Part 38 (1/2)
”I don't know that I want to wait quite so long as that,” she murmured.
”Besides--I think I rather come in between. At least, I hope so.”
At this point in the conversation the cab stopped before the Ritz.
To Francis Braybrooke's intense astonishment--and it might almost be added confusion--the first person his eyes lit on as they walked towards the tea-tables was f.a.n.n.y Cronin, comfortably seated in an immense arm-chair, devouring a m.u.f.fin in the company of an old lady, whose determined face was completely covered with a criss-cross of wrinkles, and whose withered hands were flas.h.i.+ng with magnificent rings. He was so taken aback that he was guilty of a definite start, and the exclamation, ”Miss Cronin!” in a voice that suggested alarm.
”Oh, old f.a.n.n.y with Mrs. Clem Hodson!” said Miss Van Tuyn. ”She's a school friend of f.a.n.n.y's from Philadelphia. Let us go to that table in the far corner. I'll just speak to them while you order tea.”
”But I thought Miss Cronin never went out.”
”She never does, except with Mrs. Clem, unless I want her.”
”How singularly unfortunate I am to-day!” thought Braybrooke, as he bowed to Miss Cronin in a rather confused manner and went to do as he was told.
He ordered tea, then sat down anxiously to wait for Miss Van Tuyn. From his corner he watched her colloquy with the two school friends from Philadelphia, and it seemed to him that something very important was being told. For f.a.n.n.y Cronin looked almost animated, and her manner approached the emphatic as she spoke to the standing girl. Mrs. Hodson seemed to take very little part in the conversation, but sat looking very determined and almost imperious as she listened. And presently Braybrooke saw her extremely observant dark eyes--small, protuberant and round as b.u.t.tons--turn swiftly, with even, he thought, a darting movement, in his direction.
”I shall be driven, really driven, to make the matter quite clear,” he thought, almost with desperation. ”Otherwise--”
But at this moment Miss Van Tuyn came away to him, and their tea was brought by a waiter.
He thought she cast a rather satirical look at him as she sat down, but she only said;
”Dear old things! They are very happy together. Mrs. Clem is extraordinarily proud of having 'got f.a.n.n.y out,' as she calls it. A boy who had successfully drawn a badger couldn't be more triumphant. Now let's forget them!”
This was all very well, and Braybrooke asked for nothing better; but he was totally unable to forget the two cronies, whom he saw in the distance with their white and chestnut heads alarmingly close together, talking eagerly, and, he was quite sure, not about the dear old days in Philadelphia. What had they--or rather what had Miss Cronin said to Miss Van Tuyn? He longed to know. It really was essential that he should know. Yet he scarcely knew how to approach the subject. It was rather difficult to explain elaborately to a beautiful girl that you had not the least wish to marry her. He was certainly not at his best as he took his first cup of tea and sought about for an opening. Miss Van Tuyn talked with her usual a.s.surance, but he fancied that her violet eyes were full of inquiry when they glanced at him; and he began to feel positive that the worst had happened, and that f.a.n.n.y Cronin had informed her--no, misinformed her--of what had happened at Claridge's. Now and then, as he met Miss Van Tuyn's eyes, he thought they were searching his with an unusual consciousness, as if they expected something very special from him. Presently, too, she let the conversation languish, and at last allowed it to drop. In the silence that succeeded Braybrooke was seized by a terrible fear that perhaps she was waiting for him to propose. If he did propose she would refuse him of course. He had no doubt about that. But though to be accepted by her, or indeed by anyone, would have caused him acute distress, on the other hand no one likes to be refused.
He thought of Craven. Was it possible to make any use of Craven to get him out of his difficulty? Dare he hint at the real reason of his visit to Miss Cronin? He had intended delicately to ”sound” the chaperon on the subject of matrimony, to find out if there was anything on the _tapis_ in Paris, if Miss Van Tuyn had any special man friend there, in short to make sure of his ground before deciding to walk on it. But he could hardly explain that to Miss Van Tuyn. To do so would be almost brutal, and quite against all his traditions.
Again he caught her eye in the desperate silence. Her gaze seemed to say to him: ”When are you going to begin?” He felt that he must say something, even though it were not what she was probably expecting.
”I was interested,” he hurriedly began, clasping his beard and looking away from his companion, ”to hear the other day that a young friend of mine had met you, a very charming and promising young fellow, who has a great career before him, unless I am much mistaken.”
”Who?” she asked; he thought rather curtly.
”Alick Craven of the Foreign Office. He told me he was introduced to you at Adela Sellingworth's.”
”Oh yes, he was,” said Miss Van Tuyn.
And she said no more.
”He was very enthusiastic about you,” ventured Braybrooke, wondering how to interpret her silence.
”Really!”
”Yes. We belong to the same club, the St. James's. He entertained me for more than an hour with your praises.”
Miss Van Tuyn looked at him with rather acute inquiry, as if she could not make up her mind about something with which he was closely concerned.
”He would like to meet you again,” said Braybrooke, with soft firmness.
”But I have met him again two or three times. He called on me.”