Part 41 (1/2)
”Miss April is splendid, isn't she?” said Edward Henry to Lady Woldo
”Oh! My word, yes!” replied Lady Woldo, nicely, warmly, yet with a certain perfunctoriness Edward Henry was astonished that everybody was not passionately enthusiastic about the charm of Elsie's performance Then Lady Woldo added: ”But what a part for Miss Euclid!
What a part for her!”
And there were azed at Edward Henry palely and weakly He considered her aze was effective enough to produce in hilooradually overtaken by an unseen and er
”Yes, indeed!” said he
He thought to himself: ”Now's the time for me to behave like Edward Henry Machin, and teach these people a thing or two!” But he could not
A pretty young girl sureat proprietor of the Regent, to who nervous earnest lisp said:
”But don't you think it's a great play, Mr Machin?”
”Of course!” he replied, inwardly e anathe people glanced at each other with the satisfaction of proved prophets
”D'you know that not another er has taken the trouble to co woman
Edward Henry's self-consciousness was now acute He would have paid a ransom to be alone on a desert island in the Indian seas He looked doards, and noticed that all these bright eager persons, wos or socks
”Miss April is free now,” said Marrier in his ear
The next instant he was talking alone to Elsie in another corner while the rest of the rooned to coet my card”
A little paint did her no harm, and the accentuation of her eyebrows and lips and the calculated disorder of her hair were not ent physique could stand In a costunificent Her varying voice and her glance at once sincere, tiular sensations behind Edward Henry's soft frilled shi+rt-front And he thought that he had never been through any experience so disturbing and so fine as just standing in front of her
”I ought to be saying nice things to her,” he reflected But, no doubt because he had been born in the Five Towns, he could not for
”Well, what do you think of it?” she asked, looking full at hinificance It was as if she had said: ”Are you a man, or aren't you?”
”I think you're splendid,” he exclaiin in that strain I know I'ood for an a”
She shook her head
”What do you think of my part for Rose? Wouldn't she be tremendous in it? Wouldn't she be tremendous? What a chance!”
He was acutely uncomfortable, but even his discomfort was somehow a joy
”Yes,” he admitted ”Yes”