The elder Paliser, seated in the hall of his town house, held a cup. In the chair, a doge had throned. On the bottom of the cup was an N topped by a crown. The cup contained hot milk.
Returning, a little before, from a drive, he had been helped up the steps, into the hall, into the chair. He had not wished to be helped farther. In the hall, the milk had been brought. As he sipped it, he looked placid, dignified, evil. He looked very much like a wicked old doge.
"When I don"t move, it is remarkable how well I feel."
His son, to whom he spoke, sat in a sedan-chair which, delicately enamelled without, was as delicately upholstered within. Through the window of the chair, only the young man"s face showed. If you had not known better you might have mistaken it for the face of a lady of an earlier, a politer, though not of a bloodier age. But you would have known better. The hair, powdered white, was absent; so too were the patches; so also was the rouge.
Behind the doge"s chair a servant stood. Adjacently was a malachite bench. Beyond was a malachite stairway. The elder Paliser, finishing with the milk, extended the cup. The servant took it and turned.
Recesses, back of the stairway, engulfed him.
Monty Paliser straightened. The movement disclosed his collar, the white of his tie.
It was the evening of the fourth day since the wedding. He had motored in to dine at the Austens". Ca.s.sy had seen him go and had seen too uninterrupted hours in the music-room. The prospect was consoling.
But, pending the dinner and with an ample quarter of an hour to the good, he had looked in on his father whom he had found in the hall.
Nothing filial had motived this looking-in. On the surface, it was a visit of circ.u.mstance such as one gentleman may pay to another. But, beneath the surface, was an object which, when the servant and the cup had gone, he approached.
"I hope Benny has not been in your way."
"Not in the least. I told him to go back to you."
"Is he still here?"
"I haven"t an idea."
"You might send him to Newport."
"You want to be rid of him, eh?"
"The Place does not need three gardeners."
The old man, who seemed to be feeling about for something, scowled.
"What it does not need is the atmosphere that you are giving it. You may go to the devil your own way. I sha"n"t stop you. But it puts a bad taste in my mouth to have you turn it into a road-house. d.a.m.n it, sir, you were born there."
Through the window of the sedan-chair, the young man was watching. He saw it coming and masked himself.
"How funny of Benny to give you such an idea."
Then, straight at him, went the bomb.
"It was not a gift. What I got, I extracted. Why don"t you marry? Eh?
Why don"t you? In order that you might, I made over to you a thing or two. I wish to G.o.d, I hadn"t. But perhaps you are satisfied. If you are, well and good. As it is, unless you marry, I"ll leave the property to Sally"s brat and have him change his name. By Gad, sir, if I don"t have some a.s.surance from you and have it now, I"ll send for Jeroloman. I will make a new will and I"ll make it to-night. If you came here to dine, you can stop on and listen to it."
The bomb was full of fumes. In the still air they floated. But in throwing it, the old man"s scowl had deepened. It had become a grimace that creased every wrinkle into prominence. His hand had gone to his chest. Gasping, he held it there. Then presently it fell. His features relaxed and dryly, in an even tone, he resumed: "It is remarkable how well I feel, if I don"t talk. Any excitement suffocates me."
In the trench, that the sedan-chair had become, Monty Paliser tightened the mask. "There is no need for any excitement. I will marry. You have my word."
On the great blasoned throne, the old man shifted. The easy victory mollified him. "Ah! You dine here?"
"Thank you, no. I am dining at the Austens"."
"Where?" the elder Paliser asked. He had heard but he wanted it repeated. It seemed vaguely promising.
"At the Austens". You may remember that the pearl of the household was engaged. It"s off."
Slowly the old man twisted. "What is? The engagement?"
"So her mother told me."
"And you are dining there."
"In a few minutes."
The old man took it in, turned it over. It seemed not only victory but peace, and peace with annexation.
"Very good then. I draw the veil over your road-house. Put the young woman in a flat. Put her in two flats. n.o.body who is anybody ever sees anything that was not intended for them. Don"t beat the drum. That is all that the right people ask and all I require, except----"
He paused, considered the annexation and added: "I wish you an excellent appet.i.te. Austen himself was a drivelling idiot and his wife used to be a rare old girl--is still, I daresay--but they came of good stock, and the daughter has looks and no brains. You couldn"t do better."
He paused again, appeared to lose himself in the past, looked up and suddenly exclaimed: "You are ridiculous in that d.a.m.ned thing! Oblige me by getting out."
The young man extracted himself and sat down on the malachite bench. It was more exposed than the trench and the fumes of the gas bomb that his father had hurled were hazardous still. Additional protection from them was needed and he said: "What will you do about Benny?"
The old man disliked to be questioned. On the arm of his chair he beat with his fingers a quick, brief tattoo.
"Benny belongs to the Place. His father served me there. His grandfather served yours. You don"t get such people nowadays."
Negligently the young man smoothed his tie. "Very picturesque and feudal. But I don"t want him."
His father did not seem to hear, or to care. He was afar, wandering from it. "Ever notice that he has only one thumb? Same way with his father.
Probably a family trait. I wish there were more families like "em. This house is full of trollops and rascals. So is Newport. The house at Newport is full of rapscallions. Believe I"ll offer it to the Government for a hospital. I wish to G.o.d Sally would come over and run it. Do you ever hear from her?"
The young man stood up. "Never."
"I don"t doubt she is well rid of Balaguine. I"ve run into a baker"s dozen of Russian princes. All canaille. What she wanted to marry him for, G.o.d only knows, and in saying that I exaggerate. Nice mess they have made of things there. Are you going? Oblige me by touching the bell."
The young man touched it and, while he was at it, something else.
"Couldn"t you oblige me by shipping Benny to Newport?"
The old man motioned. It was as though he dismissed it. "My compliments to her mother and remember that I have your word. Don"t dilly-dally.
Good G.o.d, sir, can"t you realise that any day now you may be drafted?
You"ve no time to lose. If I were your age, I"d enlist to-morrow. Don"t stand on one foot, you make me nervous."
The son, putting on a white glove, got back at it. "I was asking you about Benny."
Again the old man shifted. "Hum! Well! Since you make a point of it.
Yes. I"ll send him to Newport."