CHAPTER XIII
A TACTICAL BLUNDER
"I often think," remarked Lady Tanagra as she helped herself a secondtime to hors d'oeuvres, "that if Godfrey could only be condensed ordesiccated he would save the world from ennui."
Elton looked up from a sardine he was filleting with great interest andcare; concentration was the foundation of Godfrey Elton's character.
"Does that mean that he is a food or a stimulant?" enquired Patricia,Elton having returned to his sardine.
Lady Tanagra regarded Elton with thoughtful brow.
"I think," she said deliberately, "I should call him a habit."
"Does that imply that he is a drug upon the market?" retorted Patricia.
Bowen laughed. Elton continued to fillet his sardine.
"You see," continued Lady Tanagra, "Godfrey has two qualities that to awoman are maddening. The first is the gift of silence, and the secondis a perfect genius for making everyone else feel that they are in thewrong. Some day he'll fall in love, and then something will snapand--well, he will give up dissecting sardines as if they were the onething in life worthy of a man's attention."
Elton looked up again straight into Lady Tanagra's eyes and smiled.
"Look at him now!" continued Lady Tanagra, "that very smile makes mefeel like a naughty child."
The four were dining in Bowen's sitting-room at the Quadrant, LadyTanagra having decided that this would be more pleasant than in thepublic dining-room.
"Can you," continued Lady Tanagra, who was in a wilful mood, "can youimagine Godfrey in love? I don't think any man ought to be allowed tofall in love until he has undergone an examination as to whether or nohe can say the right thing the right way. No, it takes an Irishman tomake love."
"But an Irishman says what he cannot possibly mean," said Patricia,with the air of one of vast experience in such matters.
"And many Englishmen mean what they cannot possibly say," said Elton,looking at Lady Tanagra.
"Oh," cried Lady Tanagra, clapping her hands. "You have drawn him,Patricia. Now he will talk to us instead of concentrating himself uponhis food. Ah!" she exclaimed suddenly, turning to Elton. "I promisedthat you should fall in love with Patricia, Godfrey."
"Now that Tanagra has come down to probabilities the atmosphere shouldlighten," Elton remarked.
"Isn't that Godfrey all over?" demanded Lady Tanagra of Bowen. "Hewill snub one woman and compliment another in a breath. Patricia," shecontinued, "I warn you against Godfrey. He is highly dangerous. Heshould always be preceded by a man with a red flag."
"But why?" asked Bowen.
"Because of his reticence. A man has no right t to be reticent; itpiques a woman's curiosity, and with us curiosity is the first step tosurrender."
"Why hesitate at the first step?" asked Elton.
"Think of it, Patricia," continued Lady Tanagra, ignoring Elton'sremark. "Although Godfrey has seen _The Morning Post_ he has not yetcongratulated Peter."
"I did not know then that I had cause to congratulate him," said Eltonquietly.
"What mental balance!" cried Lady Tanagra. "I'm sure he reads thedeaths immediately after the births, and the divorces just after themarriages so as to preserve his sense of proportion."
Elton looked first at Lady Tanagra and then on to Patricia, and smiled.
"Can you not see Godfrey choosing a wife?" demanded Lady Tanagra,laughing. "Weighing the shape of her head with the size of her ankles,he's very fussy about ankles. He would dissect her as he would asardine, demanding perfection, mental, moral, and physical, and inreturn he could give _himself_." Lady Tanagra emphasized the last word.
"Most men take less time to choose a wife than they would atrousering," said Elton quietly.
"I think Mr. Elton is right," said Patricia.
"Then you don't believe in love at first sight," said Bowen to Patricia.
"Miss Brent did not say that," interposed Elton. "She merely impliedthat a man who falls in love at first sight should choose trouseringsat first sight. Is that not so?" He looked across at Patricia.
Patricia nodded.
"An impetuous man will be impetuous in all things," said Bowen.
"He who hesitates may lose a wife," said Lady Tanagra, "and----"
"And by analogy, go without trousers," said Elton quietly.
"That might explain a Greek; but scarcely a Scotsman," said Patricia.
"No one has ever been able to explain a Scotsman," said Elton. "Wecontent ourselves with misunderstanding him."
"We were talking about love," broke in Lady Tanagra, "and I will nothave the conversation diverted." Turning to Patricia she demanded,"Can you imagine Godfrey in love?"
"I think so," said Patricia quietly, looking across at Elton."Only----"
"Only what?" cried Lady Tanagra with excited interest. "Oh, please,Patricia, explain Godfrey to me! No one has ever done so."
"Don't you think he is a little like the Scotsman we were talking aboutjust now?" said Patricia. "Difficult to explain; but easy tomisunderstand."
"Oh, Peter, Peter!" wailed Lady Tanagra, looking across at Bowen."She's caught it."
"Caught what?" asked Bowen in surprise.
"The vagueness of generalities that is Godfrey," replied Lady Tanagra."Now, Patricia, you must explain that 'only' at which you broke off.You say you can imagine Godfrey in love, only----"
"I think he would place it on the same plane as honour andsportsmanship, probably a little above both."
Elton looked up from the bread he was crumbling, and gave Patricia aquick penetrating glance, beneath which her eyes fell.
Lady Tanagra looked at Patricia in surprise, but said nothing.
"Can you imagine Tan in love, Patricia?" enquired Bowen. "We Bowensare notoriously backward in matters of the heart," he added.
"I shall fall in love when the man comes along who--who----" LadyTanagra paused.
"Will compel you," said Patricia, concluding the sentence.
Again Elton looked quickly across at her.
"What do you mean?" demanded Lady Tanagra.
"I think," said Patricia deliberately, "that you are too primitive tofall in love. You would have to be stormed, carried away by force, andwooed afterwards."
"It doesn't sound very respectable, does it?" said Lady Tanagrathoughtfully, then turning to Bowen she demanded, "Peter, would youallow me to be carried away by force, stormed, and wooed afterwards?"
"I think, Tanagra, you sometimes forget that your atmosphere is tooexotic for most men," said Elton.
"Godfrey," said Lady Tanagra reproachfully, "I have had quite a lot ofproposals, and I won't be denied my successes."
"We were talking about love, not offers of marriage," said Elton with asmile.
"Cynic," cried Lady Tanagra. "You imply that the men who have proposedto me wanted my money and not myself."
"Suppose, Tanagra, there were a right man," said Patricia, "and he waspoor and honourable. What then?"
"I suppose I should have to ask him to marry me," said Lady Tanagradubiously.
"But, Tan, we've just decided," said Bowen, "that you have to becarried away by force, and cannot love until force has been applied."
"I think I've had enough of this conversation," said Lady Tanagra."You're trying to prove that I'm either going to lose my reputation, ordie an old maid, and I'm not so sure that you're wrong, about the oldmaid, I mean," she added. "I shall depend upon you, Godfrey, then,"she said, turning to Elton, "and we will hobble about the Park togetheron Sunday mornings, comparing notes upon rheumatism and gout. Ugh!"She looked deliberately round the table, from one to the other. "Hasit ever struck you what we shall look like when we grow very old?" sheasked.
"No one need ever grow old," said Patricia.
"How can you prevent it?" asked Bowen.
"There is morphia and the fountain of eternal youth," suggested Elton.
"Please don't let's be clever any more," said Lady Tanagra. "It'saffecting my brai
n. Now we will play bridge for a little while andthen all go home and get to bed early."
In spite of her protests Bowen insisted on seeing Patricia to GalvinHouse. For some time they did not speak. As the taxi turned intoOxford Street Bowen broke the silence.
"Patricia, my mother wants to know you," he said simply.
Patricia shivered. The words came as a shock. They recalled theincident of her meeting with Bowen. She seemed to see a grey-hairedlady with Bowen's eyes and quiet manner, too well-bred to show thedisapproval she felt on hearing the story of her son's first meetingwith his fiance. She shuddered again.
"Are you cold?" Bowen enquired solicitously, leaning forward to closethe window nearest to him.
"No, I was thinking what Lady Meyfield will think when she hears howyou made the acquaintance of--of--me," she finished lamely.
"There is no reason why she should know," said Bowen.
"Do you think I would marry----?" Patricia broke off suddenly inconfusion.
"But why----?" began Bowen.
"If ever I meet Lady Meyfield I shall tell her exactly how I--I--metyou," said Patricia with decision.
"Well, tell her then," said Bowen good-humouredly. "She has a realsense of humour."
The moment Bowen had uttered the words he saw his mistake. Patriciadrew herself up coldly.
"It was rather funny, wasn't it?" she said evenly; "but mothers do notencourage their sons to develop such acquaintances. Now shall we talkabout something else?"
"But my mother wants to meet you," protested Bowen. "She----"
"Tell her the story of our acquaintance," replied Patricia coldly. "Ithink that will effectually overcome her wish to know me. Ah! here weare," she concluded as the taxi drew up at Galvin House. With a short"good night!" Patricia walked up the steps, leaving Bowen consciousthat he had once more said the wrong thing.
That night, as Patricia prepared for bed, she mentally contrasted theBowens' social sphere with that of Galvin House and she shuddered forthe third time that evening.
"Patricia Brent," she apostrophised her reflection in the mirror."You're a fool! and you have not even the saving grace of being an oldfool. High Society has turned your giddy young head," and with a laughthat sounded hard even to her own ears, she got into bed and switchedoff the light.