“That’s all right but I’ve altered my mind. I don’t want flowers. I’ve bought a set of caricatures and I’m going to put one in front of every place. If it’s too late to cancel the order, telephone to Lee and Higgins and tell them to send the flowers to any old hospital that occurs to them.” Lady Feo had spotted Lola immediately and during all this time had never taken her eyes away from the girl’s face and figure, which she looked over with frank and unabashed curiosity and admiration. With characteristic effrontery she made her examination as thorough as she would have done if she had been sizing up a horse with a view to purchase. “Attractive little person,” she said to herself. “As dainty as a piece of Sèvres. What the devil’s she doing here?” Making conversation with a view to discover who Lola was, she added aloud, “I see you’ve hung the pictures, Breezy.—Breezy and seascapes; they go well together, don’t they?” And she laughed at the little joke,—a gay and boyish laugh.
With her heart thumping and a ray of hope in front of her, Lola marked her appreciation of the joke with her most delighted smile.
And Miss Breezy indulged in a diplomatic titter.
“Isn’t it a little remiss of you, Breezy, not to introduce me to your friend?”
“Oh, I beg your ladyship’s pardon, I’m sure. This is my niece Lola.” She wished the child in the middle of next week and dreaded the result of this most unfortunate interruption.
Lady Feo stretched out her hand,—a long-fingered able hand, born for the violin. “How do you do,” she said, as though to an equal. “How is it that I haven’t seen you before? Breezy and I are such old friends. I call her Breezy in that rather abrupt manner—forgive me, won’t you?—because I’m both rude and affectionate. I hope I didn’t cut in on a family consultation?”
Lola braced herself. Here was her opportunity indeed! “Oh, no, my lady. It was a sort of consultation, because I came to talk to Aunt about my future. It’s time I earned my own living and as she doesn’t want me to go on the stage, she’s going to be kind enough to help me in another way.” She got all this in a little breathlessly, with charming naïveté.
“What way?” asked Lady Feo bluntly. “I should think you’d make a great success on the stage.”
Lola took no notice of her aunt’s angry and frantic signs. She stood demure and modest under the searching gaze of Lady Feo and with a sense of extreme triumph took the jump. “The way I most wanted to begin,” she said, “was to be your ladyship’s maid. That’s my great ambition.”
“And for the love of heaven, why not? Breezy, why the deuce haven’t you told me about this girl? I would like to have her about me. She’s decorative. I wouldn’t mind being touched by her and I’m sure she’d look after my things. Look how neat she is. She might have come out of a bandbox.”