CHAPTER XXI
At Lady Emily's
Adelaide Maud found herself possessed of quite a fervid longing. Shewanted to see Mabel and Jean disport themselves with dignity at LadyEmily's. What had always remained difficult in Ridgetown seemed tobecome curiously possible at Lady Emily's, where indeed the highest inthe land might be met. That she might make real friends of the two girlsat last seemed to become a possibility. It was not merely the fact ofLady Emily's being a "complete dear" that constituted the difference.It was more the absence of the Ridgetown standards. There were neverupstarts to be found at Lady Emily's. Her own character sifted hercircle in an automatic manner. That which was vulgar or self-seeking hadno response from her. Racy people found her dull, would-be smartpersons quite inanimate. She could no more help being unresponsive tothem than she could help being interested in others whom she respected.It was a distinguished circle which surrounded her, and those who neverpierced it, never understood how easily it was formed, how inviolatelykept. Occasionally Lady Emily's "tact" was upheld as the secret of herpower.
"And I have absolutely no tact at all," she would moan. "I simplyfollow my impulses as a child would."
It was the unerring correctness of her impulses which made Adelaide Maudbelieve that she would welcome the Leightons.
Lady Emily had married a brother of Mr. Dudgeon's. Adelaide Maud'sdevotion to her father's memory put her uncle into the position of akind of patron saint of her own existence. She sometimes thought thathis character supplied a number of these impulses which made Lady Emilythe dear she was. Lady Emily was the daughter of a Duke, and had noneof the aspirations of a climber, her family having climbed so long ago,that any little beatings about a modern ladder seemed ridiculous. Herbrother was the present duke of course, and "made laws in London," asMiss Grace used to describe it. This phantom of a duke, intermarried ina way into her family, had prevented Mrs. Dudgeon from knowing any ofthe Ridgetown people--intimately that is. Yet the duke never called,and Lady Emily wore her dull coat of reserve when in Mrs. Dudgeon'scompany. Lady Emily's heart went out, however, to the "golden-hairedgirls" who spent their seasons with her in London.
She was perfectly sweet about the Leightons, and called at the girls'club in state. What an honour!
The girls found their ideas tumbling. Lady Emily was much more "easy"than any one they had met.
They prepared for the dinner quite light-heartedly.
After all, it could only be a dream. London was a dream. London in theearly winter with mellow air, only occasionally touched with frost,glittering lights in the evenings, and crowds of animated people. Sodifferent from the dew dripping avenues of streets at Ridgetown.
They "skimmed" along in a hansom to Lady Emily's and thought they werethe most dashing persons in London.
"But it's only a dream, remember," said Jean.
They went in radiantly through wide portals. Footmen moved out ofadjacent corners and bowed them on automatically.
Mabel loved it, but Jean for a few agonizing seconds felt over-weighted.
Then "it's only a dream!"
They dreamed through a mile of corridor and ran into Adelaide Maud.
The dream passed and they were chatting gaily at shilling seat gossip,and that sort of thing.
Adelaide Maud made the maids skim about. They liked her, that wasevident. Mabel and Jean were prinked up and complimented.
"You are ducks, you know," said Adelaide Maud.
They proceeded to the drawing-room.
Here the point was marked between the time when the girls had neverknown Mr. Dudgeon and the time when they did. Mabel never forgot thatfine, spare figure, standing in a glitter of gilt panelled walls, ofwarm light from a fire and glimmering electric brackets, of pale colourfrom the rugs on the floor. He had the grey ascetic face of thescholarly man brought up in refinement, and his expression contained agreat amount of placidity. He had dark, scrutinizing eyes, and a kindmouth, where lines of laughter came and went. Jean approachedtremblingly, for now it suddenly dawned on her that she had never beeninformed why the husband of Lady Emily should only be plain "Mr.Dudgeon." Was this right, or had she not listened properly? ThenAdelaide Maud said distinctly, "Mr. Dudgeon." Jean concluded that itwas their puzzle, not hers, and shook hands with him radiantly. Mabelonly thought that at last she had met one more man who might be comparedto her father.
They sat down on couches of curved legs and high backs, "the kind ofcouches that make one manage to look as magnificent as possible," asJean described it. Mr. Dudgeon said Lady Emily was being indulged with afew moments' grace.
"It's the one thing we have always to do for Lady Emily," said he, "togive her a few minutes' grace." He began to talk to them in a quick,grave manner.
Jean again informed herself, "It is a dream."
One would have thought that Mr. Dudgeon was really interested in themboth. And how could he be--he--the husband of the daughter of a duke!He asked all about how long they had known Adelaide Maud and so on.
Mabel was not dreaming, however. She sat daintily on the high-backedcouch and told Mr. Dudgeon about the Story Books.
There they were, only ten minutes in the room, and Mr. Dudgeon, who hadnever seen Mabel or Jean before, was hearing all about the Story Books.
And Adelaide Maud, who had begun to imagine she knew the Leightons,heard this great fable for the first time in her life.
"Uncle," she said, "uncle, isn't this sweet, isn't this fame?"
"It is," said he.
"Do you wonder that I don't go to the ball?" she asked. "And you'vedone this ever since you were children?" she asked. "Made fairies ofus! And I'm 'Adelaide Maud,' am I? Who once called me Adelaide?" Shelooked puzzled. "Dear me, if only we had known. And not even MissGrace to tell me!"
"Oh, we bound them over," said Mabel, "and no one else ever heard ofit."
"She doesn't tell you all," said wicked Jean. "She doesn't tell youthat we sat behind you once at a concert, and Mabel saw, properly youknow, how your blue dress was made."
"Oh, Jean, Jean," said Mabel.
"Yes, and had hers made just like it," said Jean. She spread her hands alittle.
"Rucked down the front, you remember."
"Oh, I remember," laughed Adelaide Maud.
"And when you came to call--Mabel couldn't put on her prettiest gown,because it was just like yours."
"Oh, Jean," cried Mabel.
In the midst of some laughter came in Lady Emily.
"Well," she said in a gentle way, "you people are enjoying yourselves,aren't you?"
Adelaide Maud knew then that the day was won for Mabel and Jean. Mr.Dudgeon was always a certain quality, but Lady Emily--well, she had seenLady Emily when people called her "dull." It was wonderful with whatgrace Lady Emily adapted herself to the interests of two girls almostunknown to her. The effect might be gleaned from what Jean saidafterwards.
"Lady Emily was so sweet, I never bothered about forks or anything.There was such a love of a footman! I believe he shoved things into myhands just when I ought to use them. It always worries me toremember--when I'm talking--just like the figures at lancers, you know,but here they did everything for one except eat."
Lady Emily had on a beautiful diamond ornament at her throat, andanother in her hair, and they scintillated in splendour. She wore adress of white chiffon for the ball.
"You insist on dragging me there?" Mr. Dudgeon asked several times.Whenever a pause occurred in the conversation he said, "You insist oncarrying me off to this ball, don't you?"
Lady Emily also pretended that she had to go very much against her will.Mabel and Jean had never seen people set out to balls in this waybefore. They themselves had always their mad rush of dressing and theirwild rush in the cloakroom for programmes, and a most enervating pausefor partners and then the thing was done. But Lady Emily and Mr.Dudgeon tried to pan out the quiet part of the evening as far as
itwould pan out.
Then came a trying time.
In the drawing-room, quite late, very gorgeous people arrived. Jean wasendeavouring to remember whether or not she took sugar with tea when thefirst of them came in. The spectacle made her seize three lumps oneafter another, to gain time, when as a fact she never took more thanone. They fell in a very flat small cup of tea and splashed it slightlyin various directions. She was always very pleased to remember that shedidn't apologize to the footman.
The gorgeous people seemed only to see Lady Emily and to talk to theelectric light brackets. They said the ball was a bore.
A rather magnificent and very stout personage settled himself nearMabel. He wore shining spectacles which magnified his eyes in a curiousmanner.
"Hey, what, what," he said to Mabel. "And you aren't a Dudgeon! Hey!Thought you were one. Quite a lot of 'em, you know. Always croppin' up.Golden hair, I remember. And yours is brownish. Ah, well. You're afriend, you say. Quite as good, quite as good. Not going to the ball.Consider yourself in luck. Not a manjack but says the same. Why theymake it a ball, Heaven knows. Never dance, you know. Hey what! Noneof us able for it. Not so bad as levees though. There, imagineSlowbeetle in white calves. There he is, that old totterer. Yet hedoes it. Honour of his country, calls of etiquette and that sort ofthing. You're young, missed a lot of this, eh! Well, it's mostlyfarce, y'know. We prance a lot. Not always amusin'. Relief to knowLady Emily. No prance about her. Hey, what!"
Adelaide Maud approached.
"Ah, here we are. Thought you had dyed it. Golden as ever, my dear.Pleasant to see you again. Why aren't you and this lady goin'? Wecould stay. Instead of prancin', eh!"
The ill humour of having to go to the ball was on all of them evidently.But this spectacled benignity fascinated Mabel. He again was a"complete dear."
"I'm going to steal her," said Adelaide Maud, indicating Mabel, darkly;"you wait."
"Hey, what! I'll report. Report to Lady Emily, y'know. Ye've taken myfirst partner. Hey, what! Piano? Ah, well. Not in my line, but I'mwith you."
He actually accompanied them to a long alcove where a piano stood halfshrouded in flowers. Here Adelaide Maud had withdrawn the little partyof Jean, Mabel and herself, that they might look and play a little andenjoy themselves.
"Simpkins, more tea," she whispered. "We didn't have half enough."
It was an admirable picnic. Mabel played "any old thing," as AdelaideMaud called it, ran on from one to another while they joked and talkedand watched the "diplomatic circles" gathering force in thedrawing-room. The spectacled gentleman sat himself down in completeenjoyment.
"D'ye know," he said to Jean in the same detached manner and without anykind of introduction, "no use at that kind of thing," indicating thepiano, "but the girl can play. Fills me with content. Content's theword. Difficult to find nowadays. She doesn't strain. Not a bit. Shesmooths one down. A real talent. And a child! Hey, what, quiteremarkable."
Lady Emily came slowly in. Two people talked to her.
The spectacled gentleman rose, and they listened to him.
"Don't interrupt, Lady Emily. She's got the floor, y'know. I've heardprima donnas. Here too. And they didn't smooth me down. Catch a noteor two of this. It gives its effect, hey? Gets your ear. Hey,what--if we had her in the House there might be hope for the country,hey, what!"
Lady Emily was pleased.
She laid her hand on Mabel's shoulder.
"Are you liking this?"
"Oh, it's such a dream, and you are so lovely, Lady Emily, and itdoesn't seem real. So it's very easy to play, you know."
"I should make them stop talking, but they came for that, you know. Andyou are playing so well, it's too pretty an interlude. Helen didn'ttell me that you could play like this."
"And my new master makes me believe I can't play a note," said Mabel."I shall tell him he is quite wrong, because you said so."
Aunt Katharine's words came to her mind--playing at one end of thecountry no better than the other! Ah, well, it was newer, fresher, orsomething--taking it either way!
Of course it came to an end. The girls slipped out with Adelaide Maudand found the long corridor with the white room containing their wrapsand two attentive maids. They were covered up in their cloaks, andwatched one or two leave before them, as they stood looking down on themfrom the staircase.
"Nobody will miss us," said Adelaide Maud. "They are 'going on,' youknow."
There was something rather sad in her voice.
"They all go on to something or somebody, even that dear old EarlKnuptford, he will pick you at the same place next year that he foundyou at to-night, and say, 'Hey, what,' and never think that both he andyou have dropped twelve months out of your lives. It's different atRidgetown, isn't it?"
"Yes, there's nothing to go on to at Ridgetown, is there?" said Jeangrimly. "And nobody to forget or to say, 'Hey, what,' even if they hadnever met you before."
Her world was full of shining diplomats and she had chatted with anearl.
Adelaide Maud looked softly after them.
"Nothing to go on to at Ridgetown," she murmured. "And no one toforget."
She smiled softly.
"Ah! well, it's nice that there's no one to forget."