Part 53 (1/2)

”There!” said Barbara. ”Pay him then, please, Ada. Now, Alex, come upstairs and sit down. You look dreadfully ill and worn-out, my dear.”

Alex lifted the suit-case again.

”Oh, Ada will see to that. Your room is all ready, Alex. It's very small, but then the house is a perfect doll's house, as you see. This is my tiny drawing-room.”

”It's very pretty,” said Alex, sinking into a chair.

”It's not bad--the things are nice enough. Ralph had some exquisite things--but, of course, the house is too hateful, and I hate living all the way out here. No one ever comes near me. Cedric's wife can't get her chauffeur to bring her--he pretends he doesn't know where it is. The only person who ever comes is Pamela.”

”I thought she was to live with you?”

”Pam! Oh, she wouldn't bury herself out here, for long. Pam's very much in request, my dear. She's been paying visits all over the place, and can go on indefinitely, I believe. She makes her headquarters with Cedric and Violet in Clevedon Square, you know, but of course she'll marry. Pam's all right.”

”Last time I saw Pam she was in short frocks and a pigtail.”

”She's come out in the most extraordinary way. Every one says so. Not exactly pretty, but frightfully taking, and most awfully attractive to men. They say she's so full of life. I must say, when _we_ came out, Alex, we didn't have nearly such a good time as she has. Men seem to go down like ninepins before her. She's always bringing them out here to tea, and to look at the view of London from the Heath. One always used to look on Hampstead Heath as a sort of joke--Phil May's drawings, and that kind of thing. I certainly never expected to live here--but lots of artists do, and Ralph had a big studio here. And it's very inexpensive.

Besides, if you know you way about, it's quite easy to come in and out from town. Pamela always brings her young men on the top of a 'bus.

Girls can do anything now-a-days, of course. Fancy father, if one of _us_ had done such a thing!”

”Who looks after her?” asked Alex, rather awe-struck.

”She looks after herself, my dear, and does it uncommonly effectively.

She could marry tomorrow if she liked--and marry well, too. Of course, Cedric is her guardian in a sort of way, I suppose, but he lets her do anything she like--only laughs.”

”Cedric!” spoke Alex wistfully. ”Do you know, I haven't seen Cedric since--I left Clevedon Square.”

”My dear, that's ten years, isn't it? Cedric's grown exactly like father. He's got just his way of standing in front of the fire and shaking his spectacles up and down in his hand--you remember father's way? Of course, he's done extraordinarily well--every one says so--and his marriage was an excellent thing, too.”

”Is--Violet--nice?”

Barbara laughed rather drily.

”She's got a lot of money, and--yes, I suppose she is nice. Between ourselves, Alex, she's the sort of person who rather aggravates me.

She's always so prosperous and happy, as though nothing had ever gone wrong with her, or ever could. She's very generous, I will say that for her--and extraordinarily good-natured. Most people adore her--she's the sort of woman that other women rave about, but I must say most men like her, too. Her people were rather inclined to think she could have done better for herself than Cedric. Of course, he isn't well off, and she's two years older than he is. But it's answered all right, and they were tremendously in love with one another.”

”Is she very pretty?”

”She's inclined to be fat, but, of course, she is pretty, in her own style--very. And the little girl is a perfect darling--little Rosemary.

”But, Alex, here am I talking you to death when you must be dying for tea. What sort of a crossing did you have?”

”Not very bad, but I was ill all the way.”

”Oh, no wonder you look so washed out,” said Barbara, as though relieved, but she went on eyeing her sister uneasily through the rapidly increasing dusk.

When Ada came in with the tea appointments, Barbara told her to bring the lamp.

”Yes'm. And your bag, 'm--may I have the key?”

Alex looked bewildered, then recollected that the maid was offering to unpack for her, and pulled out the key from her purse.