Volume Iii Part 18 (1/2)

Sir Albert coloured, and said,

”It is pleasant when a character we admire is consistent.”

”Margaret is very consistent.”

”She is everything a high-minded woman should be,” he answered, earnestly; ”I am quite sure we agree in our ideas of her.”

”Perhaps we do; but you express it better than I do: and my sister is too good for _me_. I admire her, but she is so far above me that there is not full sympathy between us.”

”But there might be,” he said, in his quiet voice; ”to live with some one having a high aim must help one.”

”It does not help me,” said Grace, sharply, but with an accent of pain in her voice; throwing off any feeling weighing with her she added, in a laughing tone, ”It gives me a crick in my neck.”

She puzzled him. It was painful to him to see her so delicate and thinking of nothing but amus.e.m.e.nt, but he could not judge; and through the flippant tone broke so much real feeling that he knew she spoke much more lightly than she felt. She was Margaret's sister, and he would do his utmost for her amus.e.m.e.nt. Instead of leaving London as he had intended doing, he would remain and go to this ball and to others, and do his utmost to enable her to enjoy it.

The d.u.c.h.ess's card and the invitation were handed to Lady Lyons; and her first idea was that it was a mistake. Grace interposed.

”It is all right, Lady Lyons; of course the d.u.c.h.ess could not ask me without you, and I know some of her family.”

Lady Lyons was most deeply impressed.

”My dear! I never was in the same room with a d.u.c.h.ess before; it is very delightful.”

”l do not suppose she is different from other people,” said Grace, indifferently.

”I hope it is not a case of a new gown--I really cannot afford it,” and Lady Lyons looked really troubled.

”As I am dragging you to the party, I will find the gown,” said Grace, laughing; ”leave it to me.”

This card was not the only one that came on that and the following days, and Grace was quite enchanted, though she professed to be prepared for this, and any thing else that might befall her.

Lady Lyons was not quite happy. She was by nature indolent, and she was easily fatigued. Women who a.s.sume the habits of an invalid, soon become invalids in reality. She loved going to bed at nine o'clock and being read to sleep; indeed, with a vague idea that Grace intended to make herself useful to her, she had said something about the reading, and the peculiarities of her maid's p.r.o.nunciation, but Grace was too wise to begin by doing anything that might be a tax upon her in future, and she laughed the idea to scorn--”besides,” she added, and with truth, ”with my delicate chest, the exertion would be very bad for me.”

But, as Lady Lyons loved going to bed early, the prospect of being out of it for an indefinite number of hours was not amusing; still the thoughts of seeing so many people, known only through the newspapers, sustained her.

She gave many sighs, however, in private; Grace half thought of persuading her to go to bed early in the afternoon, but for a well-founded conviction that, if she did, she would in all probability not get up again; but she did get her to drink strong coffee, and that, and the sight of her new dress, kept her comfortably awake.

Grace appeared, radiant, her inexperience making her punctual. She had a very simple white gown, and looked well.

When they arrived they found themselves very nearly the first, and quite the first of the strangers asked.

Lady Lyons looked about for the great lady and could not see her. At that moment a kind little old lady held out her hand--asked the black and white gentleman doubling himself in two before her to repeat the names, and Lady Lyons and Miss Withers was the result shouted into her Grace's deaf ears.

Grace was half annoyed and half amused. She went to a sofa near, and sat down watching the arrivals, and being entertained by the talk going on between a plain clever looking girl, with a quant.i.ty of red hair, and some older girls, who stood caressing their elbows in the doorway very affectionately.

”The dear d.u.c.h.ess has a funnier mixture than ever, to-night, apparently,” said the eldest maiden, who had on a crushed looking dress, and who used an eyegla.s.s very freely when she neglected her elbows for a moment.

”Yes, dear old thing! she is so kind-hearted, she never can say no. You cannot conceive anything so funny as the mob coming to-night.”

”What makes her do it?”