§ 2
As the morning progressed she transacted her business steadily and methodically. About three in the afternoon Mr. Hobbs returned. She was careful to show no eagerness to see him, careful that she should not betray by her countenance or manner her reply to his invitation. He, on his part, was quite ready to fall in with her pretence. He attended to various matters in the gramophone department and left her very much to herself. When he spoke to her it was strictly on business, and with a frigid professional politeness.
At a few minutes past four he called her to the telephone. A gentleman wanted a piece of music, and he did not know what exactly it was or where it could be obtained. Perhaps Miss Weston would oblige....
Catherine went to the instrument.
It tickled her vanity to be appealed to as a last resource. She tossed her head a little proudly as she put her ear to the receiver.
A strange thing happened....
Someone was speaking down the instrument, and at the sound of his voice Catherine flushed a deep red. A wave of recognition and recollection and remembrance swept over and engulfed her. She did not hear what he said.
“Again, please,” she muttered huskily, in a tone not in the least like her usual, “I didn’t quite catch....”
The voice boomed in rather irritated repetition,
“Bach double-piano concerto,” it said, “in C minor.... Bach ... for two pianos ... do you understand?”
She tried to grasp it while her mind was busied with a million other things.
“It goes like this ...” the voice went on, and commenced a weird nasal rumble like a tube-train emerging from a tunnel.... “Da-da-da-da-da-daddaddadd-addadd-addah.”
She smiled! Once again fate had flung to her a moment of triumph. Long ago, when the man at the other end of the telephone had been her friend, she had learnt specially for him a work of Bach which was little known and not likely to be much cared about. Her gift had never been offered.... And now, after all this interval, he was enquiring about the very piece she had learned for him!
She put the telephone apparatus on the top of the piano on which she tried things over. Then sitting down she played over the first few bars of the concerto.... Keeping the receiver to her ear she heard:
“That’s it!—That’s the one!—Do you know it?—Curious—well, well, get it for me, will you.... Good!—I’ve tried all over town for it....”
“What address?” she enquired mechanically.
The voice replied: “Professor Verreker ... Seahill ... Barhanger, Essex.”
As she walked back to the counter Mr. Hobbs said: “Did you know what the gentleman wanted?”
“Yes,” she replied fiercely, triumphantly, contemptuously. He stared at her. He did not know that a change had passed swiftly over her. He did not know that the sound of a man’s voice spoken over fifty miles had swept her out of the calm seas into the wind and rain and storm. He did not know that once again she was in deep and troubled waters, fighting for life and a sure footing. He thought his invitation had offended her. He made haste to apologize.
“I hope,” he began, “you didn’t mind me asking you to Box——”
“I’m afraid,” she replied impatiently, “I can’t come ... I’ve ... I’ve another engagement....”
And he went away into the gramophone department....