Part 33 (1/2)

”n.o.ble?--tras.h.!.+” he said; and he hurried these young people along to the disrobing-room and left them there. Then he went to the manager, who was still in the hall.

”I say,” he began, without more ado, ”there's a young friend of mine in this hotel whom I wish you'd invite to dine with us.”

The manager looked rather startled--then hesitated--then stroked his waxed moustache.

”I--I presume a gentleman friend?”

”Yes, of course,” said Lionel, angrily. ”It's a Percival Miles--why, you must have heard of Sir Barrington Miles, and this is his eldest son, though he's quite a young fellow--”

”Oh, very well; oh, yes, certainly!” said Mr. Lehmann, apparently very much relieved. ”Will you ask him?”

”Well, no, I can't exactly,” Lionel said. ”But I will send him a formal note in your name--'Mr. Lehmann presents his compliments'--may I?”

”All right; but dinner will be served almost directly. Would you mind telling the waiters to lay another cover?”

About five minutes thereafter, when the company had swarmed into the dining-room--most of them chatting and laughing, but the more business-like looking for their allotted places at table--Mr. Percival Miles put in an appearance, very shy and perhaps a little bewildered, for he knew not to whom he owed this invitation. Lionel had got a seat for him between Mlle. Girond and Mr. Carey, the musical conductor; if he could, and if he had dared, he would have placed him next Miss Burgoyne; but Miss Burgoyne was at the head of the table, between Lord Denysfort and Mr. Lehmann--besides, that fiery young lady might have taken sudden cause of offence. As it was, the young gentleman could gaze upon her from afar; and she had bowed to him--with some surprise clearly showing in her face--just as their eyes had met on his coming into the room.

Lionel was next to Nina; he had arranged that.

It was a protracted banquet, and a merry one withal; there was a perfect Babel of noise; and the excellent old custom of drinking healths with distant friends was freely adopted. Miss Girond did her best to amuse the good-looking boy whom she had been instrumental in rescuing from his solitary dinner in the coffee-room; but he did not respond as he ought to have done; from time to time he glanced wistfully towards the head of the table, where Miss Burgoyne was gayly chatting with Lord Denysfort.

As for Nina, Nina was very quiet, but very much interested, as her dark, expressive eyes eloquently showed.

”It is so beautiful, Leo,” she said. ”Every one looks so well; is it the light reflected from the table?” And then she said, in a lower tone, ”Do you see Miss Burgoyne, Leo? She is acting all the time. She is acting to the whole table.”

”That Albanian jacket of hers is gorgeous enough, anyway,” Lionel responded; he was not much interested apparently in the question of Miss Burgoyne's behavior.

When dinner had been some little time over, the women-folk went away and got wraps and shawls, and the whole company pa.s.sed outside, the men lighting their cigars at the top of the steps. The heavens overhead were now perfectly clear; the moonlight shone full on the long terrace, with its parapets and pedestals and plaster figures, while all the world below was shut away in a dense fog. Indeed, as the various groups idly walked about or stood and talked--their shadows sharply cut as out of ebony on the white stone--the whole scene was most extraordinary; for it appeared as though these people were the sole occupants of some region in cloud-land--a clear-s.h.i.+ning region raised high above the forgotten earth.

”Lehmann is lucky,” Lionel said to Nina. ”I thought his moonlight effect was going to be a failure.”

Miss Girond came up, in an eager and excited fas.h.i.+on.

”Nina!”

”What is it, Estelle?”

”Monsieur of the pretty face,” she said, in a whisper, ”oh, so sad he was all dinner!--regarding Miss Burgoyne, and she coquetting, oh, frightful, frightful!--but it is all right now--he was at the door when we come out--he takes her hand--'How you do, Miss Burgoyne?'--'Oh, how you do, Mr. Miles?'--and he leads her away before she can go to any one else. And there--away down there--do you see them? He has compensation, do you think?”

She drew Nina a little aside, and sang into her ear--

”--Ce soir, as-tu vu La fille a notre maitre, D'un air resolu Guettant a sa fenetre?

Eh bien! qu'en dis tu?

--Je dis que j'ai tout vu, Mais je n'ai rien cru; Je l'aime, je l'aime, Je l'aime quand meme!”

and then she broke into a malicious laugh.

”What are you two conspiring about, now?” Lionel asked--from the bench on which he had carelessly seated himself, the better to enjoy his cigar.