"So shall I. We must put a white mark against it in our diaries."
"With white ink?"
"Of course. Black would never do, nor red, nor violet."
"But where shall we get it?"
"I"ll make us some when I get home out of white cloud and lilies and sunshine and a bit of the blue sky."
Laughter fluttered through her veins. Yesterday she had teasingly boasted to Katherine that Austin was in love with her. Now she knew it.
He proclaimed it in a thousand ways. A note of exultation in his laugh, like that in a blackbird"s call, alone proclaimed it. Instinct told her of harmless words she might use which would bring the plain avowal. But the hour was too delicate. As yet nothing was demanded. All was given.
Her woman"s vanity blossomed deliciously in the atmosphere of a man"s love. Her heart had not yet received the inevitable summons to respond.
She left it, careless in the gay hands of summer.
When they drew up before the front door of Ware House he lifted her from the dog-cart and set her laughing on her feet.
"How strong you are," she cried.
"I"m not a giant, like d.i.c.k," said he, "but I"m strong enough to do what I like with a bit of a thing like you."
She entered the hall and glanced at him provokingly over her shoulder.
"Don"t be too sure of that."
"Whatever I like," he repeated, striding towards her.
But Viviette laughed, and fled lightly up the stairs, and on the landing blew him an ironical kiss from her finger tips.
When Viviette came down for lunch, she found d.i.c.k awaiting her in the hall. With a lowering face he watched her descend and, his hand on the newel, confronted her.
"Well?" said he indignantly.
"Well?" she said, cheerfully smiling.
"What have you got to say for yourself?"
"Lots of things. I had a lovely drive. I got through all my business, and I have a beautiful appet.i.te. I also don"t like standing on a stair."
At her look he drew aside and let her pa.s.s into the hall.
"You promised to drive with me," he said, following her to a chair in which she sat. "Driving with me is no great catch, perhaps; but a promise is a promise."
"You were late," said Viviette.
"My mother kept me--some silly nonsense about vegetables. You must have known it was something I couldn"t help."
"I really don"t see why you"re so angry, d.i.c.k," she said, lifting candid eyes. "I explained why we had gone in my note."
"I didn"t read the note," said d.i.c.k wrath-fully. "A thousand notes couldn"t have explained it. I tore the note into little pieces."
Viviette rose. "If that"s the way you treat me," she said, piqued, "I have nothing more to say to you."
"It"s the way you"re treating me," he cried, with a clumsy man"s awkward attempt at gesture. "I know I"m not clever. I know I can"t talk to you as sweetly as other people; but I"m not a dog, and I deserve some consideration. Perhaps, after all, I might have the brains to jest and toss about words and shoot off epigrams. I"ll try, if you like. Let us see. Here. A man who entrusts his heart to a woman has a jade for his banker. That"s devilish smart, isn"t it. Now then--there must be some repartee to it. What is it?"
Viviette looked at him proudly, and moving in the direction of the morning-room door, said with much dignity:
"That depends on the way in which the woman you are talking to has been brought up. My repartee is--good morning."
d.i.c.k, suddenly repentant, checked her.
"No, Viviette. Don"t go. I"m a brute and a fool. I didn"t mean it.
Forgive me. I would rather go on the rack than hurt your little finger.
But it maddens me--can"t you believe it? It maddens me to see Austin--"
She broke into a little laugh and smiled dazzlingly on him.
"I do believe you"re jealous!" she interrupted.
"Good heavens!" he cried pa.s.sionately. "Haven"t I cause? Austin has everything his heart can desire. He has always had it. I have nothing--nothing but one little girl I love. Austin, with all the world at his feet, comes down here, and what chance has a rough yokel like me against Austin? My G.o.d! It"s the one ewe lamb."
He raised his clenched fists and brought them down against his sides and turned away. The allusion and a consciousness of Vancouver brought a smile into Viviette"s eyes. She had a woman"s sense of humour, which is not always urbane. When he turned to meet her she shook her head reprovingly.
"And David put Uriah into the forefront of the battle, and carried off poor little Bathsheba. No one seemed to have concerned himself with what Bathsheba thought of it all. Don"t you consider she ought to have some choice in the matter--whether she should follow the sprightly David or cling to the melancholy Uriah?"
"Oh, don"t jest like that, Viviette," he cried. "It hurts!"
"I"m sorry, d.i.c.k," she said innocently. "But, really, Bathsheba has her feelings. What am I to do?"
"Choose, dear, between us. Choose now--in Heaven"s name, choose."
"But, d.i.c.k, dear," said Viviette, all that was wickedly feminine in her shouting her s.e.x"s triumph song, "I want a longer time to choose between two hats!"
d.i.c.k stamped his foot. "Then Austin has been robbing me! I"m growing desperate, Viviette, tell me now. Choose."
He seized her arms in his strong hands. She felt a delicious little thrill of fear. But knowing her strength, she looked up at him with a childish expression and said plaintively: "Oh, d.i.c.k, dear, I"m so hungry."
He released her arms. She rubbed them ruefully. "I"m sure you"ve made horrid red rings. Fancy choosing a hard, uncomfortable hat like that!"
He was about to make some rejoinder when the presence of Mrs. Ware and Katherine Holroyd at the top of the stairs put an end to the encounter.
The victory, such as it was, remained with Viviette.
At lunch, Austin, his veins still tingling with the summer, laughed and jested light-heartedly. What a joy it was to get away from stuffy courts of justice into the pure Warwickshire air. What a joy to drink of the wine of life. What was that? Only those that drank of the wine could tell.
"What about the poor devils that only get the dregs?" muttered d.i.c.k.
Austin declared that the real wine had no dregs. He called his mother and Katherine Holroyd to witness. Mrs. Ware was not sure. Old port had to be very carefully decanted. Did he remember the fuss his dear father used to make about it? She was very glad there was no more left--for d.i.c.k would be sure to drink it and it would go to his head.
"Or his toes!" cried Viviette.