Part 43 (1/2)

Dinah's voice quivered still, but she managed to smile.

He gave her a quick look. ”You will always be the pleasantest memory I have,” he said.

The words were quietly spoken, so quietly that they sounded almost matter-of-fact. But Dinah flushed with pleasure, detecting the sincerity in his voice.

”It's very nice of you to say that,” she said, ”especially as I deserve it so little. Thank you, Mr.--Scott!” She uttered the name timidly. She had never ventured to use it before.

He held out his hand to her. ”Oh, drop the prefix!” he said. ”Call me Stumpy like the rest of the world!”

But Dinah shook her head with vehemence. There were tears standing in her eyes, but she smiled through them. ”I will not call you Stumpy!” she declared. ”It doesn't suit you a bit. I never even think of you by that name. It--it is perfectly ludicrous applied to you!”

”Some people think I am ludicrous,” observed Scott.

His hand grasped hers firmly for a moment, and let it go. The steadfast friendliness in his eyes shone out like a beacon. And there came to Dinah a swift sense of great and uplifting pride at the thought that she numbered this man among her friends.

The moment pa.s.sed, but the warmth at her heart remained. She went back to Isabel, and slipped down into the shelter of her arm, feeling oddly shy and also inexplicably happy. Her disappointment had shrunk to a negligible quant.i.ty. She even wondered at herself for having cared so greatly about so trifling a matter.

There came the firm tread of a man's feet outside the door, and it swung open. Eustace entered with his air of high confidence.

”Ah, Stumpy, there you are! I want you. Well, Miss Bathurst, what about to-night?”

She faced him bravely from Isabel's side. ”I've promised to go to bed early, as usual,” she said.

”What? You're not dancing?” She saw his ready frown. ”Well, you will come and look on anyway. Isabel, you must show for once.”

He spoke imperiously. Isabel looked up. ”I am sorry, Eustace. It is out of the question,” she said coldly. ”Both Dinah and I are retiring early in preparation for to-morrow.”

He bit his lip. ”This is too bad. Miss Bathurst, don't you want to come down? It's for the last time.”

Dinah hesitated, and Scott came quietly to her rescue.

”She is being prudent against her own inclination, old chap. Don't make it hard for her!”

”What a confounded shame!” said Eustace.

”No, no, it isn't!” said Dinah. ”It is quite right. I am not going to think any more about it.”

He laughed with a touch of mockery. ”Which means you will probably think about it all night. Well, you will have the reward of virtue anyhow, which ought to be very satisfying. Come along, Stumpy! I want you to catch the post.”

He bore his brother off with him, and Dinah went rather wistfully to help Biddy pack. She had done right, she knew; but it was difficult to stifle the regret in her heart. She had so longed for that one last dance, and it seemed to her that she had treated Sir Eustace somewhat shabbily also.

She was sure that he was displeased, and the thought of it troubled her.

For she had almost promised him that last dance.

”Arrah thin, Miss Dinah dear, don't ye look so sad at all!” counselled Biddy. ”Good times pa.s.s, but there's always good times to come while ye're young. And it's the bonny face ye've got on ye. Sure, there'll be a fine wedding one of these days. There's a prince looking for ye, or me name's not Biddy Maloney.”

Dinah tried to smile, but her heart was heavy. She could not share Biddy's cheery belief in the good times to come, and she was quite sure that no prince would ever come her way.

Sir Eustace--that king among men--might think of her sometimes, but not seriously, oh no, not seriously. He had so many other interests. It was only her dancing that drew him, and he would never have another opportunity of enjoying that.

She rested in the afternoon at Isabel's desire, but she did not sleep.