‘I don’t see how anybody could find one with so many people about,’ I very naturally responded.
‘O yes you can,’ she said, ‘come along, I’ll soon show it you.’ And she guided me to a most beautiful arbour in the garden, where we watched the mysterious romantic world outside crawling in and out among the countless little red lights like a scene out of some worm and fire-fly carnival.
‘Here it is,’ she said as she settled herself carefully and with an eye to effect. I should always have thought that Maisie would have been rather a careless girl, but you ought never to attempt to judge women till you have seen a good deal of them; and even then you are apt to be a bit previous.
I enjoyed myself immensely, and Maisie’s behaviour was most improper, in fact I don’t know what her Aunt would have said, for she consumed three cigarettes.
However, all good things must come to an end, and after wasting two waltzes and a barn-dance on me, Maisie said that we really must return to the Ball-tent.
This was the first Quad, which had been entirely roofed over, and a beautifully swung floor put in, while all the passages and archways were carpeted and the grim old walls hung with flags and festooned draperies of the James’ colours.
Lady Blitherington had enjoyed her evening, for the Bursar of James’ was a former tutor in her family and had behaved like a hero to her and Ophelia throughout the dance; as the Bugg said to me on our way home: ‘It was one of the most absorbent evenings I have ever spent.’
After Freddy and I had seen the old ladies back to the Granville we returned to James’ for the photo, which was taken in the second Quad by three separate photographers, who spent about twenty minutes over preliminaries and only as many seconds over the actual operation.
It had long been daylight when I regained our digs and crept quietly into my room without awaking the Pilot or Reggie, not that either of them deserved any consideration, for the Pilot who sleeps next to me snores like a foghorn, while Reggie very frequently returns from town by the Dons’ lubricator about two a.m. and makes enough noise to stampede a herd of wild bulls.