Part 4 (1/2)
His att.i.tude of helplessness touched her. She smiled in her serious manner.
”If you'll leave it to me to see to, Mr. Grig,” she said soothingly, and yet a little superiorly, ”I'll do the best I can. I'll start it, anyhow. And I'll leave an urgent note for Miss Jackson about it. After all, in two hours they ought to be able to do almost anything, and you know how reliable Miss Jackson is. Miss Grig always relies on her.”
She held out her hand for the wretched ma.n.u.script. Mr. Grig yielded it up, pretending unwillingness and uneasiness, but in reality much relieved. A quarter of an hour later he returned to her room in overcoat and hat.
”I think I may as well go home now,” said he, yawning enormously. ”I'm a bit anxious about my sister. Nothing else likely to come in, is there? You'll be all right, I suppose.”
”_Me!_” she exclaimed kindly. ”Of _course_, Mr. Grig. I shall be perfectly all right.”
She wondered whether he really was anxious about his sister. At any rate, he had not the stamina to sit up through all the night in the office. But she, Lilian, had. She was delighted to be alone again. She finished Lord Mackworth's article, read it and re-read it. Not a mistake. She bound it and st.i.tched it. She entered the item in the night-book. She made out the bill. She typed the address on the envelope. Then, before fastening the envelope, she read through everything again. All these things she did with the greatest deliberation and nicety.
At the end she had ample time to make a start on the other work, but she could not or would not bring herself to the new task. She was content to write a note for Gertie Jackson, s.h.i.+fting all the responsibility on to Gertie. Gertie would have to fly round and make the others fly round. And if the work was late--what then? Lilian did not care. Her conscience seemed to have exhausted itself. She sat in a blissful trance. She recalled with satisfaction that she had said nothing to Felix about Lord Mackworth having called in person. She rose and wandered about the rooms, savouring the silent solitude. The telephone was in the princ.i.p.als' room. How awkward that might have been if Felix had stayed! But he had not stayed.
VI
The Telephone
”h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo! Who is it?”
”Is that Regent 1067?”
”Yes.”
”Is that Lord Mackworth?”
”Speaking. Who is it?”
”Grig's Typewriting Office. I'm so sorry to wake you up, but you asked us to. It's just past six o'clock.”
”Thanks very much. Who is it speaking?”
”Grig's Typewriting Office.”
”Yes. But _your_ name? Miss--Miss----?”
”Oh! I see. Share. Share. Lilian Share.... Not Spare, S-_h_-a-r-e.”
”I've got it. Share. I recognized your voice, Miss Share. Well, it's most extraordinarily good-natured of you. Most. I can't thank you enough. Excuse me asking your name. I only wanted it so that I could thank you personally. Article finished?”
”It's all finished and ready to be delivered. It'll be dropped into your letter-box in about a quarter of an hour from now. You can rely on that.”
”Then do you keep messengers hanging about all night for these jobs?”
”I'm going to deliver it myself; then I shall know it is delivered.”
”D'you know, I half suspected all along you meant to do that. You oughtn't really to put yourself to so much trouble. I don't know how to thank you. I don't, really!”
”It's no trouble at all. It's on my way home.”