Part 15 (1/2)
There was a dark wainscoting round the hall, and Jack saw with no small surprise that, thrown into relief by the dark background, her dainty dress becoming her perfectly, she formed a really lovely picture. His admiration showed in his eyes, and suddenly a beautiful flush spread over her somewhat colourless cheeks.
”That's the first time you've ever seen anything in me but a harum-scarum tom-boy, isn't it, Jack?” she said, and there was an unaccountable note of wistfulness in her tone. ”Look again--Eileen will be here directly, and then you will forget.”
A light footstep sounded at the top of the stairs, and instantly she dashed her hand across her eyes as if to drive away some unwelcome recollection, and laughing gayly, called:
”Come along, Eileen; I've been playing your _role_ of family beauty for nearly ten minutes, just to see how it felt, but 'harum-scarum Paddy'
suits me best, and you've come just at the right time to save me from a total collapse.”
Jack took a step forward to the staircase, with all his soul in his eyes, as Eileen came slowly down, saying:
”Don't be silly, Paddy. I'm sure the first place is yours to-night.”
Jack said nothing, but he thought he had never in all his life seen anything so beautiful as Eileen Adair. She wore white only, and the fluffy, lacy style that was so becoming to Paddy was replaced in her dress by an almost severe simplicity, that suited perfectly her Madonna-like sweetness, and deep, calm, wonderful eyes.
”Well, we won't let Jack be a second Paris, anyhow,” laughed Paddy, ”because he would not give a perfectly unbiased judgment, being already prejudiced. But where are the aunties?” turning to the drawing-room, from which came a sound of voices; ”are they here yet?”
”Rather!” exclaimed Jack impressively. ”You just see! I tell you, you and Eileen are not in it,” and they all crossed the hall together.
Paddy threw open the drawing-room door with a flourish, and, as they entered, exclaimed, ”Behold!--not the meeting of the two great monarchs of old, but the meeting of the reigning beauties of Omeath to-day.”
Then she darted forward toward the two little ladies, crying, ”Oh, you look just lovely!--lovely! I really must hug you.”
”Oh! my dear! my dear!” they both gasped, and Miss Jane got quickly behind her chair, while Miss Mary fluttered across the room and ensconced herself behind the sofa.
”What's the matter!” cried Paddy. ”I won't touch you--I promise I won't. Do come out and let us have a full view.”
After thoroughly rea.s.suring themselves that she really meant it, Miss Jane stepped forward, and Miss Mary timidly followed suit, and then began a general criticising and admiring all round, in which Jack joined in his usual lively fas.h.i.+on.
”Aunties, don't you think Cinderella's Fairy G.o.dmother must have been here with her magic wand!” he exclaimed, ”and turned Paddy into as much of a beauty as she could possibly get her? I shall take care not to be dancing with her at twelve o'clock, because I feel quite certain on the first stroke of the hour she will become herself again, and her hair will be coming down, her dress torn, and she will look just like she does in ordinary life.”
”Then we shall only be better paired than we were before,” retorted Paddy, ”because you do not look in the least like a prince. Aunt Mary, you are lovely!” running on with eager warmth. ”Oh! I should like to know what you looked like at my age.”
”She was very beautiful, my dear,” said Aunt Jane proudly. ”I always dressed her for b.a.l.l.s myself.”
”Oh; no, not quite that, sister,” murmured Miss Mary, in anxious self-deprecation; ”just pretty, perhaps, sister, but that was all.”
”No; beautiful,” a.s.serted Miss Jane again, in a voice that allowed no contradiction.
”And you the same, Aunt Jane, I expect!” said Eileen, smiling.
”No, I was more like Paddy here. I knew that my chief charm lay in my expression and spirits, and so I did not worry any more than she about my appearance and clothes.”
”Do I understand you to say you didn't bother to wear clothes, Aunt Jane?” asked Jack in solemn surprise, at which the two little ladies looked horrified and Paddy and Eileen laughed, and just then the General, who had at last managed to get into his extra-special best dress suit, bustled into the room.
”Jack, my boy,” he said, taking the younger man's arm, ”take my advice and don't let yourself get stout. If you only knew what I have gone through, trying to get into these clothes!--I wonder I didn't have a fit of apoplexy! There! I do indeed! And five years ago they fitted me perfectly. Bedad! I'm not sure now the coat won't split all up the back before the evening is half over, and I'm afraid to see if I can sit down for fear it might result in my not being able to go to the ball at all.”
”We wouldn't go without you, daddy, anyhow,” exclaimed Paddy. ”Don't the aunties look lovely? Aren't you just dreadfully in love with both of them? I'm sure mother will be jealous before the evening is over.”
”Certainly I am; I always have been! Didn't you know that, you minx!
If they hadn't both been so obdurate long ago all sorts of things might have happened, eh, Jane?” and the old man laughed heartily. ”Do you remember boxing my ears under the mulberry tree one Sunday afternoon?