It was that smile that settled her in Miss Pounce’s opinion.
“Of all the mean, unnatural girls! ’Tis a shame, I call it, a shame!” thought she.
If her business conscience would have allowed her, she would have placed the Tuscan on the beauty’s head, and contrived to give the curls a good tweak as she did so. But as it was, she masked her feelings by handing the garments to her underling, loftily commanding: “You carry on with the order, Miss Popple. Regretting Madam, I have an appointment,” and sweeping majestically away.
As she did so, she in her turn dropped a pocket handkerchief, quite a dainty little article with an embroidered P. and a delicate edge of lace, smelling too of the lavender with which the Kentish mother kept her elegant town daughter liberally supplied.
The plain Miss Vibart made a plunge and picked it up.
“Good God, Sarah!” cried Lady Amelia, the exclamation jerked out of her by a proceeding so very unbecoming.
“Thank you, Miss,” said Pamela, looking into the candid green eyes, that refused to acknowledge the rising tears. “I hope some day I’ll have the dressing of you, and ’twill be a pleasure and privilege.”
“Jane,” cried her mother angrily, “don’t stand staring, and if you poke like that I might as well throw all the money into the sea. Try on the hat this minute, and you may tell Madame Mirabel—you—you young woman—that I consider it very impertinent of the person who presides over the department to go away like this; a vast bit of disrespect, and I’ve half a mind to cancel my orders. Hold your tongue, Jane. I would, if it were not that it might hurt the Duchess’s feelings.”
In spite of Lady Amelia’s censure, it was scarce a fortnight afterwards when a very small page boy brought a very large folded sheet to Madame Mirabel’s shop, marked immediate, which he was enjoined to deliver straight into the hands of Miss Pounce. This document ordered with equal imperativeness and urgency, that Madame Mirabel’s principal woman should instantly proceed to 6a, Queen Street, bringing a selection of heads suitable for Miss Jane Vibart’s wear that night at the masked ball at Hampshire House. “It is very important that the principal woman should come HERSELF.” This was heavily underlined. “Lady Amelia Vibart must insist on her personal attendance.”