Part 71 (2/2)
”Mr. Craven is scarcely a boy, I think!”
”But we call them boys!”
”Oh, yes!”
”With a boy means nothing extraordinary to a girl with my ideas. But I think he took it rather differently. Anyhow, we spent the whole day out playing golf together, and in the evening, when twilight was coming on, we drove to Camber Sands. Do you know them?”
”No.”
”They are vast and absolutely deserted. It was rather stormy, but we took a long walk on them, and then sat on a sand bank to watch the night coming on. I dare say it all sounds very ridiculous and sentimental to you! I am sure it must!”
”No, no. Besides, I know you Americans do all these things with no sentiment at all, merely _pour pa.s.ser le temps_.”
”Yes, sometimes. But he isn't an American.”
Again she looked slightly embarra.s.sed and seemed to hesitate.
”You mean--you think that he--?”
”It was that evening . . . last night only, in fact--”
”Oh, yes, of course it was last night. To-day is Monday.”
”That I began to realize that we were getting into a rather different relation to each other. When it began to get dark he wanted to hold my hand and--but I needn't go into all that. It would only seem silly to you. You see, we are both young, though, of course, he is older than I. But he is very young, quite a boy in feeling and even in manner very often. I have seen him lately in all sorts of circ.u.mstances, so I know.”
She stopped as if thinking. Lady Sellingworth sat very upright on her sofa, with her head held rather high, and her hands, in their long white gloves, quite still. And there was a moment of absolute silence in the drawing-room. At last Miss Van Tuyn spoke again.
”I feel since last night that things are different between Alick and me.”
”Are you engaged to him--to Mr. Craven?”
”Oh, no. He hasn't asked me to be. But I want to know what you think of him. It would help me. I like him very much. But you know far more about men than I do.”
”I doubt it, Beryl. I see scarcely anyone now. You live in Paris surrounded by clever men and--”
”But you have had decades more of experience than I have. In fact, _you_ have been round the world and I have, so to speak, only crossed the Channel. Do help me, Adela. I am full of hesitation and doubt, and yet I am getting very fond of Alick. And I don't want to hurt him. I think I hurt him a little yesterday, but--”
”Sir Seymour Portman!” said Murgatroyd's heavy voice at the door.
And the old courtier entered almost eagerly, his dark eyes s.h.i.+ning under the thatch of eyebrows and the white gleam of the ”cauliflower.”
And very soon Miss Van Tuyn went away, without the advice which she was so anxious to have. As she walked through Berkeley Square she felt more at ease than when she had come into it. But she was puzzled about something. And she said to herself:
”Can she have tried monkey glands too?”
CHAPTER V
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