Part 38 (1/2)
”Oh, how rough you are!” she exclaimed in her softest voice, adroitly tumbling into the seat as if he had thrown her down, and clinging to his arms; so that it was as much as he could do to keep his feet as he stooped over her, striving to get upright. At which supreme moment the door was opened by Marmaduke, who halted on the threshold to survey the two reproachfully for a moment. Then he said:
”George: I'm astonished at you. I have not much opinion of parsons as a rule; but I really did think that _you_ were to be depended on.”
”Marmaduke,” said the clergyman, colouring furiously, and almost beside himself with shame and anger: ”you know perfectly well that I am actuated in coming here by no motive unworthy of my profession. You misunderstand what you have seen. I will not hear my calling made a jest of.”
”Quite right, Doctor,” said Susanna, giving him a gentle pat of encouragement on the shoulder. ”Defend the cloth, always. I was only asking him to stay to lunch, Bob. Cant you persuade him?”
”Do, old fellow,” said Marmaduke. ”Come! you must: I havnt had a chat with you for ever so long. I'm really awfully sorry I interrupted you.
What on earth did you make Susanna rig herself out like that for?”
”Hold your tongue, Bob. Mr. George has nothing to do with my being in character. This is what came last night in the box: I could not resist trying it on this morning. I am Zobeida, the light of the harem, if you please. I must have your opinion of the rouge song, Doctor. Observe.
This is a powder puff: I suppose you never saw such a thing before. I am making up my face for a visit of the Sultan; and I am apologizing to the audience for using cosmetics. The original French is improper; so I will give you the English version, by the celebrated Robinson, the cleverest adapter of the day:
'Poor odalisques in captive thrall Must never let their charms pall: If they get the sack They ne'er come back; For the Bosphorus is the boss for all In this harem, harem, harem, harem, harum scarum place.'
Intellectual, isnt it?”
Susanna, whilst singing, executed a fantastic slow dance, stopping at certain points to clink a pair of little cymbals attached to her ankles, and to look for a moment archly at the clergyman.
”No,” he said, hurt and offended into a sincerity of manner which compelled them to respect him for the first time, ”I will not stay; and I am very sorry I came.” And he left the room, his cheeks tingling.
Marmaduke followed him to the gate. ”Come and look us up soon again, old fellow,” he said.
”Marmaduke,” said the clergyman: ”you are travelling as fast as you can along the road to h.e.l.l.”
As he hurried away, Marmaduke leaned against the gate and made the villas opposite echo his laughter.
”On my soul, it's a shame,” said he, when he returned to the house.
”Poor old George!”
”He found no worse than he had made up his mind to find,” said Susanna.
”What right has he to come into my house and take it for granted, to my face, that I am a disgrace to his sister? One would think I was a common woman from the streets.”
”Pshaw! What does he know? He is only a molly-coddling parson, poor fellow. He will give them a rare account of you when he goes back.”
”Let him,” said Susanna. ”He can tell them how little I care for their opinion, anyhow.”
The Rev. George took the next train to the City, and went to the offices of the Electro-Motor Company, where he found his father. They retired together to the board-room, which was unoccupied just then.
”I have been to that woman,” said the clergyman.
”Well, what does she say?”
”She is an entirely abandoned person. She glories in her shame. I have never before met with such an example of complete and unconscious depravity. Yet she is not unattractive. There is a wonderfully clever refinement even in her coa.r.s.eness which goes far to account for her influence over Marmaduke.”
”No doubt; but apart from her personal charms, about which I am not curious, is she willing to a.s.sist us?”
”No. I could make no impression on her at all.”
”Well, it cannot be helped. Did you say anything about Conolly's selling his interest here and leaving the country?”
”No,” said the clergyman, struck with a sense of remissness. ”I forgot that. The fact is, I hardly had the oppor----”