Part 12 (1/2)
”Well, you see, I caught my foot on the top of the wall, when I somewhat hastily left the Parsonage just now, and he happened to be on the other side, in just the right spot to catch me.”
”I expect the poor chap was nearly crushed to death,” remarked Jack.
”He'll go home with a nice opinion of wild Irish girls.”
”I shall, indeed,” was the fervent rejoinder, looking hard at Paddy; but as usual she was already attending to something quite different, and the remark, with its double meaning was entirely lost upon her.
Later on, they all four strolled down to the water after dinner, and Jack managed to detain Eileen a little behind the others.
He was a trifle awkward and shy as if he had something on his mind, and at last, without much preliminary, he blurted out, ”You'll give me the supper-dance, won't you, Eileen? I wanted to ask you before, but I thought you'd think I was so silly to be asking so soon.”
”Oh! I'm sorry, Jack,” with genuine regret for his sake; ”I've promised it.”
”You've promised it!” he echoed in astonishment.
”Yes, this afternoon.”
”To whom?” looking hard into her face.
”To Lawrence Blake,” and she did not meet his eyes.
Jack stood still suddenly, without quite knowing it, and stared across to the mountains. It seemed to him all in a moment as if some grim phantom had suddenly risen, and menaced him for the first time in his life, with a vision of striving and failure.
He ground his teeth together angrily.
”Curse Lawrence Blake,” he muttered, and kicking some pebbles angrily into the lake, strode forward.
CHAPTER TEN.
A LETTER FROM CALCUTTA.
Paddy sat on the morning-room table swinging her feet, and Jack leaned against the mantelpiece with his hands in his pockets, biting at the end of an empty pipe fitfully, as was his wont when all did not fall out as he wished.
”There was a little girl And she had a little curl Right in the middle of her forehead,”
sang Paddy.
”And when she was good She was very, very good; And when she was naughty, she was 'orrid.”
”Are you going to save me the supper-dance, Paddy!” he asked, without moving.
Paddy put her head on one side like a little bird, and eyed him quizzically a moment in silence.
”How many people have you already asked!” she said suddenly.
He coloured a little under his sunburn.
”Why should you suppose I have asked anyone!”
”I only wanted to know if you had. You have got a very tell-tale face, and now I can see for myself. Was it Eileen!”
”Are you going through this cross-examination with all your partners?”