IX.
He found out on the morning after the highly complex transaction ofgetting his family from Bursley to London that London held more problemsfor him than ever. He was now not merely the proprietor of a theatreapproaching completion, but really a theatrical manager with a play toproduce, artistes to engage, and the public to attract. He had made twoappointments for that morning at the Majestic (he was not at the GrandBabylon, because his wife had once stayed with him at the Majestic, andhe did not want to add to his anxieties the business of accustoming herto a new and costlier luxury): one appointment at nine with Marrier, andthe other at ten with Nellie, family, and Nurse. He had expected to getrid of Marrier before ten.
Among the exciting mail which Marrier had collected for him from theGrand Babylon and elsewhere was the following letter:
_Buckingham Palace Hotel._
DEAR FRIEND: We are all so proud of you. I should like some time tofinish our interrupted conversation. Will you come and have lunch withme one day here at 1.30? You needn't write. I know how busy you are.Just telephone you are coming. But don't telephone between 12 and 1,because at that time I _always_ take my constitutional in St. James'sPark.
Yours sincerely, E. A.
"Well," he thought. "That's a bit thick, that is! She's stuck me upwith a dramatist I don't believe in, and a play I don't believe in, andan actress I don't believe in, and now she--"
Nevertheless, to a certain extent he was bluffing himself; for, as hepretended to put Elsie April back into her place, he had disturbing anddelightful visions of her. A clever creature! Uncannily clever!Wealthy! Under thirty! Broad-minded! No provincial prejudices! ... Hervoice, that always affected his spine! Her delicious flattery! ... Shewas no mean actress either! And the multifariousness of her seductivecharm! In fact, she was a regular woman of the world, such as you wouldread about--if you did read! ... He was sitting with her again in theobscurity of the discussion-room at the Azure Society's establishment.His heart was beating again.
Pooh! ...
A single wrench, and he ripped up the letter and cast it into one of thered-lined waste-paper baskets with which the immense and rather shabbywriting-room of the Majestic was dotted.
Before he had finished dealing with Mr. Marrier's queries andsuggestions--some ten thousand in all--the clock struck, and Nellietripped into the room. She was in black silk, with hints here and thereof gold chains. As she had explained, she had nothing to wear, and wastherefore obliged to fall back on the final resource of every woman inher state. For in this connection "nothing to wear" signified "nothingexcept my black silk"--at any rate, in the Five Towns.
"Mr. Marrier--my wife. Nellie, this is Mr. Marrier."
Mr. Marrier was profuse: no other word would describe his demeanour.Nellie had the timidity of a young girl. Indeed, she looked quiteyouthful, despite the aging influences of black silk.
"So that's your Mr. Marrier! I understood from you he was a clerk!"said Nellie tartly, suddenly retransformed into the shrewd matron assoon as Mr. Marrier had profusely gone. She had conceived Marrier as asort of Penkethman. Edward Henry had hoped to avoid this interview.
He shrugged his shoulders in answer to his wife's remark.
"Well," he said, "where are the kids?"
"Waiting in the lounge with Nurse, as you said to be." Her miendelicately informed him that while in London his caprices would be herlaw, which she would obey without seeking to comprehend.
"Well," he went on, "I expect they'd like the parks as well as anything.Suppose we take 'em and show 'em one of the parks? Shall we? Besides,they must have fresh air."
"All right," Nellie agreed. "But how far will it be?"
"Oh," said Edward Henry, "we'll crowd into a taxi!"
They crowded into a taxi, and the children found their father in highspirits. Maisie mentioned the doll. In a minute the taxi had stoppedin front of a toy-shop surpassing dreams, and they invaded the toy-shoplike an army. When they emerged, after a considerable interval, Nursewas carrying an enormous doll, and Nellie was carrying Maisie, and Ralphwas lovingly stroking the doll's real shoes. Robert kept a profoundsilence--a silence which had begun in the train.
"You haven't got much to say, Robert," his father remarked when the taxiset off again.
"I know," said Robert gruffly. Among other things, he resented his bestclothes on a week-day.
"What do you think of London?"
"I don't know," said Robert.
His eyes never left the window of the taxi.
Then they visited the theatre--a very fatiguing enterprise, and also,for Edward Henry, a very nervous one. He was as awkward in displayingthat inchoate theatre as a newly-made father with his first-born. Prideand shame fought for dominion over him. Nellie was full of laudations.Ralph enjoyed the ladders.
"I say," said Nellie, apprehensive for Maisie, on the pavement, "thischild's exhausted already. How big's this park of yours? Becauseneither Nurse nor I can carry her very far."
"We'll buy a pram," said Edward Henry. He was staring at a newspaperplacard which said: "Isabel Joy on the war-path again. Will she win?"
"But--"
"Oh, yes, we'll buy a pram! Driver--"
"A pram isn't enough. You'll want coverings for her, in this wind."
"Well, we'll buy the necessary number of eiderdowns and blankets, then,"said Edward Henry. "Driver--"
A tremendous business! For, in addition to making the purchases, he hadto feed his flock in an A-B-C shop, where among the unoccupiedwaitresses Maisie and her talkative winking doll enjoyed a triumph.Still, there was plenty of time.
At a quarter-past twelve he was displaying the varied landscape beautiesof the park to his family. Ralph insisted on going to the bridge overthe lake, and Robert silently backed him. And therefore the entireparty went. But Maisie was afraid of the water, and cried. Now, theworst thing about Maisie was that when once she had begun to cry it wasvery difficult to stop her. Even the most remarkable dolls werepowerless to appease her distress.
"Give me the confounded pram, Nurse," said Edward Henry, "I'll cureher."
But he did not cure her. However, he had to stick grimly to theperambulator. Nellie tripped primly in black silk on one side of it.Nurse had the wayward Ralph by the hand. And Robert, taciturn, stalkedalone, adding up London and making a very small total of it.
Suddenly Edward Henry halted the perambulator and, stepping away fromit, raised his hat. An excessively elegant young woman leading aPekinese by a silver chain stopped as if smitten by a magic dart andheld spellbound.
"How do you do, Miss April?" said Edward Henry loudly. "I was hoping tomeet you. This is my wife. Nellie, this is Miss April." Nellie bowedstiffly in her black silk. Naught of the fresh maiden about her now!And it has to be said that Elsie April, in all her young and radiantsplendour and woman-of-the-worldliness, was equally stiff. "And thereare my two boys. And this is my little girl in the pram."
Maisie screamed, and pushed an expensive doll out of the perambulator.Edward Henry saved it by its boot as it fell.
"And this is her doll. And this is Nurse," he finished. "Fine breezymorning, isn't it?"
In due course the processions moved on.
"Well, that's done!" Edward Henry muttered to himself, and sighed.