Before I had recovered from my amused surprise at the somewhat crude method of classifying me with Natalie, Ivanovitch, our host, had risen to his feet with a smile and a bow and followed Mrs. Fawcette through a pair of heavy curtains into a room beyond.
Natalie and I turned and stared at each other. “Well!” she laughed. Then her smile faded and she touched my arm. “But I’m glad you came,” she whispered. “I don’t think I like it here very much; I thought there were going to be a lot of people. At least, I thought that was what Mrs. Fawcette said.”
“Natalie, dear,” I whispered, “don’t come here again without me! Promise!”
I was very much in earnest, and the “dear” slipped out before I knew it, but fortunately she did not seem to notice it. “You are growing very dictatorial, sir!” she answered. “But all the same I don’t believe I do like it here. I’m glad you came.”
A moment later the curtains parted and the others rejoined us. There was nothing to be learned from our host’s expression, for his face was a beautiful blank. But I thought Mrs. Fawcette bore traces of either temper or fear, and possibly both.
But that was all that happened. We had tea, and I must say it was wonderful tea. But it was just tea and nothing more, of that I am certain. The conversation was general and interesting enough, and if Natalie was disappointed she naturally could not show it.
For my part, I went very much out of my way to be pleasant to the Russian, although not too obviously, I hope. And presently, after the tea-things had been cleared away by a slant-eyed servant, I drew him into a discussion on the war and its ultimate effect upon his country, while the two women talked clothes or something. I laid myself out to be both sympathetic and entertaining. At all events, the moment came when I felt justified in asking him to give me the pleasure of taking him to lunch the following day, and he accepted readily enough. If there was anything to be learned from him I was determined to make an attempt to learn it. And I believed that Natalie’s first statement about the tea was correct. She was exceedingly healthy and not given to violent moods.
Afterwards, Mrs. Fawcette had to hurry home to dress for a dinner engagement, and I took Natalie back to her aunt’s house.
When our taxi pulled up in front of the house it was nearly dinner-time, and we both had engagements. But I detained her for a moment longer.
“Listen, Natalie! Will you do me a very big favor?” I asked her, as we mounted her aunt’s steps.