Part 40 (2/2)
”Thank you very much indeed! Very good of you!”
”Thank you,” said Miss Cronin, with a sudden piteous look. ”I did eat two slices. Come, Suzanne! Good-bye again, Mr. Braybrooke.”
They turned to go out. As Braybrooke watched the musquash slowly vanis.h.i.+ng he knew in his bones that, when he did not become engaged to Miss Van Tuyn, f.a.n.n.y Cronin, till the day of her death, would feel positive that he had proposed to her that afternoon and had been rejected. And he muttered in his beard:
”d.a.m.n these red-headed old women! I will _not_ make it all right with the manager about the plum cake!”
It was a poor revenge, but the only one he could think of at the moment.
”Is anything the matter?” asked Miss Van Tuyn when he rejoined her. ”Has old f.a.n.n.y been tiresome?”
”Oh, no--no! But old Fan--I beg your pardon, I mean Miss Cronin--Miss Cronin has a peculiar--but she is very charming. I gave her your message, and she quite understood. We were talking about plum cake. That is why I was so long.”
”I see! A fascinating subject like that must be difficult to get away from.”
”Yes--very! What a delightful woman Mrs. Hodson is.”
”I think her extremely wearisome. Her nature is as wrinkled as her face.
And now I must be on my way to Adela Sellingworth's.”
”May I walk with you as far as her door?”
”Of course.”
When they were out in Piccadilly he said:
”And now what about my promise to Mr. Craven?”
”I shall be delighted to meet him again,” said Miss Van Tuyn in a careless voice. ”And I would not have you break a promise on my account.
Such a sacred thing!”
”But if he bores you--”
”He doesn't bore me more than many young men do.”
”Then I will let you know. We might have a theatre party.”
”Anything you like. And why not ask Adela Sellingworth to make a fourth?”
This suggestion was not at all to Braybrooke's liking, but he scarcely knew what to say in answer to it. Really, it seemed as if this afternoon was to end as it had begun--in a contretemps.
”I am so fond of her,” continued Miss Van Tuyn. ”And I'm sure she would enjoy it.”
”But she so seldom goes out.”
”All the more reason to try to persuade her out of her sh.e.l.l. I believe she will come if you tell her I and Mr. Craven make up the rest of the party. We all got on so well together in Soho.”
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