Part 17 (1/2)
The eloquence of his look made Alex feel as though she had received a compliment, and she blushed. As though to cover her shyness, the young Jew went on speaking. ”I wonder if you know Miss Torrance--Miss Queenie Torrance?”
She noticed that his throaty voice lingered over the syllables a little.
”She was my great friend at school.”
”Indeed! What a delightful friends.h.i.+p for both, if I may say so. I think I may say that I, also, have the privilege of counting myself amongst the friends of Miss Torrance.”
”I haven't seen her since she left school,” said Alex wistfully. ”I should like to see her.”
”You spoke of beauty just now,” said the young Jew deliberately. ”To my mind Miss Torrance was the beauty of the season, when she came out last year.”
She felt faintly surprised, but spoke hastily lest he should think her jealous, although he had carefully emphasized the date of Queenie's appearance into society.
”I heard only the other day how much she was admired.”
Goldstein's dark face grew darker. ”She is very much admired indeed,” he said emphatically.
”Perhaps she will be here tonight,” Alex suggested, thinking that she would like to see Queenie grown-up.
”She is not coming tonight,” said Goldstein with calm a.s.surance. ”Are you going to the d.u.c.h.ess's ball on Tuesday? But I need not ask.”
Alex felt unreasonably flattered at the homage implied, rather than expressed, in the tone, and replied in the affirmative.
”Then you will see Miss Torrance.”
”Oh, I'm glad,” said Alex. She felt rather elated at the success which her friend must have undoubtedly met with, to be so much admired, and she remembered with added resentment Lady Isabel's old inquiry: ”Torrance--Torrance--who is Torrance?”
”Did you know that the girl I was at Liege with, Queenie Torrance, came out last year, and every one says she's lovely?” she demanded of her mother.
”I'd forgotten you were at school with her. I remember now,” said Lady Isabel thoughtfully. ”Who says she is lovely?”
”Oh, Lady Mollie and every one. That Mr. Goldstein I was talking to.”
”Goldstein!” exclaimed her mother with infinite contempt. She was silent for a little while and then said, ”I've heard about the Torrance girl.
Men--of a sort--admire her very much indeed, but I should be sorry if you copied her style, Alex.”
Alex felt more curious than ever. Blindly though she had adored Queenie, it had not occurred to her that she would be considered very pretty, and she wondered greatly concerning the development of her old playmate.
When she did see Queenie, at the d.u.c.h.ess's ball as Goldstein had predicted, Lady Isabel was not with her. Excess of fatigue had unwillingly constrained her to stay at home, while Sir Francis, bored but courteous, escorted his eldest daughter in her stead.
They arrived late, and stood for a few minutes in the doorway, watching the kaleidoscopic scene of colour and movement in the great illuminated ballroom.
Alex' attention was attracted by a group of men all gathered near the door, and prominent among them Goldstein, his eager, searching gaze fixed upon the broad stairway without, up and down which innumerable figures pa.s.sed and re-pa.s.sed. From the sudden lightning flash in his ardent black gaze, not less than from a sort of movement instantly communicated to the whole group, Alex guessed that he had focussed the object of his quest.
The announcement made at the head of the stairs was inaudible amid the cras.h.i.+ng of dance music, but Alex recognized the entering couple in a flash.
Colonel Torrance, white-haired, with black moustache and eyebrows, upright and soldierly still, had changed less than Queenie. She looked much taller than Alex had imagined her, and her graceful outline was fuller, but she moved exquisitely.