Oh, you cant have that! she cried as with full authorityand you must really understand that you cant have everything. You mustnt expect to ravage Dedborough.
He had his nose meanwhile close to the picture. I guess its a bogus Cuypbut I know Lord Theign has things. He wont do business?
Hes not in the least, and can never be, in my tight place, Lady Sandgate replied; but hes as proud as hes kind, dear man, and as solid as hes proud; so that if you came down under a different impression! Well, she could only exhale the folly of his error with an unction that represented, whatever he might think of it, all her competence to answer for their host.
He scarce thought of it enough, on any side, however, to be diverted from prior dispositions. I came on an understanding that I should find my friend Lord John, and that Lord Theign would, on his introduction, kindly let me look round. But being before lunch in Bruton Street I knocked at your door
For another look, she quickly interposed, at my Lawrence?
For another look at you, Lady Sandgateyour great-grandmother wasnt required. Informed you were here, and struck with the coincidence of my being myself presently due, he went on, I despatched you my wire, on coming away, just to keep up your spirits.
You dont keep them up, you depress them to anguish, she almost passionately protested, when you dont tell me youll treat!
He paused in his preoccupation, his perambulation, conscious evidently of no reluctance that was worth a scene with so charming and so hungry a woman. Well, if its a question of your otherwise suffering torments, may I have another interview with the old lady?
Dear Mr. Bender, shes in the flower of her youth; she only yearns for interviews, and you may have, Lady Sandgate earnestly declared, as many as you like.
Oh, you must be there to protect me!
Then as soon as I return!
Well,it clearly cost him little to sayIll come right round.
She joyously registered the vow. Only meanwhile then, please, never a word!
Never a word, certainly. But where all this time, Mr. Bender asked, is Lord John?
Lady Sandgate, as he spoke, found her eyes meeting those of a young woman who, presenting herself from without, stood framed in the doorway to the terrace; a slight fair grave young woman, of middle, stature and simply dressed, whose brow showed clear even under the heavy shade of a large hat surmounted with big black bows and feathers. Her eyes had vaguely questioned those of her elder, who at once replied to the gentleman forming the subject of their inquiry: Lady Grace must know. At this the young woman came forward, and Lady Sandgate introduced the visitor. My dear Grace, this is Mr. Breckenridge Bender.
The younger daughter of the house might have arrived in preoccupation, but she had urbanity to spare. Of whom Lord John has told me, she returned, and whom Im glad to see. Lord John, she explained to his waiting friend, is detained a moment in the park, open to-day to a big Temperance school-feast, where our party is mostly gathered; so that if you care to go out! She gave him in fine his choice.
But this was clearly a thing that, in the conditions, Mr. Bender wasnt the man to take precipitately; though his big useful smile disguised his prudence. Are there any pictures in the park?
Lady Graces facial response represented less humour perhaps, but more play. We find our park itself rather a picture.
Mr. Benders own levity at any rate persisted. With a big Temperance school-feast?
Mr. Benders a great judge of pictures, Lady Sandgate said as to forestall any impression of excessive freedom.
Will there be more tea? he pursued, almost presuming on this.
It showed Lady Grace for comparatively candid and literal. Oh, therell be plenty of tea.
This appeared to determine Mr. Bender. Well, Lady Grace, Im after pictures, but I take them neat. May I go right round here?
Perhaps, love, Lady Sandgate at once said, youll let me show him.
A moment, dearLady Grace gently demurred. Do go round, she conformably added to Mr. Bender; take your ease and your time. Everythings open and visible, and, with our whole company dispersed, youll have the place to yourself.
He rose, in his genial mass, to the opportunity. Ill be in cloversure! But present to him was the richest corner of the pasture, which he could fluently enough name. And Ill find The Beautiful Duchess of Waterbridge?
She indicated, off to the right, where a stately perspective opened, the quarter of the saloon to which we have seen Mr. Banks retire. At the very end of those rooms.
He had wide eyes for the vista. About thirty in a row, hey? And he was already off. Ill work right through!
III
Left with her friend, Lady Grace had a prompt question. Lord John warned me he was funnybut you already know him?
There might have been a sense of embarrassment in the way in which, as to gain time, Lady Sandgate pointed, instead of answering, to the small picture pronounced upon by Mr. Bender. He thinks your little Cuyp a fraud.
That one? Lady Grace could but stare. The wretch! However, she made, without alarm, no more of it; she returned to her previous question. Youve met him before?
Just a littlein town. Being after pictures Lady Sandgate explained, he has been after my great-grandmother.
She, said Lady Grace with amusement, must have found him funny! But he can clearly take care of himself, while Kitty takes care of Lord John, and while you, if youll be so good, go back to support fatherin the hour of his triumph: which he wants you so much to witness that he complains of your desertion and goes so far as to speak of you as sneaking away.
Lady Sandgate, with a slight flush, turned it over. I delight in his triumph, and whatever I do is at least above board; but if its a question of support, arent you yourself failing him quite as much?
This had, however, no effect on the girls confidence. Ah, my dear, Im not at all the same thing, and as Im the person in the world he least misses Well, such a fact spoke for itself.
Youve been free to return and wait for Lord John?that was the sense in which the elder woman appeared to prefer to understand it as speaking.
The tone of it, none the less, led her companion immediately, though very quietly, to correct her. Ive not come back to wait for Lord John.
Then he hasnt told youif youve talkedwith what idea he has come?
Lady Grace had for a further correction the same shade of detachment. Kitty has told mewhat it suits her to pretend to suppose.
And Kittys pretensions and suppositions always go with what happensat the moment, among all her wonderful happeningsto suit her?
Lady Grace let that question answer itselfshe took the case up further on. What I cant make out is why this should so suit her!
And what I cant! said Lady Sandgate without gross honesty and turning away after having watched the girl a moment. She nevertheless presently faced her again to follow this speculation up. Do you like him enough to risk the chance of Kittys being for once right?
And what I cant! said Lady Sandgate without gross honesty and turning away after having watched the girl a moment. She nevertheless presently faced her again to follow this speculation up. Do you like him enough to risk the chance of Kittys being for once right?
Lady Grace gave it a thoughtwith which she moved away. I dont know how much I like him!
Nor how little! cried her friend, who evidently found amusement in the tone of it. And youre not disposed to take the time to find out? Hes at least better than the others.
The others?Lady Grace was blank for them.
The others of his set.
Oh, his set! That wouldnt be difficultby what I imagine of some of them. But he means well enough, the girl added; hes very charming and does me great honour.
It determined in her companion, about to leave her, another brief arrest. Then may I tell your father?
This in turn brought about in Lady Grace an immediate drop of the subject. Tell my father, please, that Im expecting Mr. Crimble; of whom Ive spoken to him even if he doesnt remember, and who bicycles this afternoon ten miles over from where hes stayingwith some people we dont knowto look at the pictures, about which hes awfully keen.
Lady Sandgate took it in. Ah, like Mr. Bender?
No, not at all, I think, like Mr. Bender.
This appeared to move in the elder woman some deeper thought May I ask thenif ones to meet himwho he is?
Oh, father knowsor ought tothat I sat next him, in London, a month ago, at dinner, and that he then told me he was working, tooth and nail, at what he called the wonderful modern science of Connoisseurshipwhich is upsetting, as perhaps youre not aware, all the old-fashioned canons of art-criticism, everything weve stupidly thought right and held dear; that he was to spend Easter in these parts, and that he should like greatly to be allowed some day to come over and make acquaintance with our things. I told him, Lady Grace wound up, that nothing would be easier; a note from him arrived before dinner
Lady Sandgate jumped the rest And its for him youve come in.
Its for him Ive come in, the girl assented with serenity.
Very goodthough he sounds most detrimental! But will you first just tell me thiswhether when you sent in ten minutes ago for Lord John to come out to you it was wholly of your own movement? And she followed it up as her young friend appeared to hesitate. Was it because you knew why he had arrived?
The young friend hesitated still. Why ?
So particularly to speak to you.
Since he was expected and mightnt know where I was, Lady Grace said after an instant, I wanted naturally to be civil to him.
And had he time there to tell you, Lady Sand-gate asked, how very civil he wants to be to you?
No, only to tell me that his friendwhos off therewas coming; for Kitty at once appropriated him and was still in possession when I came away. Then, as deciding at last on perfect frankness, Lady Grace went on: If you want to know, I sent for news of him because Kitty insisted on my doing so; saying, so very oddly and quite in her own way, that she herself didnt wish to appear in it. She had done nothing but say to me for an hour, rather worryingly, what youve just saidthat its me hes what, like Mr. Bender, she calls after; but as soon as he appeared she pounced on him, and I left himI assure you quite resignedlyin her hands.
She wantsit was easy for Lady Sandgate to remarkto talk of you to him.
I dont know what she wants, the girl replied as with rather a tired patience; Kitty wants so many things at once. She always wants money, in quantities, to begin withand all to throw so horribly away; so that whenever I see her in so very deep with any one I always imagine her appealing for some new tip as to how its to be come by.
Kittys an abyss, I grant you, and with my disinterested devotion to your fatherin requital of all his kindness to me since Lord Sandgates death and since your mothersI can never be too grateful to you, my dear, for your being so different a creature. But what is she going to gain financially, Lady Sand-gate pursued with a strong emphasis on her adverb, by working up our friends confidence in your listening to himif you are to listen?
I havent in the least engaged to listen, said Lady Graceit will depend on the music he makes! But she added with light cynicism: Perhaps shes to gain a commission!
On his fairly getting you? And then as the girl assented by silence: Is he in a position to pay her one? Lady Sandgate asked.
I dare say the Duchess is!
But do you see the Duchess producing moneywith all that Kitty, as were not ignorant, owes her? Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds!Lady Sandgate piled them up.
Her young friends gesture checked it. Ah, dont tell me how manyits too sad and too ugly and too wrong! To which, however, Lady Grace added: But perhaps that will be just her way! And then as her companion seemed for the moment not quite to follow: By letting Kitty off her debt.
You mean that Kitty goes free if Lord John wins your promise?
Kitty goes free.
She has her creditors release?
For every shilling.
And if he only fails?
Why then of course, said now quite lucid Lady Grace, she throws herself more than ever on poor father.
Poor father indeed!Lady Sandgate richly sighed it
It appeared even to create in the younger woman a sense of excess. Yesbut he after all and in spite of everything adores her.
To the point, you meanfor Lady Sandgate could clearly but wonderof really sacrificing you?
The weight of Lady Graces charming deep eyes on her face made her pause while, at some length, she gave back this look and the interchange determined in the girl a grave appeal. You think I should be sacrificed if I married him?
Lady Sandgate replied, though with an equal emphasis, indirectly. Could you marry him?
Lady Grace waited a moment Do you mean for Kitty?
For himself evenif they should convince you, among them, that he cares for you.
Lady Grace had another delay. Well, hes his awful mothers son.
Yesbut you wouldnt marry his mother.
Nobut I should only be the more uncomfortably and intimately conscious of her.
Even when, Lady Sandgate optimistically put it, she so markedly likes you?
This determined in the girl a fine impatience. She doesnt like me, she only wants mewhich is a very different thing; wants me for my fathers so particularly beautiful position, and my mothers so supremely great people, and for everything we have been and have done, and still are and still have: except of course poor not-at-all-model Kitty.
To this luminous account of the matter Lady Sand-gate turned as to a genial sun-burst. I see indeedfor the general immaculate connection.
The words had no note of irony, but Lady Grace, in her great seriousness, glanced with deprecation at the possibility. Well, we havent had false notes. Weve scarcely even had bad moments.