Part 36 (2/2)
She paused ”Yes”
”Then youof plays--”
He stopped He was on the edge of facetiously relating the episode of ”The Orient Pearl” at Sir John Pilgrim's But he withdrew in time
Suppose that ”The Orient Pearl” was the piece to be perforht well be! It was (in his opinion) just the sort of play that that sort of society would choose! Nevertheless he was as anxious as ever to see Elsie April act He really thought that she could and would transfigure any play Even his profound scorn of New Thought (a subject of which he was entirely ignorant) began to bebut the enchantment of the tone in which Elsie April murmured the words, ”Azure Society!”
”How soon is the performance?” he demanded
”Wednesday week,” said she
”That's the very day of ,” he said ”However, it doesn't matter My little affair will be in the afternoon”
”But it can't be,” said she, solemnly ”It would interfere with us, and we should interfere with it Our Annual Conference takes place in the afternoon All London will be there”
Said Mr Marrier, rather shamefaced:
”That's just it, Mr Machin It positively never occurred to me that the Azure Conference is to be on that very day I never thought of it until nearly four o'clock And then I scarcely kne to explain it to you I really don't kno it escaped me”
Mr Marrier's trouble was now out, and he had declined in Edward Henry's esteem Mr Marrier was afraid of hier a ht; it was a mere coincidence He doubted if Mr Marrier orth even his three pounds a week Edward Henry began to feel ruthless, Napoleonic He was capable of brushi+ng away the whole Azure Society and New Thought movement into limbo
”You must please alter your date,” said Elsie April And she put her right elbow on the table and leaned her chin on it, and thus somehow established a domestic intimacy for the three amid all the blare and notoriety of the vast tea-room
”Oh, but I can't!” he said easily, familiarly It was her occasional ”artichoke”this tone ”I can't!” he repeated ”I've told Sir John I can't possibly be ready any earlier, and on the day after he'll almost certainly be on his way to Marseilles Besides, I don't _want_ to alter my date My date is in the papers by this tih harm to the Movely
”Me--har of our church?”
”Oh! So you know Mr Wrissell?”
”Very well, indeed”
”Anybody else would have done the same in my place!” Edward Henry defended himself ”Your cousin, Miss Euclid, would have done it, and Marrier here was in the affair with her”
”Ah!” exclai to the Movement then! We didn't know Coreat draw But even if you've got hie to stick to hiet the audience you want if you don't change from Wednesday week After all, the nuot nearly all of thee from Wednesday week,” said Edward Henry This defiance of her put hiitated felicity
”Now, my dear Mr Machin--”
He was acutely aware of the char, and yet he discovered that he could easily withstand it
”Now, e of your beauty!”
She sat up She was apparentlyherself and him