The interlacing of destinies is such that you will not be surprised to learn that the further careers of Letty Gravely, of Barbara Walbrook, of Rashleigh Allerton now turned on Mademoiselle Odette Coucoul, whose name not one of the three was ever destined to hear.
On his couch in the library Allerton slept till after nine, waking in a confusion which did not preclude a sense of refreshment. At the same minute Madame Simone was finishing her explanations to Mademoiselle Coucoul as to what was to be done to the seal-brown costume, which Steptoe had added to Letty’s wardrobe, in order to conceal the fact that it was a model of a season old, and not the new creation its purchasers supposed. Taking in her instructions with Gallic precision mademoiselle was already at work when Miss Tina Vanzetti paused at her door. The door was that of a small French-paneled room, once the boudoir of the owner of the Flemish chateau, but set apart now by Madame Simone for jobs requiring deftness.
Miss Vanzetti, whose Neapolitan grandfather had begun his American career as a boot-black in Brooklyn, was of the Americanized type of her race. She could not, of course, eliminate her Latinity of eye and tress nor her wild luxuriance of bust, but English was her mother-tongue, and the chewing of gum 174 her national pastime. She chewed it now, slowly, thoughtfully, as she stood looking in on Mademoiselle Odette, who was turning the skirt this way and that, searching out the almost invisible traces of use which were to be removed.
“So she’s give you that to do, has she? Some stunt, I’ll say. Gee, she’s got her gall with her, old Simone, puttin’ that off on the public as something new. If I had a dollar for every time Mamie Gunn has walked in and out to show it to customers I’d buy a set of silver fox.”
Mademoiselle’s smile was radiant, not because she had radiance to shed, but because her lips and teeth framed themselves that way. She too was of her race, alert, vivacious, and as neat as a trivet, as became a former midinette of the rue de la Paix and a daughter of Batignolles.
“Madame she t’ink it all in de beezeness,” she contented herself with saying.
With her left hand Miss Vanzetti put soft touches to the big black coils of her back hair. “See that kid that all these things is goin’ to? Gee, but she’s beginnin’ to step out. I know her. Spotted her the minute she come in to try on. Me and she went to the same school. Lived in the same street. Name of Letty Gravely.”
Seeing that she was expected to make a response mademoiselle could think of nothing better than to repeat in her pretty staccato English: “Name of Let-ty Grav-el-ly.”
“Stepfather’s name was Judson Flack. Company-promoter he called himself. Mother croaked three or 175 four years ago, just before we moved to Harlem. Never saw no more of her till she walked in here with the old white slaver what’s payin’ for the outfit. Gee, you needn’t tell me! S’pose she’ll hit the pace till some fella chucks her. Gee, I’m sorry. Awful slim chance a girl’ll get when some guy with a wad blows along and wants her.” The theme exhausted Miss Vanzetti asked suddenly: “Why don’t you never come to the Lantern?”
In her broken English mademoiselle explained that she didn’t know the American dances, but that a fella had promised to teach her the steps. She had met him at the house of a cousin who was married to a waiter chez Bouquin. Ver’ beautiful fella, he was, and had invited her to a chop suey dinner that evening, with the dance at the Lantern to wind up with. Most ver’ beautiful fella, single, and a detective.