“The heaven that lies in her deep, brown eyes,” he murmured recklessly, as the house broke into applause after a thrilling duet between Samson and Delilah.
As the opera neared its conclusion, Mrs. Percy-Bartlett, who had been gazing thoughtfully at the stage without seeming to be much impressed by the drama enacted there, turned to Richard, and said,—
“I am to have a small musicale on Tuesday evening. Do you think you could persuade Mr. Fenton to come to it?”
Richard looked at her a moment in silence. He was surprised at her proposal.
“I cannot answer for him,” he said at length. “He is very eccentric.”
“That is why I want him to come,” returned Mrs. Percy-Bartlett stubbornly. “There is something in his career and in his personality, as you describe it, that leads me to try an experiment with him.”
Richard glanced at her questioningly. He did not quite approve of her at that moment. She seemed to understand the expression on his face.
“I want him to meet Gertrude Van Vleck,” she explained, smiling at him frankly.
Richard returned her smile, and said, “I will bring him if I can;” then he added after a pause, “but the age of miracles has passed.”