Paddy The Next Best Thing Part 43

"I see you are a good hater," he said, "but I only like you the better for it. Do you remember--I said you had given me a new interest in life, and that I would subdue you some day? I am going to begin now."

"And I replied that I despised you. I have seen no reason to change my mind. It is not of the least consequence to me what you do."

There was a gleam in his eyes that might have meant either admiration or war, but Paddy, a moment later, only flung out of the house without deigning him so much as a glance.

When she had gone, Lawrence did not return to the drawing-room. He went into his den and closed the door. On the hearthrug he stood looking silently at the floor.

"By Jove," he muttered a last, "who would have thought she would develop like this. Paddy-the-next-best-thing," with a little smile, "has become Patricia-the-Great."

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

PADDY LEARNS HER MISTAKE.

True to her word, Gwen called for Doreen a few days later, and the two drove in a taxi to Shepherd's Bush and found their way to the surgery, where Paddy, in a large black ap.r.o.n, was busy with her prescriptions.

They stayed about ten minutes and then drove away again, leaving Paddy less able than ever to resist Gwen's overtures. At the same time, she felt no less incensed against Lawrence and anxious to avoid meeting him, which was the cause of her reluctance to accept an invitation to a small dance at Gwen's beautiful home in Grosvenor Place.

"I have no dress good enough," she told Doreen when they talked it over, "and I can't afford to get a new one on purpose."

"Nonsense," a.s.serted Doreen promptly. "I know quite well you have.

Why, that pretty dress you had for our coming-out dance is not two years old, and you have scarcely worn it at all. You must just send it to me, and I will get Jean to do it up for you. You simply must come. It will be such a jolly dance. Not a grand one at all, but one of Gwen's impromptu hops, as she calls them."

In the end Paddy gave in, and on the evening of the dance arrived at Cadogan Place in time to go with Doreen and Lawrence in their brougham.

She knew Lawrence would be there, but was prepared for it, and chatted merrily to Doreen without ever including him if she could help it.

Lawrence took no notice, merely sitting forward, opposite to them, with his arms across his knees, casually glancing through an evening paper.

When Paddy first arrived Doreen had made her take off her cloak and show herself, and he had then, as she well knew, though he said nothing, criticised her keenly. Doreen had been enraptured.

"You look splendid!" was her verdict. "I don't know what it is about you, Paddy, but somehow you always manage to look striking nowadays.

Don't you think so, Lawrence? Here am I, got up at endless expense, mentioned in the fashionable papers as 'pretty Miss Doreen Blake,' and yet, when we go into the room together, I'm sure everyone will look at you."

"If they do, it will only be my hair," laughed Paddy. "It's so difficult not to stare at carroty hair."

"Stuff!" from Doreen. "But am I not right, Lawrence?"

Lawrence was standing a little apart, lighting a cigarette, and he did not answer for a moment.

"Paddy has a lot of original ideas," he said at last, "and they somehow cling about her. The crowd is always struck with anything original."

Paddy was pulling on a long glove. "I guess I'll have this stocking in half before I've done," she remarked, with studied unconcern, "and then I shall have to pin it to my sleeve to show I possess it, which is, after all, the main thing about it."

When they reached the Hon. Grant-Carew's, however, and had got rid of their cloaks, Lawrence came up to them while chatting with Gwen and asked Paddy how many dances she would give him.

Paddy tried to prevaricate, but both Gwen and Doreen were watching, and Lawrence persisted. He had purposely chosen that moment, knowing she could hardly refuse before the other two.

"Give him three," said Gwen decisively. "I'll allow that number, as he's a lovely waltzer, and you're sure to enjoy them; but the rest of your programme I'm going to superintend myself and see that you don't get any tiresome partners at all."

Paddy bit her lip and flashed a look at Lawrence that seemed to dare him to take advantage of her position. He, however, only smiled slightly with his usual impa.s.sivity, and wrote her name three times upon his programme. He then glanced at Gwen significantly, and she, in an easy, natural fashion, possessed herself of Paddy's programme and handed it to him.

Paddy was inwardly furious, but obliged to take it with a good grace.

When they had their first dance, however, she hardly spoke, and afterward insisted upon remaining in the dance-room, so that she could watch the other guests instead of keeping up a conversation. Lawrence pretended not to notice, but chatted pleasantly about the people and pointed out any one of note to her. The same thing happened at each of his dances, and whereas Paddy was brilliant with enjoyment with all her other partners, she immediately became constrained and silent with him.

And each time Lawrence chatted in his pleasantest way, and pretended not to notice it.

Later, however, he suddenly dropped his pretence, and took the bull by the horns in his most resolute fashion. It had been arranged that Paddy should return home in a hansom straight from Grosvenor Place, and after saying good-by to Doreen she turned and nodded a casual good-by to Lawrence, standing near.

"I am coming with you," he said calmly.

"Oh, no, certainly not," and Paddy looked very resolute. "There is not the least necessity to drag you all that way. Besides, you must see Doreen home."

"Doreen will go home in the brougham. I am coming with you."

For one moment there was a dangerous look in Paddy's eyes; then Doreen chimed in with:

"Don't be silly, Paddy. Of course Lawrie will take you home. As if he were likely to do otherwise."

Paddy saw there was no help for it, and tripped down the steps and into the hansom without giving him a chance to offer his hand. Lawrence gave the address and stepped in after her.

"Do you mind my cigarette?" he asked, to which Paddy replied coldly, "Not in the least," and drew further back into her corner.

"You seem more angry with me than ever to-night," he began presently.

By this time Paddy had just about exhausted her none too large supply of cold hauteur, so, feeling she must vent her anger somehow, she turned upon him suddenly, which secretly pleased Lawrence because it was so much more natural to her.

"Of course I am angry with you," she exclaimed. "I think you have behaved abominably. You have simply laid traps for me, first over the dances and then over this drive. You know perfectly well I would have refused both if Doreen and Miss Carew had not been with us."

"That was strategy. They say all is fair in love and war."

"I don't care what they say; you are a paltry enemy, because you take a mean advantage."

"And supposing I weren't an enemy at all?"

"But you are; you can't help being. You only did it purely and simply to annoy me. You knew I did not want to dance with you, so you thought you would make me, just for an amus.e.m.e.nt for yourself--because it's a new experience to have an unwilling partner, or something equally silly.

It was only on a par with most of your actions."

Lawrence slowly knocked some ash off his cigarette.

"I can't understand Miss Carew helping you," Paddy ran on. "If she is going to marry you, it is no reason why she should encourage you in annoying other people."

Lawrence raised his eyebrows slightly.

"What makes you think Miss Carew is going to marry me?" he asked.

"Well, when people are engaged to each other, don't they usually marry!"

There was a faint gleam of amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes, but he managed to hide it by studying the end of his cigarette.

"And what makes you think Miss Carew and I are engaged to each other?"

Paddy shook herself with an irritable movement.