She was hopelessly careless and had no memory at all.
Suddenly she glanced at the watch on her wrist, compared it with the splendid Empire clock on the mantelpiece, and went with a bewildered look to the telephone on her writing-desk. Having gone through a considerable amount of torture by calling up the wrong number and absently ringing off as soon as she had got the right one, she at last found herself talking to Edith.
'Oh, is that you, dear? How lucky to catch you! Yes…. Yes…. I came back yesterday. Dying to see you. Can't you come round and see me? Oh, you've got on your hat; you were just coming? Of course, I forgot! I knew I had an appointment with someone! How soon will you be here?… In a quarter of an hour? Good! Could you tell me the time, dear?… Four o'clock, thanks. My watch is wrong, and they've never wound the clock up all the time I've been away. Good-bye. Don't be long…. How soon did you say you could come?… Oh, about a quarter of an hour! Do hurry!… I say, I've something very particular to tell you. It's about… Oh, I'm detaining you. Very well. I see. Au revoir.'
As she waited for her visitor, Lady Conroy walked round the room. Nearly everything on which she cast her eye reminded her of a different train of thought, so that by the time Edith was announced by the footman she had forgotten what she wanted to tell her.
'How sweet you look, dear!' cried Lady Conroy, welcoming her most affectionately. 'How dear of you to come. You can't think how I was longing to see you. Can you tell me what day it is?'
'Why, it's Thursday,' Edith said, laughing. 'Don't you remember? You wired to me to come and see you today.'
'Of course; so I did. But, surely, I didn't ask you to come on
Thursday?'
'I assure you that you did.'
'Fancy! How stupid of me! Thursday is my day at home. Dear, dear, dear. I forgot to tell Standing; there will be no proper tea. Oh, I've brought such a nice French maid—a perfect wonder. She knows everything. She always knows what I want. One moment, dear; I'll ring for her and give her orders. Wait a minute, though.' She took Edith's hand and patted it affectionately. 'Nobody knows I've come back; it'll be all right. We shan't have any visitors. I'm bursting with news to tell you.'
'And I'm longing to hear what it is.'