Part 34 (1/2)
”Oh, will it? Suppose he finds out you're not Lady Marion?” cried the duke.
”But he knows I'm not; and he knows I'm here,” said Pollyooly.
”The deuce he does!” cried the duke.
”Yes. I wrote and told him so,” said Pollyooly.
”You did?” cried the duke; and he clutched at his moustache.
”Yes. We often write to one another--just short letters. You know we're engaged to be married, when we grow up. He gave me this ring,”
said Pollyooly in a tone of quiet explanation, holding out her hand.
The duke gasped heavily.
”I don't know what the world's coming to! Children of your age!” he cried.
”Oh, it'll be quite all right,” said Pollyooly cheerfully. ”I'm going on the stage. I've been on it already--dancing with the Esmeralda--not really dancing of course, but just filling in the picture (that's what the Esmeralda called it) in 't.i.tania's Awakening'--”
”What? You were the child in 't.i.tania's Awakening'?” said the duke heavily.
”Yes. But when I grow up I'm going on the stage again--in musical comedy--so that it will be quite all right for Ronald to marry me. The heirs of peers generally marry girls in musical comedy. Ronald says they do; and Mr. Ruffin said that he was quite right.”
The duke's eyes were larger than usual, and bulging out. He ground his teeth and looked as if he could well have torn out some of his hair.
”I can't think why John Ruffin will talk such silly nonsense!” he growled in a tone of the last exasperation.
”Oh, but it isn't, your Grace,” said Pollyooly reproachfully. ”Lots of them have done it. Ronald sent me a list of them he made out with two school-fellows. Only it's at the Temple. It'll be quite all right for us to get married.”
The duke gnashed his teeth for a change. But he regained some control of himself and said with moderate calmness:
”Well, of course it's only children's nonsense. But you may as well bear in mind that Ronald's going to marry Lady Marion.”
”I don't think you'll get him to,” said Pollyooly quickly but dispa.s.sionately. ”He says she's such a little duff--” Her natural politeness stopped the word on her tongue. ”They--they don't get on well together.”
”They'll have to!” said the duke stormily.
Pollyooly said nothing; but she did not look hopeful.
The duke waited for a word of encouragement. It did not come. He crumpled up the telegram, threw it into the grate, and said:
”But the real question is: will Ronald keep the secret? Will he be able to?”
”Oh, yes: he'll keep it quite easily,” said Pollyooly confidently.
”He's splendid at keeping secrets.”
The duke gazed at her gloomily and said gloomily:
”I can't conceive how on earth you and Ronald got to know one another so well.”