Providentially, she did not!
CHAPTER IX
Promptly at ten o’clock the Casson limousine deposited Maisie in front of the Pritchard residence. Dan, watching for her appearance from behind the front window curtains, observed that two young women and a fussy, somewhat threadbare little man of undoubted Hebraic ancestry emerged from the limousine and followed her up the stairs.
Julia opened the door and Maisie led her followers into the living room. “Good morning, Dan,” she greeted him and gave him her hand. “I’ve brought half a dozen evening dresses which may or may not impress your ward; also a model to parade the dresses for Tamea’s inspection, and a fitter to note the necessary alterations. Of course, she’ll have to have some street clothes, so I’ve brought Rubenstein, my tailor, to take measurements.”
“By Jupiter, Maisie, you’re a marvel! You think of everything.” He pressed Maisie’s hand in his. “You may ask Miss Larrieau if she will be good enough to come down to the living room, Julia,” he directed.
“I will go up with Julia,” Maisie said, and followed the maid.
The Queen of Riva sat in a small, low chair before the window. She wore a dark silk dressing gown, which the democratic Julia had filched from Dan Pritchard’s clothes closet, and she was gazing down into the street, gray and wet with fog. Her elbows rested on her knees, her face reposed in her hands, and she was weeping, silently and without a quiver. Julia went to her, patted her wet cheek and said:
“Look up, Tammy darlin’. Here is Miss Morrison to see you. Miss Morrison is the kind leddy that sint over the nice dhress for you last night, an’ sure she has tailors an’ cloak models and dhressmakers an’ dhresses downshtairs waitin’ for you.”
Tamea dried her eyes, shook her wonderful hair back over her ivory brow, rose slowly and faced Maisie with a certain cool deliberation. Her eyes swept Maisie’s figure; she forced a smile of greeting.
“I am—happy to—meet—Miss Morrison. When one is—almost—alone and very unhappy—kindness from a stranger is like the sun that comes to dry the sails, following a storm.”