Part 2 (1/2)
”Do you think that you can really spare him, daddy,” she asked, ”and that it will be necessary?”
”Not altogether necessary, I dare say,” Lord Ashleigh admitted. ”On the other hand, I feel sure that you will find him a comfort, and it would be rather a relief to me to know that there is some one in touch with you all the time in whom I place absolute confidence. I dare say I shall be very glad to see him back again at the end of the year, but that is neither here nor there. Mr. Delarey has sent me the name of some bankers in New York who will honour your cheques for whatever money you may require.”
”You are spoiling me, daddy,” Ella sighed.
Lord Ashleigh smiled. His hand had disappeared into the pocket of his dinner-coat.
”If you think so now,” he remarked, ”I do not know what you will say to me presently. What I am doing now, Ella, I am doing with your mother's sanction, and you must a.s.sociate her with the gift which I am going to place in your keeping.”
The hand was slowly withdrawn from his pocket. He laid upon the table a very familiar morocco case, stamped with a coronet. Even before he touched the spring and the top flew open, Ella knew what was coming.
”Our diamonds!” she exclaimed. ”The Ashleigh diamonds!”
The necklace lay exposed to view, the wonderful stones flas.h.i.+ng in the subdued light. Ella gazed at it, speechless.
”In New York,” Lord Ashleigh continued, ”it is the custom to wear jewellery in public more, even, than in this country. The family pearls, which I myself should have thought more suitable, went, as you know, to your elder sister upon her marriage. I am not rich enough to invest large sums of money in the purchase of precious stones, yet, on the other hand, your mother and I feel that if you are to wear jewels at all, we should like you to wear something of historic value, jewels which are a.s.sociated with the history of your own house. Allow me!”
He leaned forward. With long, capable fingers he fastened the necklace around his daughter's neck. It fell upon her bosom, sparkling, a little circular stream of fire against the background of her smooth, white skin.
Ella could scarcely speak. Her fingers caressed the jewels.
”It is our farewell present to you,” Lord Ashleigh declared. ”I need not beg you to take care of them. I do not wish to dwell upon their value.
Money means, naturally, little to you, and when I tell you that a firm in London offered me sixty thousand pounds for them for an American client, I only mention it so that you may understand that they are likely to be appreciated in the country to which you are going.”
She clasped his hands.
”Father,” she cried, ”you are too good to me! It is all too wonderful. I shall be afraid to wear them.”
Lord Ashleigh smiled rea.s.suringly.
”My dear,” he said, ”you will be quite safe. I should advise you to keep them, as a rule, in the strong box which you will doubtless find in the hotel to which you are going. But for all ordinary occasions you need feel, I am convinced, no apprehension. You can understand now, I dare say, another reason why I am sending Macdougal with you as well as Lenora.”
Ella, impelled by some curious impulse which she could not quite understand, glanced quickly around to where the man-servant was standing.
For once she had caught him unawares. For once she saw something besides the perfect automaton. His eyes, instead of being fixed at the back of his master's chair, were simply riveted upon the stones. His mouth was a little indrawn. To her there was a curious change in his expression. His cheekbones seemed to have become higher. The pupils of his eyes had narrowed. Even while she looked at him, he moistened a little his dry lips with the tip of his tongue. Then, as though conscious of her observation, all these things vanished. He advanced to the table, respectfully refilled his master's gla.s.s from the decanter of port, and retreated again. Ella withdrew her eyes. A queer little feeling of uneasiness disturbed her for the moment. It pa.s.sed, however, as in glancing away her attention was once more attracted by the sparkle of the jewels upon her bosom. Lord Ashleigh raised his gla.s.s.
”Our love to you, dear,” he said. ”Take care of the jewels, but take more care of yourself. Your mother and I will come to New York as soon as we can. In the meantime, don't forget us amidst the hosts of your new friends and the joy of your new life.”
She gave them each a hand. She stooped first to one side and then to the other, kissing them both tenderly.
”I shall never forget!” she exclaimed, her voice breaking a little. ”There could never be any one else in the world like you two--and please may I go to the looking-gla.s.s?”
3.
The streets of New York were covered with a thin, powdery snow as the very luxurious car of Mrs. Delarey drew up outside the front of the Leeland Hotel, a little after midnight. Ella leaned over and kissed her hostess.
”Thank you, dear, ever so much for your delightful dinner,” she exclaimed, ”and for bringing me home. As for the music, well, I can't talk about it.
I am just going upstairs into my room to sit and think.”
”Don't sit up too late and spoil your pretty colour, dear,” Mrs. Delarey advised. ”Good-bye! Don't forget I am coming in to lunch with you to-morrow.”