CHAPTER VII
A LESSON IN TACT
Mr. Brewster's butler was surprised and annoyed. For the first time inhis official career he had unbent so far as to manifest a personalinterest in the welfare of his master. He was on the verge of assuminga responsibility which makes any servant intolerable. But after hisinterview he resolved that he would never again overstep his position.He made sure that it should be the last offense. The day following thedinner Rawles appeared before young Mr. Brewster and indicated by hismanner that the call was an important one. Brewster was seated at hiswriting-table, deep in thought. The exclamation that followed Rawles'scough of announcement was so sharp and so unmistakably fierce that allother evidence paled into insignificance. The butler's interruptioncame at a moment when Monty's mental arithmetic was pulling itself outof a very bad rut, and the cough drove it back into chaos.
"What is it," he demanded, irritably. Rawles had upset his calculationsto the extent of seven or eight hundred dollars.
"I came to report h'an unfortunate condition h'among the servants,sir," said Rawies, stiffening as his responsibility became more andmore weighty. He had relaxed temporarily upon entering the room.
"What's the trouble?"
"The trouble's h'ended, sir."
"Then why bother me about it?"
"I thought it would be well for you to know, sir. The servants wasgoing to ask for 'igher wiges to-day, sir."
"You say they were going to ask. Aren't they?" And Monty's eyes lightedup at the thought of new possibilities.
"I convinced them, sir, as how they were getting good pay as it is,sir, and that they ought to be satisfied. They'd be a long time findinga better place and as good wiges. They 'aven't been with you a week,and here they are strikin' for more pay. Really, sir, these Americanservants--"
"Rawles, that'll do!" exploded Monty. The butler's chin went up and hischeeks grew redder than ever.
"I beg pardon, sir," he gasped, with a respectful but injured air.
"Rawles, you will kindly not interfere in such matters again. It is notonly the privilege, but the duty of every American to strike for higherpay whenever he feels like it, and I want it distinctly understood thatI am heartily in favor of their attitude. You will kindly go back andtell them that after a reasonable length of service their wiges--I meanwages--shall be increased. AND DON'T MEDDLE AGAIN, Rawles."
Late that afternoon Brewster dropped in at Mrs. DeMille's to talk overplans for the next dinner. He realized that in no other way could hesquander his money with a better chance of getting its worth than bythrowing himself bodily into society. It went easily, and there couldbe only one asset arising from it in the end--his own sense of disgust.
"So glad to see you, Monty," greeted Mrs. Dan, glowingly, coming inwith a rush. "Come upstairs and I'll give you some tea and a cigarette.I'm not at home to anybody."
"That's very good of you, Mrs. Dan," said he, as they mounted thestairs. "I don't know what I'd do without your help." He was thinkinghow pretty she was.
"You'd be richer, at any rate," turning to smile upon him from theupper landing. "I was in tears half the night, Monty, over that glassscreen," she said, after finding a comfortable place among the cushionsof a divan. Brewster dropped into a roomy, lazy chair in front of herand handed her a cigarette, as he responded carelessly:
"It amounted to nothing. Of course, it was very annoying that it shouldhappen while the guests were still there." Then he added, gravely: "Instrict confidence, I had planned to have it fall just as we werepushing back our chairs, but the confounded thing disappointed me.That's the trouble with these automatic climaxes; they usually hangfire. It was to have been a sort of Fall of Babylon effect, you know."
"Splendid! But like Babylon, it fell at the wrong time."
For a lively quarter of an hour they discussed people about town,liberally approving the slandered and denouncing the slanderers. Astill busier quarter of an hour ensued when together they made up thelist of dinner guests. He moved a little writing-table up to the divan,and she looked on eagerly while he wrote down the names she suggestedafter many puckerings of her fair, aristocratic brow, and then drewlines through them when she changed her mind. Mrs. DeMille handled herpeople without gloves in making up Monty's lists. The dinners were nothers, and she could afford to do as she pleased with his; he was broadand tall and she was not slow to see that he was indifferent. He didnot care who the guests were, or how they came; he merely wished tomake sure of their presence. His only blunder was the rather diffidentrecommendation that Barbara Drew be asked again. If he observed thatMrs. Dan's head sank a little closer to the paper, he attached noimportance to the movement; he could not see that her eyes grew narrow,and he paid no attention to the little catch in her breath.
"Wouldn't that be a little--just a little pronounced?" she asked,lightly enough.
"You mean--that people might talk?"
"She might feel conspicuously present."
"Do you think so? We are such good friends, you know."
"Of course, if you'd like to have her," slowly and doubtfully, "why,put her name down. But you evidently haven't seen that." Mrs. Danpointed to a copy of the Trumpet which lay on the table.
When he had handed her the paper she said, "'The Censor' is growingfacetious at your expense."
"I am getting on in society with a vengeance if that ass starts in towrite about me. Listen to this"--she had pointed out to him theobnoxious paragraph--"If Brewster Drew a diamond flush, do you supposehe'd catch the queen? And if he caught her, how long do you think she'dremain Drew? Or, if she Drew Brewster, would she be willing to learnsuch a game as Monte?"
The next morning a writer who signed himself "The Censor" got athrashing and one Montgomery Brewster had his name in the papers,surrounded by fulsome words of praise.