Part 16 (1/2)

”Miss Blood,” he said, ”I envy you your gift of snubbing people.”

Lydia looked at him. ”Snubbing people?” she echoed.

”Yes; your power of remaining silent when you wish to put down some one who has been wittingly or unwittingly impertinent.”

”I don't know what you mean,” she said, in a sort of breathless way.

”And you didn't intend to mark your displeasure at my planning your future?”

”No! We had talked of that. I--”

”And you were not vexed with me for anything? I have been afraid that I--that you--” Staniford found that he was himself getting short of breath. He had begun with the intention of mystifying her, but matters had suddenly taken another course, and he was really anxious to know whether any disagreeable a.s.sociations with that night lingered in her mind. With this longing came a natural inability to find the right word.

”I was afraid--” he repeated, and then he stopped again. Clearly, he could not tell her that he was afraid he had gone too far; but this was what he meant. ”You don't walk with me, any more, Miss Blood,” he concluded, with an air of burlesque reproach.

”You haven't asked me--since,” she said.

He felt a singular value and significance in this word, since. It showed that her thoughts had been running parallel with his own; it permitted, if it did not signify, that he should resume the mood of that time, where their parting had interrupted it. He enjoyed the fact to the utmost, but he was not sure that he wished to do what he was permitted.

”Then I didn't tire you?” he merely asked. He was not sure, now he came to think of it, that he liked her willingness to recur to that time. He liked it, but not quite in the way he would have liked to like it.

”No,” she said.

”The fact is,” he went on aimlessly, ”that I thought I had rather abused your kindness. Besides,” he added, veering off, ”I was afraid I should be an interruption to the musical exercises.”

”Oh, no,” said Lydia. ”Mr. Dunham hasn't arranged anything yet.”

Staniford thought this uncandid. It was fighting shy of Hicks, who was the person in his own mind; and it reawakened a suspicion which was lurking there. ”Mr. Dunham seems to have lost his interest.”

This struck Staniford as an expression of pique; it reawakened quite another suspicion. It was evident that she was hurt at the cessation of Dunham's attentions. He was greatly minded to say that Dunham was a fool, but he ended by saying, with sarcasm, ”I suppose he saw that he was superseded.”

”Mr. Hicks plays well,” said Lydia, judicially, ”but he doesn't really know so much of music as Mr. Dunham.”

”No?” responded Staniford, with irony. ”I will tell Dunham. No doubt he's been suffering the pangs of professional jealousy. That must be the reason why he keeps away.”

”Keeps away?” asked Lydia.

”_Now_ I've made an a.s.s of myself!” thought Staniford. ”You said that he seemed to have lost his interest,” he answered her.

”Oh! Yes!” a.s.sented Lydia. And then she remained rather distraught, pulling at the ruffling of her dress.

”Dunham is a very accomplished man,” said Staniford, finding the usual satisfaction in pressing his breast against the thorn. ”He's a great favorite in society. He's up to no end of things.” Staniford uttered these praises in a curiously bitter tone. ”He's a capital talker. Don't you think he talks well?”

”I don't know; I suppose I haven't seen enough people to be a good judge.”

”Well, you've seen enough people to know that he's very good looking?”

”Yes?”

”You don't mean to say you don't think him good looking?”