The Ingratitude of Mitchell
Since Bruce had had the amateur-theatrical trouble, he had forgotten to have any other illness. But he spent many, many half-hours walking up and down in front of the glass rehearsing his part—which consisted of the words, 'Ah, Miss Vavasour, how charming you look—a true Queen of Night! May a humble mandarin petition for a dance?' He tried this in many different tones; sometimes serious and romantic, sometimes humorous, but in every case he was much pleased with his reading of the part and counted on a brilliant success.
One evening he had come home looking perturbed, and said he thought he had caught a chill. Eucalyptus, quinine, sal-volatile, and clinical thermometers were lavishly applied, and after dinner he said he was better, but did not feel sufficiently up to the mark to go through his part with Edith as usual, and was rather silent during the rest of the evening.
When he came down to breakfast the next morning, Edith said—
'Do you know Anne's come back?'
'Who's Anne?'
'Anne. Hyacinth's companion. Miss Yeo, I mean.'
'Come back from where?'
'Don't you remember about her going away—about her mysterious disappearance?'
'I seem to remember now. I suppose I had more important things to think about.'