Across the Plains, with Other Memories and Essays

had her bath, and was feeling as fresh as if she had had eight instead of hardly more than four hours in bed. Outside the square was still empty of passengers, and the pale primrose-coloured

to her, for it was quite worth while doing jobs for Cousin Marion, as she always paid kindnesses back with a royal generosity. And she must get some flowers to give a welcoming air to Archie's room, who with Jessie was expected back to-day. That also would not be a w

omething quite different. She could easily interject "Dear Archie, it will be nice to have him back," or "Darling Jessie wrote me such a delicious letter: she is enjoying herself!" and if Cousin Marion expressed a wish to see the letter, it was equally easy to say that she had

be cast with elderly bores, she was indefatigable in her attention to them at the time, and in telling their friends afterwards how immensely she had enjoyed talking to them. It paid to do that sort of thing, provided that it was done with a gaiety that made it appear genuine and spontaneous: if your appreciation came bubbling out of you, no one suspected you of design, and she seemed the most designless, delicious girl in London, for i

aturally looked him up in a Peerage, since she liked to know about her friends), and she felt pretty certain that he had danced with no one but her. You could perhaps hardly call his share of the performance dancing; he had "stepped a measure," and twice trodden on her toe; but, after all, it did not matter whether your husband danced or not, since naturally, when those relations had been arrived at, he would n

of life was to find out what irritated or bored you, and with all your power eliminate it from your existence. If you could not get what you wanted without getting something that bored you, it was merely necessary to ascertain how the balance between these conflicting interests lay. As practically applied to the case in hand, she was aware that Lord Harlow bored her, though not badly, and that his n

most limited polyandry, it was clearly no use to think of marrying them both, and all that was left was to choose between them, supposing, as she most sincerely did, that it was, or soon would be, for her to choose. Certainly she was not in love with Archie, if she took as an example of that the ridiculous symptoms exhibited by Daisy Hollinger, who by some strange fr

s her. Apart from that, the simplification of life came in again, and against Archie there were certain items which it would be imprudent to disregard. His father was a drunkard, and Archie himself had been consumptive as a child. Consumption

the wife of a very wealthy man who, so to speak, was nobody's son. Finally, there were certain stories that Cousin Marion had told her about queer messages and communications that had come to Archie, while he was still a child, from his dead brother. That seemed to Helena's practical mind pure nonsense, and yet she had been pleased to hear that, since he was but young in his teens, these rather uncomfortab

she had so little of that commodity to spare for other people) had helped considerably to clear her mind and provoke simplification. And, like a good housewi

perform, which she very much regretted having to say "no" to, since that evening was already filled, and wondered if by any contrivance it would be possible to manage it. A glance at Lady Tintagel's engagement book showed her that the prohibiting acceptance was for a dinner and concert at Lady

tion you accept in your engagemen

? That's really all I h

you do wit

up cards and e

You often do want something more, you know,

's the motor for you if you

consi

y I get some flowers for Archie's room and Jessie's? Flowers do look s

to think of that. But then you do think

ousin Marion,"

*

in her cousin's name, of grateful acceptance. Then she wrote a charming little letter of penitence to Lady Awcock, abasing herself and at the same time pitying herself. She had done the stupidest thing; for she had accepted Lady Awcock's invitation on an evening when they were already engaged. The letter proceeded: "I can't tell you how disappointed I am, dear Lady Awcock, for I was so look

itation to Lady Awcock's, and, even if she did have some impression of it, her engagement-book, with no such entry appearing in it, would show her that her memory had played he

not in the least want Jessie to look bedraggled except in so far as she herself would gain by the contrast, for she was good-natured enough not to want any one to be at a disadvantage as long as that did not add to her own advantage. Jessie was a dreadfully bad sailor, too; but it was quite enough that she should hav

or coming to meet you if it bores you to be met at the station. But I did wan

if he was at all bored

ame. We've been baked and boiled all the way from Silorno. A

allude to it,

ok her si

tch for mentioning it. Now you go straight to the motor an

ents of some wild animal, and in his brown face his blue eyes shone like transparent turquoises. He seemed an incarnation of sun and sea and wholesome virility, and, as the thought of the rather heavy Kalmuck face of Lord Harlow, and staid aspect suitable to his forty years, she almost wondered whether, in her estimate made this morning, she had allowed enough for personal charm. But

leamed with the joy of the successful hunter; but it did not prepare to eat the mouse immediately. It trotted a little farther off, lay down, and, depositing its prey, dabbed at it softly with velvet paws and sheathed claws. It even let it run a few inches away from it, and then gently shepherded it back again. Once it let it seem to escape al

happened to like teasing its prey, letting it think that it had escaped, sheathing the claws that had caught it, and playing with it. There was nothing horrible about it: the cat was doing as nature intended it to do. She was rather sorry for the mouse, but

*

the fact be reluctantly dragged out of her that there was su

, dear?" asked

, the face of the prettiest little ma

said. "I think-I think I was speak

nce. I can't dance an atom, but Helena shall teach me. There's

said she. "It's your U

m sure you

ll you. It's wheth

tagel st

u will never settle anything. Try to be selfish for

d she, with a sig

ou, Ar

it. Let's c

ou, Je

t," said Jessie

ow, having had the dance, so to speak, forced on her, she was quite free to enjoy herself. She had produced precisely the impression she wanted on Archie and his mother, and, though it was likely that Jessie, with her long familiarity with such manoe

tiptoe in, in the morning, and, if you're still asleep, I shall te

well, and her mouth had that curve in

. "Have a nice dance,

y interested in arrivals. Undoubtedly he saw the brilliant entry of herself and Archie, but she contrived to put a few of the crowd between herself and him as she passed near him, and for the present gave him no more than a glance and a smile, a downdropt eye, and then one glance again, and passed with Archie into the ball-room. There an ordinary old-fashioned waltz was in progress, and not one of those anaemic strollings about which were becoming popular, and she slid off with her radiant partner on to a floor not overfull. She had a moment's misgiving when she remembered that Archie had said he could

said you couldn't d

he. "I meant the steppings an

and stood looking, and to Helena's gleaming eyes they passed in streaks of black and white and many-coloured hues as she and Archie moved ever more freely and largely over the untenanted space. She could just see the faces of friends as she passed, and knew that Lord Harlow had come in and was standing by the door. There was no question of luck in that; he

zling light. Ever since he had put his arm round the girl and taken her hand in his, he had had that sense of sinking into sunlit waters, where he arrived at his true and naked self. Now he had swum up again, and he w

How frightful! Let's get out of it. But wasn't it divine? May

iced that in the crowd that now came about them again a particular

see your aunt, and ask if we may have another waltz ever

Lord Harlow turne

se voice. "But you should have vine-leaves in your hair, and er-your partner a tuni

r; if she had had a tail she would

chie, go and get a thyrsus-will a poker do, Lord Harlow?-a

g, was over, it seemed perfectly suitable, as she plodded along the weary way of the fox-tr

(she knew that she had purposely not done so). "H

ssimilated this as he

r things as well as

she, "though I never r

rs as Archie, one doesn'

just

s. He appears v

's madly

d, guessing she had gone far en

hot-water bottle that is too hot: it burns you. But you can't help

ent for the pur

aw," he said. "That will keep yo

a lau

e said. "What a delicious notio

ted for thi

disappoint you now that

ghest expectations

screet and veiled as it all was, she divined that, according to his nature and his years, it was love that inspired it. She found it quite easy to adjust herself to that level, and if his kiss (when the time came for that) was of the same respectful and fin

appointed. But I think I would sooner anticipate something nice and fail to get it, than n

t very much

want it not only for m

in response to this, except that his shirt creaked. But that suite

Then perhaps a narrow lane opened in front of them, and they waddled down it, brushing shoulders against the hedges. She had seen Archie go to Mrs. Morris, after which he had appeared for a moment in the gallery where the band was, and now he wa

they had been dancing with. Dull though the last twenty minutes had been from that standpoint, Helena felt quite satisfied with

e liked that to go on for ever. And how long

ed through the

other waltz at once," he cried.

her hand

d. "Are you q

e' also?" ask

still rested on Archie, and he felt t

aid. "I had promised him another waltz. B

her a-tingle for the repetit

on," she cried. "A

on to the floor. It was like stepping on to some moving platform; it and the tune, without any conscious eff

"I thought you told m

ittle bubble

e that you and I were like a Bacchic festival, a

tter to him what we

ant it nicely," said she. "Don't

*

d this would serve admirably as a stimulant. She quite realized that she had not yet brought him up to the point of proposing to her, for his inured bachelor habits would want a good deal of breaking; but it was clear to her that she had made a crack in them, and that the judicious use of Archie might be profitably used to widen that crack. Under the influence merely of her char

chie, but it made her purr to see that he was certainly falling in love with her, to dab him with sheathed claws, to wish that he had those material advantages which had made her choose the elder man. I

*

hilarious experience. The flirtation that Helena seemed to be having with Lord Harlow amused him enormously; not for a moment did he believe that Helena meant anythi

e said to him one day as they returned from an ear

the Bradsha

he Bradshaw. Don't you like

conside

er thought about it. He doesn't matter. But you matter awfully to

ople, and to a certain extent they like me. Why should I be cr

you that the Bradshaw asks you to-to be his 'A

!" said she, with a sud

e put that in

oks at a girl when his-his affections are engaged. He lo

aze to which Helena felt that she

u five to one in ha

I shall have twel

ith moisture, and, early though it was, riders and foot-passengers were plentiful. Probably the day would be hot, for the heat haze, purplish-brown in the distance, was beginning to form in the air, softly v

hink Jessie i

me last night," said he. "She's rathe

old me there was nothing the matter. Darling Jessie is so reserved. She never tells

ld have. But it's odd tha

k her head with a pret

all the time I feel she is keeping me at arm's length. It would be lovely to have a sister who would admit me to h

sked Archie, seeing that Hele

t me in. However, I am always waiting, and I think Jessie knows th

in her confidence that all the world was her friend, the other holding herself rather detached, rather aloof, without that welcoming charm of manner that surely was the expression of an adorable mind. It was not wholly the ligh

callous and self-centred, as was the suggestion conveyed by Helena's words, was of faithful and golden heart. And then, looking idly over the crowd that was growing thick on the broad gravel walk, he suddenly caught sight of Jessie hers

ned to

e," he said to her, p

, and she smiled rather

"But she doesn't

phatically a moment before sank out of hearing again,