“Did you ever hear of Mrs. de Lacy?” I inquired.
“Hear of her!” he repeated. “Why, I knew her. She ran away with Vavasour of my regiment. We met her up in Cashmere. She certainly was extraordinarily beautiful, and he went clean off his head. As far as looks and manners went, she snuffed out every woman in the place—like the sun among a box of matches. Her husband was a tough old civilian, who left her, by all accounts, to run her own rig—her career was erratic and notorious.”
“I don’t think she was really so black as she was painted.”
“Don’t you?” he said, considering me with amused, sarcastic eyes.
“She was always very nice to me,” I persisted, “and somehow I could not imagine her otherwise.”
“Oh, she was ‘very nice’ to lots of people! I agree with you there. She was so awfully nice to old Holliday the judge, that he gave her——” He paused and said: “Well, well, well, we will let bygones go and say no more about her, but I’d give ten pounds to see your Aunt Mina’s face when she hears the history of your chaperon! I must say I blame her for the whole thing. It all came from her indecent haste to get you out of the country. However, every cloud has a silver lining, and it was a very nice silver cloud that brought you down here to me.”
As he spoke he took my fan in his hand and was about to say something more. I felt my heart galloping like a fire engine, when I heard soft footsteps and a rustle behind us; Mrs. Wolfe and her partner had invaded our retreat.
“Oh, you dreadful, faithless man!” she exclaimed, dangling her programme before Captain Falkland, who sprang to his feet. “I’m afraid I shall be obliged to report you to the general for conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. Our dance has already begun, so do come along! Captain Stainforth will take charge of Miss Lingard, who is no doubt also hiding from her own legitimate partner!”
As Mrs. Wolfe concluded, she put her white-gloved hand under Captain Falkland’s arm and led him unresistingly away.
Her taunt was based on truth! I met my “legitimate partner” as I entered the ballroom. The poor man had been hunting for me everywhere, and as we prepared to launch into the vortex I noticed my late companion and a yellow gown whirling together in the middle of the room. He and I did not exchange another word that evening, though once or twice—especially in my set of lancers with Balthasar—I noticed him watching me fixedly. It was four o’clock in the morning, and a sort of green light of dawn was glimmering along the horizon, when Mrs. Soames and I drove away from the Residency. I was very, very tired; as I sank into my corner of the carriage I felt like a limp rag doll. Mrs. Soames, on the contrary, was unusually brisk and lively. She had enjoyed supper, not once, but twice, whilst I had tasted nothing but an ice and a cup of soup, and that was scarcely sufficient to sustain even a girl in hard training for six hours’ incessant dancing.