Chapter 26
"And every day violets from you," she said; "it was certainly nice of you. And--do you know that somehow--just because you have never yet failed me--I thought perhaps--when I asked your confidence a moment ago--"
He looked up quickly.
"_What_ is the matter with Gerald?" she asked. "Could you tell me?"
"Nothing serious is the matter, Eileen."
"Is he not ill?"
"Not very."
She lay still a moment, then with the slightest gesture: "Come here."
He seated himself near her; she laid her hand fearlessly on his arm.
"Tell me," she demanded. And, as he remained silent: "Once," she said, "I came suddenly into the library. Austin and Gerald were there; Austin seemed to be very angry with my brother. I heard him say something that worried me; and I slipped out before they saw me."
Selwyn remained silent.
"Was _that_ it?"
"I--don't know what you heard."
"_Don't_ you understand me?"
"Not exactly."
"Well, then"--she crimsoned--"has Gerald m-misbehaved again?"
"What did you hear Austin say?" he demanded.
"I heard--something about dissipation. He was very angry with Gerald. It is not the best way, I think, to become angry with either of us--either me or Gerald--because then we are usually inclined to do it again--whatever it is.... I do not mean for one moment to be disloyal to Austin; you know that.... But I am so thankful that Gerald is fond of you.... You like him, too, don't you?"
"I am very fond of him."
"Well, then," she said, "you will talk to him pleasantly--won't you? He is _such_ a boy; and he adores you. It is easy to influence a boy like that, you know--easy to shame him out of the silly things he does....
That is all the confidence I wanted, Captain Selwyn. And you haven't told me a word, you see--and I have not fainted--have I?"
They laughed a little; her fingers, which had tightened on his arm, relaxed; her hand fell away, and she straightened up, sitting Turk fas.h.i.+on, and smoothing her hair which contact with the pillows had disarranged so that it threatened to come tumbling over eyes and cheeks.
"Oh, hair, hair!" she murmured, "you're Nina's despair and my endless punishment. I'd twist and pin you tight if I dared--some day I will, too.... What are you looking at so curiously, Captain Selwyn? My mop?"
"It's about the most stunningly beautiful thing I ever saw," he said, still curious.
She nodded gaily, both hands still busy with the l.u.s.trous strands. "It _is_ nice; but I never supposed you noticed it. It falls to my waist; I'll show it to you some time.... But I had no idea _you_ noticed such things," she repeated, as though to herself.
"Oh, I'm apt to notice all sorts of things," he said, looking so provokingly wise that she dropped her hair and clapped both hands
"Now," she said, "if you are so observing, you'll know the colour of my eyes. What are they?"
"Blue--with a sort of violet tint," he said promptly.
She laughed and lowered her hands.
"All that personal attention paid to me!" she exclaimed. "You are turning my head, Captain Selwyn. Besides, you are astonis.h.i.+ng me, because you never seem to know what women wear or what they resemble when I ask you to describe the girls with whom you have been dining or dancing."
It was a new note in their cordial intimacy--this nascent intrusion of the personal. To her it merely meant his very charming recognition of her maturity--she was fast becoming a woman like other women, to be looked at and remembered as an individual, and no longer cla.s.sed vaguely as one among hundreds of the newly emerged whose soft, unexpanded personalities all resembled one another.
For some time, now, she had cherished this tiny grudge in her heart--that he had never seemed to notice anything in particular about her except when he tried to be agreeable concerning some new gown. The contrast had become the sharper, too, since she had awakened to the admiration of other men. And the awakening was only a half-convinced happiness mingled with shy surprise that the wise world should really deem her so lovely.
"A red-headed girl," she said teasingly; "I thought you had better taste than--than--"
"Than to think you a raving beauty?"
"Oh," she said, "you don't think that!"
As a matter of fact he himself had become aware of it so suddenly that he had no time to think very much about it. It was rather strange, too, that he had not always been aware of it; or was it partly the mellow light from the lamp tinting her till she glowed and s.h.i.+mmered like a young sorceress, sitting so straight there in her turquoise silk and misty lace?
Delicate luminous shadow banded her eyes; her hair, partly in shadow, too, became a sombre mystery in rose-gold.
"Whatever _are_ you staring at?" she laughed. "Me? I don't believe it!
Never have you so honoured me with your fixed attention, Captain Selwyn.
You really glare at me as though I were interesting. And I know you don't consider me that; do you?"
"How old are you, anyway?" he asked curiously.
"Thank you, I'll be delighted to inform you when I'm twenty."
"You look like a mixture of fifteen and twenty-five to-night," he said deliberately; "and the answer is more and less than nineteen."
"And you," she said, "talk like a frivolous sage, and your wisdom is as weighty as the years you carry. And what is the answer to that? Do you know, Captain Selwyn, that when you talk to me this way you look about as inexperienced as Gerald?"
"And do _you_ know," he said, "that I feel as inexperienced--when I talk to you this way?"
She nodded. "It's probably good for us both; I age, you renew the frivolous days of youth when you were young enough to notice the colour of a girl's hair and eyes. Besides, I'm very grateful to you. Hereafter you won't dare sit about and cross your knees and look like the picture of an inattentive young man by Gibson. You've admitted that you like two of my features, and I shall expect you to notice and _admit_ that you notice the rest."
"I admit it now," he said, laughing.
"You mustn't; I won't let you. Two kinds of dessert are sufficient at a time. But to-morrow--or perhaps the day after, you may confess to me your approbation of one more feature--only one, remember!--just one more agreeable feature. In that way I shall be able to hold out for quite a while, you see--counting my fingers as separate features! Oh, you've given me a taste of it; it's your own fault, Captain Selwyn, and now I desire more if you please--in semi-weekly lingering doses--"
A perfect gale of laughter from the sofa cut her short.
"Drina!" she exclaimed; "it's after eight!--and I completely forgot."
"Oh, dear!" protested the child, "he's being so funny about the war in Samar. Couldn't I stay up--just five more minutes, Eileen? Besides, I haven't told him about Jessie Orchil's party--"
"Drina, dear, you _know_ I can't let you. Say good-night, now--if you want Mr. Lansing and your Uncle Philip to come to another party."
"I'll just whisper one more confidence very fast," she said to Boots. He inclined his head; she placed both hands on his shoulders, and, kneeling on the sofa, laid her lips close to his ear. Eileen and Selwyn waited.