The face of a woman hurrying toward him through the breathless groups in the great reception hall pulled Routledge out of delirium.
“Bingley,” he remarked, shutting his eyelids forcibly, as if to expel the rheum of anger, “I’ll bear in mind your suggestion.”
The editor turned his back upon his prince of servants, as routine men frequently dare to do. A butler stood by Routledge with the great frieze coat. The air became electric with whisperings. The whole company was intent upon a matter, the nature of which only a handful knew. But the others discussed it in awed, hungry eagerness—in that deplorable, hungerish way of lesser folk who are enabled to forget their own limitations by the spectacle of one of the mighty fallen. Routledge swung into his outer garment, smiling strangely....
Then the ladies of the kingdom gasped and the valiants stared. A lady broke in through the narrowing circle and ran to the outcast—a wondrous Irish lady of red-gold hair and pale gold silk. Her hand fell upon the sleeve of his great-coat, and her face, the masterpiece from the famous gallery of Erin, was upturned proudly but pitifully to his.
“They won’t tell me—they speak of treachery, but no one dares to tell me—what is this horrid mistake?” she demanded.
The sudden look of tenderness in Routledge’s eyes gave way to fear and pain. The others had stepped back.
“Run away, you blessed girl,” he whispered. “Something big is wrong. I seem to understand it least of all—but its plain I’m bad medicine here now. It will all come out. Meanwhile, don’t be seen with me, Noreen!” He added in the shadow of a whisper, “Your father——”
“Father will be here to-night. He brought me to the door, promising to be back within an hour. I think he went to find you. Oh, he’s changed—more than I feared! But you, Routledge-san——”
“Please leave me. You are assailing your position by talking with me. That hurts worse than anything these people might say. I shall go out and think it over.... Good-night, Noreen, my dear friend.”
But she clung to his arm. “What do I care what they think of me? I want you to know—you must know when you are alone—that there is one woman who will stand by you, through all things!”