Part 20 (1/2)
”I mean year and a half.”
He forced his mobile features to a.s.sume a fixed expression of greedy, though rather too constant, curiosity. Lady Enid brightened up.
”Mr. Vivian,” she said, ”many girls are born sensible-looking without wis.h.i.+ng it.”
”Are they really? It never occurred to me.”
”Such things very seldom do occur to men. Now that places these girls in a very painful position. I was placed in this position as soon as I was born, or at least as soon as I began to look like anything at all. For babies really don't.”
”That's very true,” a.s.sented the Prophet, with more fervour.
”People continually said to me, 'What a nice sensible girl you are'; or--'One always feels your Common sense'; or--'There's nothing foolish about you, Enid, thank Heaven!' The Chieftain relied upon me thoroughly.
So did the tenants. So did everybody. You can understand that it became very trying?”
”Of course, of course.”
”It's something to do with the shape of my eyebrows, the colour of my hair, the way I smile and that sort of thing.”
”No doubt it is.”
”Mr. Vivian, I'll tell you now, that I've never felt sensible in all my life.”
”Really!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the Prophet, still firmly holding all his features together in an unyielding expression of fixed curiosity.
”Never once, however great the provocation. And in my family, with the Chieftain, the provocation you can understand is exceptionally great.”
The Marquis of Glome, who was the head of a clan called ”The MacArdells,” was always named the Chieftain by his relations and friends.
”I felt sure it must be,” said the Prophet, decisively.
”Nevertheless it is so extremely difficult, if not impossible, not to try to be what people take you for that I was in a perpetual condition of acting sensibly, against my true nature.”
”How very trying!” murmured the Prophet, mechanically.
”It was, Mr. Vivian. It often made me fell quite ill. n.o.body but you knows how I have suffered.”
”And why do I know?” inquired the Prophet.
”Because I realised yesterday that you must be almost as silly by nature as I am.”
”Yesterday--why? When?”
”When you said to Sir Tiglath that you could prophesy.”
The Prophet stiffened. She laughed almost affectionately.
”So absurd! But I was vexed when you said you'd give it up. You mustn't do that, or you'll be flying in the face of your own folly.”
She drew the Aberdeen lean-to, which ran easily on Edinburgh castors, a little nearer to him, and continued.