Part 28 (1/2)
”I wasn't in the least sure--and she has done everything.”
”She has been too good--but _we_'ve done something. I hope you don't leave out your father,” Lady Agnes amplified as Nick's glance appeared for a moment to question her ”we.”
”Never, never!” Nick uttered these words perhaps a little mechanically, but the next minute he added as if suddenly moved to think what he could say that would give his mother most pleasure: ”Of course his name has worked for me. Gone as he is he's still a living force.” He felt a good deal of a hypocrite, but one didn't win such a seat every day in the year. Probably indeed he should never win another.
”He hears you, he watches you, he rejoices in you,” Lady Agnes opined.
This idea was oppressive to Nick--that of the rejoicing almost as much as of the watching. He had made his concession, but, with a certain impulse to divert his mother from following up her advantage, he broke out: ”Julia's a tremendously effective woman.”
”Of course she is!” said Lady Agnes knowingly.
”Her charming appearance is half the battle”--Nick explained a little coldly what he meant. But he felt his coldness an inadequate protection to him when he heard his companion observe with something of the same sapience:
”A woman's always effective when she likes a person so much.”
It discomposed him to be described as a person liked, and so much, and by a woman; and he simply said abruptly: ”When are you going away?”
”The first moment that's civil--to-morrow morning. _You_'ll stay on I hope.”
”Stay on? What shall I stay on for?”
”Why you might stay to express your appreciation.”
Nick considered. ”I've everything to do.”
”I thought everything was done,” said Lady Agnes.
”Well, that's just why,” her son replied, not very lucidly. ”I want to do other things--quite other things. I should like to take the next train,” And he looked at his watch.
”When there are people coming to dinner to meet you?”
”They'll meet _you_--that's better.”
”I'm sorry any one's coming,” Lady Agnes said in a tone unencouraging to a deviation from the reality of things. ”I wish we were alone--just as a family. It would please Julia to-day to feel that we _are_ one. Do stay with her to-morrow.”
”How will that do--when she's alone?”
”She won't be alone, with Mrs. Gresham.”
”Mrs. Gresham doesn't count.”
”That's precisely why I want you to stop. And her cousin, almost her brother: what an idea that it won't do! Haven't you stayed here before when there has been no one?”
”I've never stayed much, and there have always been people. At any rate it's now different.”
”It's just because it's different. Besides, it isn't different and it never was,” said Lady Agnes, more incoherent in her earnestness than it often happened to her to be. ”She always liked you and she likes you now more than ever--if you call _that_ different!” Nick got up at this and, without meeting her eyes, walked to one of the windows, where he stood with his back turned and looked out on the great greenness. She watched him a moment and she might well have been wis.h.i.+ng, while he appeared to gaze with intentness, that it would come to him with the same force as it had come to herself--very often before, but during these last days more than ever--that the level lands of Harsh, stretching away before the window, the French garden with its symmetry, its screens and its statues, and a great many more things of which these were the superficial token, were Julia's very own to do with exactly as she liked. No word of appreciation or envy, however, dropped from the young man's lips, and his mother presently went on: ”What could be more natural than that after your triumphant contest you and she should have lots to settle and to talk about--no end of practical questions, no end of urgent business? Aren't you her member, and can't her member pa.s.s a day with her, and she a great proprietor?”
Nick turned round at this with an odd expression. ”_Her_ member--am I hers?”
Lady Agnes had a pause--she had need of all her tact. ”Well, if the place is hers and you represent the place--!” she began. But she went no further, for Nick had interrupted her with a laugh.