CHAPTER XI
THE DEFECTION OF MR. TRIGGS
"Well, me dear, how goes it?"
Patricia looked up from a Blue Book, from which she was laboriouslyextracting statistics. Mr. Triggs stood before her, florid and happy.He was wearing a new black and white check suit, a white waistcoat anda red tie, whilst in his hand he carried a white felt top-hat with ablack band.
"It doesn't go at all well," said Patricia, smiling.
"What's the matter, me dear?" he enquired anxiously. "You look faggedout."
"Oh! I'm endeavouring to extract information about potatoes fromstupid Blue Books," said Patricia, leaning back in her chair. "Whycan't they let potatoes grow without writing about them?" she askedplaintively, screwing up her eyebrows.
"'E ain't much good, is 'e?" enquired Mr. Triggs.
"Who?" asked Patricia in surprise.
"A. B.," said Mr. Triggs, lowering his voice and looking roundfurtively, "Dull, 'e strikes me."
"Well, you see, Mr. Triggs, he's rising, and you can't rise and berisen at the same time, can you?"
Mr. Triggs shook his head doubtfully. "'E'll no more rise than yoursalary, me dear," he said.
"Oh! what a gloomy person you are to-day, Mr. Triggs, and you look likea ray of sunshine."
"D'you like it?" enquired Mr. Triggs, smiling happily as he stood backthat Patricia might obtain a good view of his new clothes. She now sawthat over his black boots he wore a pair of immaculate white spats.
"You look just like a duke. But where are you going, and why all thissplendour?" asked Patricia.
Mr. Triggs beamed upon her. "I'm glad you like it, me dear. I wasthinking about you when I ordered it."
Patricia looked up and smiled. There was something to her strangelylovable in this old man's simplicity.
"I come to take you to the Zoo," he announced.
"To the Zoo?" cried Patricia in unfeigned surprise.
Mr. Triggs nodded, hugely enjoying the effect of the announcement.
"Now run away and get your hat on."
"But I couldn't possibly go, I've got heaps of things to do," protestedPatricia. "Why Mrs. Bonsor would be----"
"Never you mind about 'Ettie; I'll manage 'er. She'll----"
"I thought I heard your voice, father."
Both Patricia and Mr. Triggs started guiltily; they had not heard Mrs.Bonsor enter the room.
"'Ullo, 'Ettie!" said Mr. Triggs, recovering himself. "I just come totake this young lady to the Zoo."
"Do I look as bad as all that?" asked Patricia, conscious that hereffort was a feeble one.
"Don't you worry about your looks, me dear," said Mr. Triggs, "I'llanswer for them. Now go and get your 'at on."
"But I really couldn't, Mr. Triggs," protested Patricia.
"I'm afraid it's impossible for Miss Brent to go to-day, father," saidMrs. Bonsor evenly; but flashing a vindictive look at Patricia.
"Why?" enquired Mr. Triggs.
"I happen to know," continued Mrs. Bonsor, "that Arthur is very anxiousfor some work that Miss Brent is doing for him."
"What work?" enquired Mr. Triggs.
"Oh--er--something about----" Mrs. Bonsor looked appealingly atPatricia; but Patricia had no intention of helping her out.
"Well! if you can't remember what it is, it can't matter much, and I'veset my mind on going to the Zoo this afternoon."
"Very well, father. If you will wait a few minutes I will go with youmyself."
"You!" exclaimed Mr. Triggs in consternation. "You and me at the Zoo!Why you said once the smell made you sick."
"Father! how can you suggest such a thing?"
"But you did," persisted Mr. Triggs.
"I once remarked that I found the atmosphere a little trying."
"Won't you come into the morning-room, father, there's something I wantto speak to you about."
"No, I won't," snapped Mr. Triggs like a spoilt child, "I'm going totake Miss Brent to the Zoo."
"But Arthur's work, father----" began Mrs. Bonsor.
"Very well then, 'Ettie," said Mr. Triggs, "you better tell A. B. thatI'd like to 'ave a little talk with 'im to-morrow afternoon atStreatham, at three o'clock sharp. See? Don't forget!"
Mr. Triggs was angry, and Mrs. Bonsor realised that she had gone toofar. Turning to Patricia she said:
"Do you think it would matter if you put off what you are doing untilto-morrow, Miss Brent?" she enquired.
"I think I ought to do it now, Mrs. Bonsor," replied Patricia demurely,determined to land Mrs. Bonsor more deeply into the mire if possible.
"Well, if you'll run away and get your hat on, I will explain to Mr.Bonsor when he comes in."
Patricia looked up, Mrs. Bonsor smiled at her, a frosty movement of herlips, from which her eyes seemed to dissociate themselves.
During Patricia's absence Mr. Triggs made it abundantly clear to hisdaughter that he was displeased with her.
"Look 'ere, 'Ettie, if I 'ear any more of this nonsense," he said,"I'll take on Miss Brent as my own secretary, then I can take her tothe Zoo every afternoon if I want to."
A look of fear came into Mrs. Bonsor's eyes. One of the terrors of herlife was that some designing woman would get hold of her father andmarry him. It did not require a very great effort of the imaginationto foresee that the next step would be the cutting off of the allowanceMr. Triggs made his daughter. Suppose Patricia were to marry herfather? What a scandal and what a humiliation to be the stepdaughterof her husband's ex-secretary. Mrs. Bonsor determined to capitulate.
"I'm very sorry, father; but if you had let us know we could havearranged differently. However, everything is all right now."
"No, it isn't," said Mr. Triggs peevishly. "You've tried to spoil myafternoon. Fancy you a-coming to the Zoo with me. You with your 'ighand mighty ways. The truth is you're ashamed of your old father,although you ain't ashamed of 'is money."
It was with a feeling of gratitude that Mrs. Bonsor heard Patriciaenter the room.
"I'm ready, Mr. Triggs," she announced, smiling.
Mr. Triggs followed her out of the room without a word.
"You'll explain to Mr. Bonsor that I've been kidnapped, will you not?"said Patricia to Mrs. Bonsor, rather from the feeling that somethingshould be said than from any particular desire that Mr. Bonsor shouldbe placated.
"Certainly, Miss Brent," replied Mrs. Bonsor, with another unconvincingsmile. "I hope you'll have a pleasant afternoon."
"Tried to spoil my afternoon, she did," mumbled Mr. Triggs in the toneof a child who has discovered that a playmate has endeavoured to robhim of his marbles.
Patricia laughed and, slipping her hand through his arm, said:
"Now, you mustn't be cross, or else you'll spoil my afternoon, andwe're going to have such a jolly time together."
Instantly the shadow fell from Mr. Triggs's face and he turned uponPatricia and beamed, pressing her hand against his side. Then withanother sudden change he said, "'Ettie annoys me when she's like that;but I've given 'er something to think about," he added, pleased at therecollection of his parting shot.
Patricia smiled at him, she never made any endeavour to probe into thedomestic difficulties of the Triggs-Bonsor menage.
"Do you know what I told 'er?" enquired Mr. Triggs.
Patricia shook her head.
"I said that if she wasn't careful I'd engage you as my own secretary.That made 'er sit up." He chuckled at the thought of his master-stroke.
"But you've got nothing for me to secretary, Mr. Triggs," saidPatricia, not quite understanding where the joke came.
"Ah! 'Ettie understands. 'Ettie knows that every man that ain'tmarried marries 'is secretary, and she's dead afraid of me marrying."
"Am I to take that as a proposal, Mr. Triggs?" asked Patricia demurely.
Mr. Triggs chuckled.
"Now we'll forget about everything except that we are truants," criedPatricia. "I've earned a holiday, I think. On Sunday and Monday therewas Au
nt Adelaide, yesterday it was national importance of pigs and----"
"Hi! Hi! Taxi! Taxi!" Mr. Triggs yelled, dashing forward anddragging Patricia after him. A taxi was crossing a street about twentyyards distance. Mr. Triggs was impulsive in all things.
Having secured the taxi and handed Patricia in, he told the man todrive to the Zoo, and sank back with a sigh of pleasure.
"Now we're going to 'ave a very 'appy afternoon, me dear," he said."Don't you worry about pigs."
Arrived at the Zoo, Mr. Triggs made direct for the monkey-house.Patricia, a little puzzled at his choice, followed obediently. Arrivedthere he walked round the cages, looking keenly at the animals.Finally selecting a little monkey with a blue face, he pointed it outto Patricia.
"They was just like that little chap," he said eagerly. "That one overthere, see 'im eating a nut?"
"Yes, I see him," said Patricia; "but who was just like him?"
"I'll tell you when we get outside. Now come along."
Patricia followed Mr. Triggs, puzzled to account for his strange mannerand sudden lack of interest in the monkey-house. They walked along forsome minutes in silence, then, when they came to a quiet spot, Mr.Triggs turned to Patricia.
"You see, me dear," he said, "it was there that I asked her."
"That you asked who what?" enquired Patricia, utterly at a loss.
"You see we'd been walking out for nearly a year; I was a foreman then.I 'ad tickets given me for the Zoo one Sunday, so I took 'er. When wewas in the monkey-house there was a couple of little chaps just likethat blue-faced little beggar we saw just now." There was a note ofaffection in Mr. Triggs's voice as he spoke of the little blue-facedmonkey. "And one of 'em 'ad 'is arm round the other and was a-makinglove to 'er as 'ard as ever 'e could go," continued Mr. Triggs. "And Isays to Emily, just to see 'ow she'd take it, 'That might be you an'me, Emily,' and she blushed and looked down, and then of course I knew,and I asked 'er to marry me. I don't think either of us 'ad cause toregret it," added the old man huskily. "God knows I 'adn't."
Patricia felt that she wanted both to laugh and to cry. She could saynothing, words seemed so hopelessly inadequate.
"You see this is our wedding-day, that's why I wanted to come,"continued Mr. Triggs, blinking his eyes, in which there was asuspicious moisture.
"Oh! thank you so much for bringing me," said Patricia, and she knew asshe saw the bright smile with which Mr. Triggs looked at her that shehad said the right thing.
"Thirty years and never a cross word," he murmured. "She'd 'ave likedyou, me dear," he added; "she 'ad wonderful instinct, and everybodyloved her. 'Ere, but look at me," he suddenly broke off, "spoilin'your afternoon, and you lookin' so tired. Come along," and Mr. Triggstrotted off in the direction of the seals, who were intimating clearlythat they thought that something must be wrong with the official clock.They were quite ready for their meal.
For two hours Patricia and Mr. Triggs wandered about the Zoo, rovingfrom one group of animals to another, behaving rather like two childrenwho had at last escaped from the bondage of the school-room.
After tea they strolled through Regent's Park, watching the squirrelsand talking about the thousand and one things that good comrades haveto talk about. Mr. Triggs told something of his early struggles, howhis wife had always believed in him and been his helpmate and loyalcomrade, how he missed her, and how, when she had died, she had urgedhim to marry again.
"Sam," she had said, "you want a woman to look after you; you'renothing but a great, big baby."
"And she was right, me dear," said Mr. Triggs huskily, "she was rightas she always was, only she didn't know that there couldn't ever beanyone after 'er."
Slowly and tactfully Patricia guided the old man's thoughts away fromthe sad subject of his wife's death, and soon had him laughing gaily atsome stories she had heard the night previously from the Bowens. Mr.Triggs was as easily diverted from sadness to laughter as a child.
It was half-past seven when they left the Park gates, and Patricia,looking suddenly at her wristlet watch, cried out, "Oh! I shall belate for dinner, I must fly!"
"You're going to dine with me, me dear," announced Mr. Triggs.
"Oh, but I can't," said Patricia; "I--I----"
"Why can't you?"
"Well, I haven't told Mrs. Craske-Morton."
"Who's she?" enquired Mr. Triggs.
"Of course it doesn't matter, how stupid of me," said Patricia; "Ishould love to dine with you, Mr. Triggs, if you will let me."
"That's all right," said Mr. Triggs, heaving a sigh of relief.
They walked down Portland Place and Regent Street until they reachedthe Quadrant.
"We'll 'ave dinner in the Grill-room at the Quadrant," announced Mr.Triggs, with the air of a man who knows his way about town.
"Oh, no, not there, please!" cried Patricia, in a panic.
"Not there!" Mr. Triggs looked at her, surprise and disappointment inhis voice. "Why not?"
"Oh! I'd sooner not go there if you don't mind. Couldn't we gosomewhere else?"
For a moment Mr. Triggs did not reply.
"There's someone there I don't want to meet," said Patricia, then amoment afterwards she realised her mistake. Mr. Triggs looked down athis clothes.
"I suppose they are a bit out of it for the evening," he remarked in ahurt voice.
"Oh, Mr. Triggs, how could you?" said Patricia. "Now I shall insist ondining in the Quadrant Grill-room. If you won't come with me I'll goalone."
"Not if you don't want to go, me dear, it doesn't matter. Though I dolike to 'ear the band. We can go anywhere."
"No, Quadrant or nothing," said Patricia, hoping that Bowen would bedining out.
"Are you sure, me dear?" said Mr. Triggs, hesitating on the threshold.
"Nothing will change me," announced Patricia, with decision. "Now youcan see about getting a table while I go and powder my nose."
When Patricia rejoined Mr. Triggs in the vestibule of the Grill-room hewas looking very unhappy and downcast.
"There ain't a table nowhere," he said.
"Oh, what a shame!" cried Patricia. "Whatever shall we do?"
"I don't know," said Mr. Triggs helplessly.
"Are you sure?" persisted Patricia.
"That red-'eaded fellow over there said there wasn't nothing to be 'ad."
"I am sorry," said Patricia, seeing Triggs's disappointment. "Isuppose we shall have to go somewhere else after all."
"Won't you and your friend share my table, Patricia?"
Patricia turned round as if someone had hit her, her face flaming."Oh!" she cried. "You?"
"I have a table booked, and if you will dine with me you will beconferring a real favour upon a lonely fellow-creature."
Bowen smiled from Patricia to Mr. Triggs, who was looking at him insurprise.
"Oh! where are my manners?" cried Patricia as she introduced the twomen.
Mr. Triggs's eyes bulged at the mention of Bowen's title.
"Now, Mr. Triggs," said Bowen, "won't you add the weight of yourpersuasion to mine, and persuade Miss Brent that the only thing to dois for you both to dine with me and save me from boredom?"
"Well, it was to 'ave been my treat," said Mr. Triggs, not quite sureof his ground.
"But you can afford to be generous. Can't you share her with me, justfor this evening?"
Mr. Triggs beamed and turned questioningly to Patricia, who, seeingthat if she declined it would be a real disappointment to him, said:
"Well, I suppose we must under the circumstances."
"You're not very gracious, Patricia, are you?" said Bowen comically.
Patricia laughed. "Well, come along, I'm starving," she said.
Many heads were turned to look at the curious trio, headed by theobsequious maitre d'hotel, as they made their way towards Bowen's table.
"I wonder what 'Ettie would say," whispered Mr. Triggs to Patricia, "medining with a lord, and 'im being a pal of yours, too."
Patricia smiled. She was wondering what trick Fate would play her next.
The meal was a gay one. Bowen and Mr. Triggs immediately becamefriends and pledged each other in champagne.
Mr. Triggs told of their visit to the Zoo and of the anniversary itcelebrated.
"Then you are a believer in marriage, Mr. Triggs," said Bowen.
"A believer in it! I should just think I am," said Mr. Triggs. "Iwish she'd get married," he added, nodding his head in the direction ofPatricia.
"She's going to," said Bowen quietly.
Mr. Triggs sat up as if someone had hit him in the small of the back.
"Going to," he cried. "Who's the man?"
"You have just pledged him in Moet and Chandon," replied Bowen quietly.
"You going to marry 'er?" Unconsciously Mr. Triggs raised his voice inhis surprise, and several people at adjacent tables turned and lookedat the trio.
"Hush! Mr. Triggs," said Patricia, feeling her cheeks burn. Bowenmerely smiled.
"Well I _am_ glad," said Mr. Triggs heartily, and seizing Bowen's handhe shook it cordially. "God bless my soul!" he added, "and you nevertold me." He turned reproachful eyes upon Patricia.
"It--it----" she began.
"You see, it's only just been arranged," said Bowen.
Patricia flashed him a grateful look, he seemed always to be coming toher rescue.
"God bless my soul!" repeated Mr. Triggs. "But you'll be 'appy, bothof you, I'll answer for that."
"Then I may take it that you're on my side, Mr. Triggs," said Bowen.
"On your side?" queried Mr. Triggs, not understanding.
"Yes," said Bowen, "you see Patricia believes in long engagements,whereas I believe in short ones. I want her to marry me at once; butshe will not. She wants to wait until we are both too old to enjoyeach other's society, and she is too deaf to hear me say how charmingshe is."
"If you love each other you'll never be too old to enjoy each other'scompany," said Mr. Triggs seriously. "Still, I'm with you," he added,"and I'll do all I can to persuade 'er to hurry on the day."
"Oh, Mr. Triggs!" cried Patricia reproachfully, "you have gone over tothe enemy."
"I think he has merely placed himself on the side of the angels," saidBowen.
"And now," said Mr. Triggs, "you must both of you dine with me onenight to celebrate the event. Oh Lor'!" he exclaimed. "What will'Ettie say?" Then turning to Bowen he added oy way of explanation,"'Ettie's my daughter, rather stiff, she is. She looks down on MissBrent because she's only A. B.'s secretary. 'Ettie's got to learn alot about the world," he added oracularly. "My, this'll be a shock to'er."
"I'm afraid I can't----" began Patricia.
"You're not going to say you can't both dine with me?" said Mr. Triggs,blankly disappointed.
"I think Patricia will reconsider her decision," said Bowen quietly."She wouldn't be so selfish as to deny two men an evening's happiness."
"She's one of the best," said Mr. Triggs, with decision.
"Mr. Triggs, I think you and I have at least one thing in common," saidBowen.