A Double Knot Part 27

"Well, Lady Littletown, how do matters make themselves?" said Litton quietly, when, after a time, her ladyship pa.s.sed his way.

"Oh, _Arturo, mio caro_!" said her ladyship, tickling the centre stud in his shirt-front with the end of her closed fan. "_Maravigliosamente_.

My dear boy, it is wonderful. You shall have a rich wife, Arthur, if you are good, and this affair is _un fait accompli_."

"Why didn't you try a bit of German, too?" muttered Litton, as her ladyship pa.s.sed on. "Here, I must get on with some of these officers; perhaps they'd take me to their quarters, and give me a smoke and an S.

and B. Hang this tea! I forgot, though, I promised Potiphar to go home with him. Hang the beast! but it will save me a fare."

Everyone was delighted. Lady Littletown was charmed over and over again, but when at last an obsequious footman, who seemed to be shod with velvet, whispered to the Honourable Philippa that her carriage had arrived, that lady, who felt very tired and sleepy, said mentally, "Thank goodness!"

But it was half an hour later before she made a move, and the drawing-rooms were growing unbearably hot with the chattering, buzzing crowd.

Suddenly there was silence, as the Honourable Misses Dymc.o.x rose to go.

Lady Littletown was so sorry the evening had been so short, but she managed to exchange meaning looks.

"I think, yes," she whispered; and the Honourable Philippa nodded and tightened her lips.

"Good-night, my sweet darling," said Lady Littletown, kissing Clotilde affectionately. "Mind you come and see me soon. Good-night, dearest Marie. How well you look to-night, child!"

Then her ladyship saw through her square eyegla.s.s, with the broad chased gold rim, Elbraham, podgy, stout and puffy, take Clotilde down to the carriage, followed by Lord Henry with Marie, and Captain Glen with the Honourable Isabella, and little Richard Millet with the Honourable Philippa; everyone but Joseph being perfectly ignorant of the fact that Mr Buddy had been imbibing largely of the stimulants plentifully handed round to the various servants outside.

But the ladies were duly packed inside, the jangling door was banged to, and Joseph, having mounted to the box beside Mr Buddy, perhaps only out of regard for his own safety, a.s.sumed the reins of government himself, and steered the fly to the Palace doors.

"Good-night, children," said the Honourable Misses Dymc.o.x in duet.

"Take care of your dresses whatever you do!"

"Oh, Rie!" cried Clotilde, as soon as they were in their bedroom.

"Oh, Clo!" cried Marie. Then, crossing to the farther door to the cupboard in which Ruth's bed was squeezed--"'Sleep, Ruthy?"

"No, Marie," was the reply, as a troubled, pale face was lifted from the pillow.

"Why, I declare she has been crying!" said Clotilde. "There, jump up and help us to undress, Cindy, and we'll tell you all about the prince and the ball. You weren't there, were you?"

No; Cinderella, otherwise Ruth Allerton, had not been there; but she had been crying bitterly, for she had had a fright.

Volume 1, Chapter XI.

FAMILY MATTERS.

Captain Robert Millet's lunch was carried up to him upon a very stiff, narrow tray, which took dishes and plates one after the other in a long row. It was evidently something or several somethings very savoury and nice from the odours exhaled, but everything was carefully covered over.

It was no easy task, the carriage of that long, narrow tray from the bas.e.m.e.nt to the back drawing-room on the first floor, especially as there were gravies and other liquids on the tray; but Valentine Vidler and his wife had taken up breakfasts, lunches, and dinners too many thousand times to be in any difficulty now.

So, starting from the dark kitchen, where coppers, pewters, and tins shone like so many moons amidst the gloom, the odd couple each took an end of the tray, which was quite six feet long, and Vidler's own invention. Salome went first, backwards, and Vidler followed over the level, when, as the little woman reached the mat at the foot of the kitchen stairs, there was a pause, while she held the tray with one hand and gave her long garments a hitch, so as to hold one end in her teeth and not tread upon them as she went up backwards. Then, stooping and holding the tray as low as she could, she began to ascend, Vidler following and gradually raising his end to preserve the level of the tray till he held it right above his head.

This raising and lowering in ascent and upon level was all carried out in the most exact and regular way--in fact, so practised had the old couple grown in the course of years, that they could have carried a br.i.m.m.i.n.g gla.s.s of water up the gloomy stairs without spilling a drop.

Hence, then, they reached the drawing-room with the tray preserving its equilibrium from bottom to top.

As soon as they were inside Salome placed her end upon the little bracket while Vidler retained his; then she went out of the room, took up a big, soft drumstick, and gave three gentle taps on a gong that hung in its frame--three taps at long intervals, which sounded like the boomings of a bell at the funeral of a fish and a fowl--and then returned to the drawing-room and stood on the right-hand side of the panel close to the wall with one hand raised.

As she took her place the panel was softly slid back towards her. Then she took off the first cover, Vidler acting in conjunction, made the long tray glide slowly forwards into the opening, its end evidently resting on something within. Then two hands appeared, a knife and fork were used, with a gla.s.s at intervals, and the fish was discussed.

As soon as the knife and fork were laid down Salome whipped off two more covers, and the tray glided in a couple of feet further, both the lady and her lord keeping their eyes fixed upon the floor.

The calmness and ease with which all this was carried on indicated long practice, and for precision no amount of drilling could have secured greater regularity. As the knife and fork fell upon the plate again there was a pause, for a pint decanter and gla.s.s were pushed opposite the thin white hands that now approached, and, removing the stopper, filled the gla.s.s. Then a cover was raised, and the tray glided onward once more, with some steaming asparagus on toast; and after a short pause the cold, colourless voice was heard to repeat a short grace, the tray was slowly withdrawn, the panel glided to, and Vidler and his little wife bore the remains of the luncheon to the lower regions.

Hardly had the tray been set down before there was a double knock, and on going upstairs Vidler found John Huish at the front door.

"Would Captain Millet give me an interview, Vidler?" he asked.

The little man looked at him sidewise, then tried the other eye, and ended by standing out of the way and letting the visitor enter, shutting out the light again as carefully as before.

"I'll try, sir," he said; "I don't think he will. I was just going to take up that," he continued, pointing to a basket of coloured sc.r.a.ps of print. "He's about to begin a new counterpane to-day."

"A new what?" said Huish.

"A new counterpane for the Home Charity. That'll be six he has made this year. I'll show you the last."

He led Huish into the darkened dining-room, and showed him a wonderfully neat piece of needlework, a regular set pattern, composed of hundreds upon hundreds of tiny sc.r.a.ps of cotton print.

"Makes 'em better than many women could, and almost in the dark," said the little man; "but I'll go up and see. Miss Millet and her sister have not been gone long."

"What!" cried Huish, "from here?"

"Gone nearly or quite an hour ago, sir. Been a good deal lately."

"My usual fortune," muttered Huish excitedly. "But go up," he said aloud; "I particularly want to have a few words with him."

"I don't think it's of any use, sir; but I'll see," repeated the little man; and he went upstairs, to return at the end of about five minutes to beckon the visitor up, and left him facing the panel.

It was evident that the young man had been there before, as he took a seat, and waited patiently for the panel to unclose, which it did at last, but not until quite a quarter of an hour had pa.s.sed.

"Well, John Huish," said the voice, "what do you want?"

It was rather a chilling reception for one who had come upon such a mission; but he was prepared for it, and dashed at once into the object of his visit, in spite of the peculiarity of having to address himself to a square opening in the wall.

"I have come for advice and counsel," said Huish firmly.

"You, a man of the world, living in the world, come to such an anchorite as I!" said the voice--"as I, who have for pretty well thirty years been dead to society and its ways?"

"Yes," said Huish. "I come to you because you can help."

"How much do you want, John Huish?" said the voice. "Give me the pen and ink."

The thin white hand appeared impatiently at the opening, with the fingers clutching as if to take the pen.

"No, no, no!" said the young man hastily. "It is not that. Let me tell you," he exclaimed, as the fingers ceased to clutch impatiently at the air and the white hand rested calmly upon the edge of the opening--"let me speak plainly, for I am not ashamed of it--I am in love."