CHAPTER V
APOLLO
The _salon_ was a blaze of lights and many shifting colours. Thefantastic crowd that trooped thither from the _salle-a-manger_ was like ahost of tropical flowers. The talking and laughter nearly drowned theefforts of the string band in the far corner.
Scott in ordinary evening-dress stood near the door talking to an immenseRoman Emperor, looking by contrast even smaller and more insignificantthan usual. Yet a closer observation would have shown that the sameinstinctive dignity of bearing characterized them both. Utterly unlikethough they were, yet in this respect it was not difficult to trace theirbrotherhood. Though moulded upon lines so completely dissimilar, theybore the same indelible stamp--the stamp of good birth which can never beattained by such as have it not. Sir Eustace Studley was the handsomestman in the room. His imperial costume suited his somewhat arrogantcarriage. He looked like a man born to command. His keen eyes glancedhither and thither with an eagle-like intensity that missed nothing. Heseemed to be on the watch for someone.
"Who is it?" asked Scott, with a smile. "The lady of the rink?"
The black brows went up haughtily for a moment, then descended in ananswering smile. "She is the only woman I've seen here yet that's worthlooking at," he observed.
"Don't you be too sure of that!" said Scott. "I can show you a littleItalian peasant girl who is well worth your august consideration. I thinkyou ought to bestow a little favour on her as you have each chosen toassume the same nationality."
Sir Eustace laughed. "A _protegee_ of yours, eh? That little brown girl,I suppose? Charming no doubt, my dear fellow; but ordinary--distinctlyordinary."
"You haven't seen her yet," said Scott. "You had your back to her in the_salle-a-manger._"
"Where is she then? You had better find her before the beautiful Miss deVigne makes her appearance. I don't mind giving her a dance or two, butyou must take her off my hands if we don't get on."
"I will certainly do that," said Scott in his quiet voice that seemed toveil a touch of irony. "I believe she is in the vestibule now. No, hereshe is!"
Dinah, with laughing lips and sparkling eyes, had just ventured to thedoor with Billy. "We'll just peep," she said to her brother in the gayyoung tones that penetrated so much further than she realized. "But Ishall never dare to dance. Why, I've never even seen the inside of aballroom before. And as to dancing with a real live man--" She broke offas she caught sight of the two brothers standing together near theentrance.
Eustace turned his restless eyes upon her, gave her a swift, criticalglance and muttered something to Scott.
The latter at once stepped forward, receiving a smile so radiant thateven Eustace was momentarily dazzled. The little brown girl certainly hadpoints.
"May I introduce my brother?" said Scott. "Sir Eustace Studley--Miss--Iam afraid I don't know your surname."
"Sketchy," murmured Eustace, as he bowed.
But Dinah only laughed her ringing, merry laugh. "Of course you don'tknow. How could you? Our name is Bathurst. I'm Dinah and this is Billy. Iam years older than he is, of course." She gave Eustace a shy glance."How do you do?"
"She's just thirty," announced Billy, in shrill, cracked tones. "She'sjust pretending to be young to-night, but she ain't young really. Youshould see her without her warpaint."
The music became somewhat more audible at this point. Eustace bentslightly, looking down at the girl with eyes that were suddenly soft asvelvet. "They are beginning to dance," he said. "May I have the pleasure?It's a pity to lose time."
Her red lips smiled delighted assent. She laid her hand with a featherytouch upon the arm he offered. "Oh, how lovely!" she said, and slid intohis hold like a giddy little water-fowl taking to its own belovedelement.
"Well, I'm jiggered!" said Billy. "And she's never danced with aman--except of course me--before!"
"Live and learn!" said Scott.
He watched the couple go up the great room, and he saw that, as he hadsuspected, Dinah was an exquisite dancer. Her whole being was merged inmovement. She was as an instrument in the hand of a skilled player.
Sir Eustace Studley was an excellent dancer too, though he did notoften trouble himself to dance as perfectly as he was dancing now. Itwas not often that he had a partner worthy of his best, and it was asemi-conscious habit of his never voluntarily to give better than hereceived.
But this little gipsy-girl of Scott's discovery called forth all histalent. She did not want to talk. She only wanted to dance, to spendherself in a passion of dancing that was an ecstasy beyond all speech.She was as sensitive as a harp-string to his touch; she was music, shewas poetry, she was charm. The witchery of her began to possess him. Herinstant response to his mood, her almost uncanny interpretation thereof,became like a spell to his senses. From wonder he passed to delight, andfrom delight to an almost feverish desire for more. He swayed her to hiswill with a well-nigh savage exultation, and she gave herself up to it socompletely, so freely, so unerringly, that it was as if her veryindividuality had melted in some subtle fashion and become part of his.And to the man there came a moment of sheer intoxication, as though hedrank and drank of a sparkling, inspiriting wine that lured him, thatthrilled him, that enslaved him.
It was just when the sensation had reached its height that the musicsuddenly quickened for the finish. That brought him very effectually toearth. He ceased to dance and led her aside.
She turned her bright face to him for a moment, in her eyes the dazed,incredulous look of one awaking from an enthralling dream. "Oh, can't wedance it out?" she said, as if she pleaded against being aroused.
He shook his head. "I never dance to a finish. It's too much like theclown's turn after the transformation scene. It is bathos on the top ofthe superb. At least it would be in this case. Who in wonder taught youto dance like that?"
Dinah opened her eyes a little wider and gave him the Homage of shyadmiration; but she met a look in return that amazed her, that sent theblood in a wild unreasoning race to her heart. For those eyes of burning,ardent blue had suddenly told her something, something that no eyes hadever told her before. It was incredible but true. Homage had met homage,aye, and more than homage. There was mastery in his look; but there wasalso wonder and a curious species of half-grudging reverence. She hadamazed him, this witch with the sparkling eyes that shone so alluringlyunder the scarlet kerchief. She had swept him as it were with a fan offlame. She had made him live. And he had pronounced her ordinary!
"I have always loved to dance," she said in answer to his almostinvoluntary question. "Do you like my dancing? I'm so glad."
"Like it!" He laughed with an odd shamefacedness. "I could dance with youthe whole evening. But I should probably end by making a fool of myselflike a man who has had too much champagne."
Dinah laughed. She had an exhilarating sense of having achieved aconquest undreamed of. She also was feeling a little giddy, a littleuncertain of the ground under her feet.
"Do you know," she said, dropping her eyes instinctively before the fieryintensity of his, "I've never danced with a man before? I--I was a littleafraid just at first lest you should find me--gawky."
"Ye gods!" said Sir Eustace. "And you have really never danced with a manbefore! Tell me! How did you like it?"
"It was--heavenly!" said Dinah, drawing a deep breath.
"Will you dance with me again?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yes."
"The very next dance?"
She nodded again. "Yes."
"And again after that?" said Sir Eustace.
She threw him a glance half-shy, half-daring. "Don't you think it mightbe too much for you?"
He laughed. "I'll risk it if you will."
She turned towards him with a small, confidential gesture. "What aboutRose de Vigne?" she said. "Don't you want to dance with her?"
"Oh, presently," he said. "She'll keep."
Dinah broke into her high, sweet laugh. "And what about--all my otherpartners?" she said, with more assurance.<
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He bent to her. "They must keep too. Seriously, you don't want to dancewith any other fellow, do you?"
"I'm not a bit serious," said Dinah.
"Do you?" he insisted.
She lifted her eyes momentarily.
"You don't?" he insinuated.
She surrendered without conditions. "Of course I don't."
"Then you mustn't," he said. "Consider yourself booked to me forto-night, and when you're not dancing with me, you can rest. Sit out withScott if you like! Will you do that?"
"Why?" whispered Dinah.
Again her heart was beating very fast; she wondered why.
He answered her with an impetuosity that seemed to carry her along withit. "Because your dancing is superb, magnificent, and I want to keep itfor myself. It may not be the same when you've danced with another man. Aflower fresh plucked is always sweeter than one that someone else hasworn."
Dinah's hands clasped each other unconsciously. She had never dreamedthat Apollo could so stoop to favour her.
"I will do as you like," she murmured after a moment. "But I don'tsuppose for an instant that anyone else would want to dance with me. Idon't know anyone else."
He smiled. "I'm glad of that. It would be sheer sacrilege for you todance with a young oaf who didn't know how. It's a bargain then. I'llgive you all I can. You mustn't tell, of course."
"Oh, I won't tell," laughed Dinah.
He gave her his arm. "They are tuning up. We won't lose a minute. Ialways like a clear floor, before the rabble begin."
He led her to the top of the room, stood for a moment; then, as the musicbegan, caught her to him, and they floated once more into the shining,enchanted mazes of their dreamland.
And Dinah danced as one inspired, for it seemed to her that her feetmoved upon air as though winged. Apollo had drawn her up to Olympus, andshe drifted in his arm in spheres unknown, far above the clouds.