"You couldn"t do better, my dear," said Mr. Bennett, approvingly. "And now run away. Mr. Peters and I have some business to discuss."
A quarter of an hour later, Webster, the valet, sunning himself in the stable-yard, was aware of the daughter of his employer approaching him.
"Webster," said Billie. She was still pale. Her face was still hard, and her eyes still gleamed coldly.
"Miss?" said Webster politely, throwing away the cigarette with which he had been refreshing himself.
"Will you do something for me?"
"I should be more than delighted, miss."
Billie whisked into view an envelope which had been concealed in the recesses of her dress.
"Do you know the country about here, well, Webster?"
"Within a certain radius, not unintimately, Miss. I have been for several enjoyable rambles since the fine weather set in."
"Do you know the place where there is a road leading to Havant, and another to Cosham? It"s about a mile down...."
"I know the spot well, miss."
"Well, straight in front of you when you get to the sign-post there is a little lane...."
"I know it, miss," said Webster. "A delightfully romantic spot. What with the overhanging trees, the wealth of blackberry bushes, the varied wild-flowers...."
"Yes, never mind about the wild-flowers now. I want you after lunch to take this note to a gentleman you will find sitting on the gate at the bottom of the lane...."
"Sitting on the gate, miss. Yes, miss."
"Or leaning against it. You can"t mistake him. He is rather tall and.... Oh, well, there isn"t likely to be anybody else there, so you can"t make a mistake. Give him this, will you?"
"Certainly, miss. Er-any message?"
"Any what?"
"Any verbal message, miss?"
"No, certainly not! You won"t forget, will you, Webster?"
"On no account whatever, miss. Shall I wait for an answer?"
"There won"t be any answer," said Billie, setting her teeth for an instant. "Oh, Webster!"
"Miss?"
"I can rely on you to say nothing to anybody?"
"Most undoubtedly, miss. Most undoubtedly!"
"Does anybody know anything about a feller named S. Marlowe?" enquired Webster, entering the kitchen. "Don"t all speak at once! S. Marlowe.
Ever heard of him?"
He paused for a reply, but n.o.body had any information to impart.
"Because there"s something jolly well up! Our Miss B. is sending me with notes for him to the bottom of lanes."
"And her engaged to young Mr. Mortimer!" said the scullery-maid shocked. "The way they go on! Chronic!" said the scullery-maid.
"Don"t you go getting alarmed. And don"t you," added Webster, "go shoving your ear in when your social superiors are talking. I"ve had to speak to you about that before. My remarks were addressed to Mrs. Withers here."
He indicated the cook with a respectful gesture.
"Yes, here"s the note, Mrs. Withers. Of course, if you had a steamy kettle handy, in about half a moment we could ... but no, perhaps, it"s wiser not to risk it. And, come to that, I don"t need to unstick the envelope to know what"s inside here. It"s the raspberry, ma"am, or I"ve lost all my power to read the human female countenance. Very cold and proud-looking she was! I don"t know who this S. Marlowe is, but I do know one thing; in this hand I hold the instrument that"s going to give it him in the neck, proper! Right in the neck, or my name isn"t Montagu Webster!"
"Well!" said Mrs. Withers comfortably, pausing for a moment from her labours. "Think of that!"
"The way I look at it," said Webster, "is that there"s been some sort of understanding between our Miss B. and this S. Marlowe, and she"s thought better of it and decided to stick to the man of her parent"s choice. She"s chosen wealth and made up her mind to hand the humble suitor the mitten. There was a rather similar situation in "Cupid or Mammon," that Nosegay Novelette I was reading in the train coming down here, only that ended different. For my part I"d be better pleased if our Miss B. would let the cash go, and obey the dictates of her own heart; but these modern girls are all alike. All out for the stuff, they are! Oh, well, it"s none of my affair," said Webster, stifling a not unmanly sigh. For beneath that immaculate shirt-front there beat a warm heart. Montagu Webster was a sentimentalist.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A half-past two that afternoon, full of optimism and cold beef, gaily unconscious that Webster, with measured strides was approaching ever nearer with the note that was to give it him in the neck, proper, Samuel Marlowe dangled his feet from the top bar of the gate at the end of the lane and smoked contentedly as he waited for Billie to make her appearance. He had had an excellent lunch; his pipe was drawing well, and all Nature smiled. The breeze from the sea across the meadows, tickled pleasantly the back of his head, and sang a soothing song in the long gra.s.s and ragged-robins at his feet. He was looking forward with a roseate glow of antic.i.p.ation to the moment when the white flutter of Billie"s dress would break the green of the foreground. How eagerly he would jump from the gate! How lovingly he would....
The elegant figure of Webster interrupted his reverie. Sam had never seen Webster before, and it was with no pleasure that he saw him now. He had come to regard this lane as his own property, and he resented trespa.s.sers. He tucked his legs under him, and scowled at Webster under the brim of his hat.
The valet advanced towards him with the air of an affable executioner stepping daintily to the block.
"Mr. Marlowe, sir?" he enquired politely.
Sam was startled. He could make nothing of this.
"Eh? What?"
"Have I the pleasure of addressing Mr. S. Marlowe?"
"Yes, that"s my name."
"Mine is Webster, sir, I am Mr. Bennett"s personal gentleman"s gentleman. Miss Bennett entrusted me with this note to deliver to you, sir."
Sam began to grasp the situation. For some reason or other, the dear girl had been prevented from coming this afternoon, and she had written to explain and to relieve his anxiety. It was like her. It was just the sweet, thoughtful thing he would have expected her to do. His contentment with the existing scheme of things returned. The sun shone out again, and he found himself amiably disposed towards the messenger.
"Fine day," he said, as he took the note.
"Extremely, sir," said Webster, outwardly unemotional, inwardly full of a grave pity.
It was plain to him that there had been no previous little rift to prepare the young man for the cervical operation which awaited him, and he edged a little nearer, in order to be handy to catch Sam if the shock knocked him off the gate.
As it happened, it did not. Having read the opening words of the note, Sam rocked violently; but his feet were twined about the lower bars and this saved him from overbalancing. Webster stepped back, relieved.