card to Macheson, and from Macheson to the girl, and he didn"t seem to like either of them.
"Miss Thorpe-Hatton has just returned from the opera," he said, "and she is going on to the Countess of Annesley"s ball directly. Can"t you come again in the morning?"
"Quite impossible," Macheson declared briskly. "I am sure that Miss Thorpe-Hatton will see me for a moment if you take that card up."
The footman studied Macheson again, and was forced to admit that he was a gentleman. He led the way into a small morning-room.
"Miss Thorpe-Hatton shall have your card, sir," he said. "Kindly take a seat."
He left the room. Macheson drew up a chair for Letty, but she refused it, trembling.
"Oh! I daren"t sit down, Mr. Macheson," she declared. "And please--don"t say that I was with Mr. Hurd. I know he wouldn"t like it."
"Probably not," Macheson answered, "but what am I to say?"
"Anything--anything but that," she begged.
Macheson nodded his promise. Then the door opened, and his heart seemed to stand still. She entered the room in all the glory of a wonderful toilette; she wore her famous ropes of pearls, the spotless white of her gown was the last word from the subtlest Parisian workshop of the day.
But it was not these things that counted. Had he been dreaming, he wondered a moment later, or had that strange smile indeed curved her lips, that marvellous light indeed flowed from her eyes? It was the lady of his dreams who had entered--it was a very different woman who, with a slight frown upon her smooth forehead, was looking at the girl who stood trembling by Macheson"s side.
"It is Mr. Macheson, is it not?" she said calmly, "the young man who wanted to convert my villagers. And you--who are you?" she asked, turning to the girl.
"Letty Foulton, if you please, ma"am," the girl answered.
"Foulton! Letty Foulton!" Wilhelmina repeated.
"Yes, ma"am! My brother has Onetree farm," the girl continued.
Wilhelmina inclined her head.
"Ah, yes!" she remarked, "I remember now. And what do you two want of me at this hour of the night?" she asked frigidly.
"If you will allow me, I will explain," Macheson interrupted eagerly.
"Letty came up from Thorpe this morning on an excursion train which returned at midnight."
Wilhelmina glanced at the clock. It was five minutes to one.
"Well?"
"She missed it," Macheson continued. "It was very careless and very wrong, of course, but the fact remains that she missed it. I found her in great distress. She had lost her friends, and there is no train back to Thorpe till the morning. Her brother and mother are very strict, and all her friends who came from Thorpe will, of course, know that--she remained in London. The position, as you will doubtless realize, is a serious one for her."
Wilhelmina made no sign. Nothing in her face answered in any way the silent appeal in his.
"I happened to know," he continued, "that you were in London, so I ventured to bring her at once to you. You are the mistress of Thorpe, and in our recent conversation I remember you admitted a certain amount of responsibility as regards your people there. If she pa.s.ses the night under your roof, no one can have a word to say. It will save her at once from her parent"s anger and the undesirable comments of her neighbours."
Wilhelmina glanced once more towards the clock.
"It seems to me," she remarked, "that a considerable portion of the night has already pa.s.sed."
Both Macheson and the girl were silent. Wilhelmina for the first time addressed the latter.
"Where have you been spending the evening?" she asked.
"We had dinner and went to a place of entertainment," she faltered.
"Then we had supper, and I found out how late it was."
"Who is we?"
The girl"s face was scarlet. She did not answer. Wilhelmina waited for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders.
"You are to be congratulated," she said, with cold irony, "upon your fortunate meeting with Mr. Macheson."
She had touched the bell, and a footman entered.