CHAPTER VIII
Dodo was seated in her room in Jack's house in town, intermittentlyarguing with him and Miss Grantham and Edith and Berts, and in intervalslooking up as many of her friends as she could remember the names of andasking them to her dance. The month was November, and the dance was forto-day week, which was the first of December, and as far as she had gotat present, it appeared that all her friends were in town and that theywould all come. Nadine was similarly employed next door, and as theyboth asked anybody who occurred to them, the same people frequently gotasked twice over.
"Which," said Dodo, "is an advantage, as it looks as if we really wantedthem very much. Oh, is that Esther? Esther, we are having a dance onDecember the first, and will you all come? Yes: wasn't it a good idea?That is nice. Of course, delighted if your mother cares to come, too--"
"Then I shan't," said Berts.
"Berts, shut up," said Dodo in a penetrating whisper. "Yes, darlingEsther, Berts said something, but I don't know what it was as they areall talking together. Yes, a cotillion. Good-by. Look out Hendrick'sStores, Grantie. But I really won't lead the cotillion with Berts. It istoo ridiculous: a man may not lead the cotillion with his grandmother:it comes in the prayer-book."
"Three thousand and seven," said Miss Grantham. "P'd'n't'n."
"Three double-o seven, Padd," said Dodo briskly, "please, miss. I alwayssay, 'please, miss,' and then they are much pleasanter. I used to say'I'm Princess Waldenech, please, miss,' but they never believed it, andsaid 'Garn!' But I was: darling Jack, I was! No, my days of leading thecotillion came to an end under William the Fourth. There is nothing soridiculous as seeing an old thing-- No, I'm not the Warwick Hotel? Do Isound like the Warwick Hotel?"
Dodo's face suddenly assumed an expression of seraphic interest.
"It's too entrancing," she whispered. "I'm sure it's a nice man, becausehe wants to marry me. He says I didn't meet him in the Warwick Hotelthis morning. That was forgetful. Yes? Oh, he's rung off: he has jiltedme. I wish I had said I was the Warwick Hotel: it was stupid of me. Iwonder if you can be married by telephone with a clergyman taking theplace of 'please, miss.' Where had we got to? Oh, yes, Hendrick's: threedouble-o seven, you idiot. I mean, please, miss. What? Thank you, miss.No, Nadine and Berts shall lead it."
"I would sooner lead with Lady Ayr," said Berts. "Nadine always forgetseverything--"
"Oh, Hendrick's, is it?" said Dodo. "Yes, Lady Chesterford. I am really,and I want a band for the evening of December the first. No, not awaistband. Music. Yes, send somebody round." Dodo put down theear-piece.
"Let us strive not to do several things together," she said. "For themoment we will concentrate on the cotillion. Jack dear, why did yousuggest I should lead? It has led to so much talking, of which I havehad to do the largest part."
"I want you to," he said. "I'll take you to Egypt in the spring, if youwill. I won't otherwise."
"Darling, you are too unfair for words. You want to make an ass of me.You want everybody to say 'Look at that silly old grandmama.' I probablyshall be a grandmama quite soon, if Nadine is going to marry Seymour inJanuary--'Silly old grandmama,' they will say, 'capering about like atwo-year-old.' Because I shall caper: if I lead, I shan't be able toresist kicking up."
Jack came across the room and sat on the table by her.
"Don't you want to, Dodo?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, darling, I should love to. I only wanted pressing. Oh, my belovedBerts, what larks! We'll have hoops, and snowballs, and looking-glass,and wooly-bear--don't you know wooly-bear?--and paper-bags andobstacles, and balance. And then the very next day I shall settle down,and behave as befits my years and riches and honor. I am old and Jack isrich, and has endowed me with all his worldly goods, and we are bothstrictly honorable. But I feel it's a hazardous experiment. If I hearsomebody saying, as no doubt I shall, 'Surely, Lady Chesterford is alittle old?' I shall collapse in the middle of the floor, and burst intoseveral tears. And then I shall wipe my eyes, both of them if both havecried, and if not, one, and say, 'Beloved Berts, come on!' And on weshall go."
"You haven't asked Hugh yet," said Miss Grantham, looking at the list.
"Nadine did," said Dodo. "He said he wasn't certain. They argued."
"They do," said Berts. "Aunt Dodo, may I come to dine this evening, andhave a practice afterwards?"
"Yes, my dear. Are you going? Till this evening then."
Dodo turned to Jack, and spoke low.
"Oh, Jack," she said, "Waldenech's in town. Nadine saw him yesterday."
"Glad I didn't," said Jack.
"I'm sure you are, darling. But here we all are, you know. You can't puthim out like a candle. About the dance, I mean. I think I had better askhim. He won't come, if I ask him."
"He won't come anyhow, my dear," said Jack.
"You can't tell. I know him better than you. He's nasty, you know, poordear. If I didn't ask him, he might come. He might think he ought tohave been asked, and so come instead. Whereas if he was asked, he wouldprobably think it merely insulting of me, and so stop at home."
"Don't whisper to each other," said Edith loudly. "I can't bear ahusband and wife whispering to each other. It looks as if they hadn'tgot over the honeymoon. Dodo, I haven't had a single word with youyet--"
"Darling Edith, you haven't. If you only would go to the other end ofthe telephone, I would talk to you for hours, simply to thwart the'please, miss' who asks if we haven't done yet. The only comfortableconversation is conducted on the telephone. Then you say 'hush' toeverybody else in the room. Indeed, it isn't usually necessary to say'hush.' Anybody with a proper interest in the affairs of other peoplealways listens to what you say, trying to reconstruct what the inaudiblevoice says. Jack was babbling down the telephone the other day, when Iparticularly wanted to talk, but when he said 'Never let him shave heragain,' how could I interrupt?"
"Did he shave her again?" asked Miss Grantham. "Who was she?"
"You shouldn't have said that," said Dodo, "because now I have toexplain. It was the poodle, who had been shaved wrong, and she hadpuppies next day, and they probably all had hair in the unfashionableplaces. Please talk to each other, and not about poodles. Jack and Ihave a little serious conversation to get through."
"I will speak," said Edith, "because it matters to me. We've let ourhouse, Dodo, at least Bertie let it, and has gone to Bath, because he isrheumatic; Berts can stay at the Bath Club, because he isn't, but Iwant to stay with you."
"The house is becoming like Basle railway-station," remarked Jack.
"Yes, dear. Every proper house in town is," said Dodo. "A house inLondon isn't a house, it is a junction. People dine and lunch and sleepif they have time. I haven't. Yes, Edith, do come. Jack wants you, too,only he doesn't say so, because he is naturally reticent."
Edith instantly got up.
"Then may I have some lunch at once?" she said. "Cold beef will do. ButI have a rehearsal at half-past one."
The telephone bell rang, and Dodo took up the ear-piece.
"No, Lady Chesterford is out," she said. "But who is it? It's Waldenech,Jack," she said in a low voice. "No, she hasn't come in yet. What? No:she isn't expected at all. She is quite unexpected."
She replaced the instrument.
"I recognized his voice," she said, "and I oughtn't to have said I wasunexpected, because perhaps he will guess. But he sounded a bit thick,don't they say? Yes, dear Edith, have some cold beef, because it is muchnicer than anything else. I shall come and have lunch in one minute,too, as I didn't have any breakfast. Take Grantie away with you, and Iwill join you."
"I won't have cold beef, whatever happens," said Grantie.
Dodo turned round, facing Jack, as soon as the others had left the room,and laid her hand on his knee.
"Jack, I feel sure I am right," she said. "I don't want Waldenech hereany more than you do. But after all, he is Nadine's father. I wish Madgeor Belle or somebody who writes about society would lay down for us theproper behavior for re-married wives
towards their divorced husbands."
"I can tell you the proper behavior of divorced husbands towardsre-married wives," said Jack.
"Yes, darling, but you must remember that Waldenech has nothing to dowith proper behavior. He always behaved most improperly. If he hadn't, Ishouldn't be your wife now. I think that must be an instance of allthings working together for good, as St. Peter says."
"Paul," remarked Jack.
"Very likely, though Peter might be supposed to know most about wives.Jack, dear, let us settle this at once, because I am infernally hungry,and the thought of Edith's eating cold beef makes me feel homesick. Ithink I had much better ask Waldenech to our dance. There he is: I'veknown him pretty well, and it's just because he is nothing more than anacquaintance now, that I wish to ask him. To ask him will show the--thegulf between us."
Jack shook his head.
"I prefer to show the gulf by not asking him," he said.
Dodo frowned, and tapped the skirt of her riding-habit with her whip.She was rather tired and very hungry, for she had been playing bridgetill two o'clock the night before, and had got up at eight to go outriding, and, meaning to have breakfast afterwards, had found herselfplunged in the arrangements for her ball, which had lasted withoutintermission till this moment. But she felt unwilling to give this pointup, unless Jack absolutely put his foot down with regard to it.
"I think I am right," she said. "He is rather a devil."
"All the more reason for not asking him."
"Do you mean that you forbid me?" she asked.
He thought for a moment.
"Yes, I forbid you," he said.
Dodo got up at once, flicked him in the face with the end of herriding-whip, and before he had really time to blink, kissed him onexactly the same spot, which happened to be the end of his nose.
"That is finished, then," she said in the most good-humored voice. "Andnow I have both the whip and the whip-hand. If anything goes wrong,darling, I shall say 'I told you so,' till you wish you had never beenborn."
He caught her whip and her hands in his.
"You couldn't make me wish that," he said.
Her whole face melted into a sunlight of adorable smiles.
"Oh, Jack, do you really mean that?" she asked. "And because of me?"
He pulled her close to him.
"I suppose I should mean in spite of you," he said. "Go and eat withthat ogre Edith. And then, darling, will you rest a little? You lookrather tired."
She raised her eyes to his.
"But I am tired," she said. "It would be a disgrace not to be tiredevery day. It would show you hadn't made the most of it."
"I don't like you to be tired," he said, "especially since it isn'tlunch-time yet. You haven't got much more to do, to-day, I hope."
"But lots, and all so jolly. Oh, my dear, the world is as full as thesea at high-tide. It would be wretched not to fling oneself into it. Butit is only high-tide till after my dance. Then we go down to Meering,and snore, and sleep like pigs and eat like kittens, and sprout likemushrooms."
"You've asked a houseful there," objected Jack.
"Yes, darling, but it's only people like you and Esther and Hugh. Ishan't bother about you."
"Is Hugh coming there?" he asked.
"Yes. He goes abroad directly afterwards, as he has exchanged from theForeign Office into the Embassy at Rome for six months. He is wise, Ithink. He doesn't want to be here when Nadine is married, nor for sometime afterwards. But he wants to see her again first."
"The rest is wise," said Jack, "but that is abominably foolish."
"Perhaps it is, but how one hates a young man to be altogether wise. Awise young man is quite intolerable. In fact wisdom generally isintolerable. It would be intolerable of me to lie down after lunch, andnot eat and drink what I chose. You would be intolerable if you didn'tmake yourself so utterly foolish about me. Oh, Jack, let us die ifnecessary, but don't let us be wise before that."
Jack had nothing to say to this remarkable aspiration, and Dodo went outto join Edith. But he sat still on the edge of the table after she hadgone, not altogether at ease. During the last month or so, he hadseveral times experienced impulses not to be accounted for rationally,which had made him ask her if she felt quite well, and now that hecollected these occasions in his mind, he could not recollect any veryreassuring response on her part. She had told him not to fuss, she hadstood before him, radiant, brilliant and said, "Do I look particularlyunwell? Why do you want to spoil the loveliest time of all my life?" Butshe did not seem to have given him any direct answer at all, and thecumulative effect of those possible evasions troubled him a little. Buthe soon told himself that such a cloud was born of his imagination only,for it was impossible to conceive, when he let himself contemplate thememory of those days since last July, that there could be anything wrongbehind them, in so serene a beneficence of happiness were they wrapped.He had never dreamed that the world held such store, and he had not everso faintly realized how jejune and barren his life had been before. He,for all his fifty years, had not yet lived one-half of them, for lessthan half himself had passed through the months that made them up. Itwas as if all his life he had dreamed, dreamed with God knew what shocksand catastrophes that Dodo was his, and last July only he awoke to findthat his arms were indeed about her, and that she herself was pressedclose to him. And she, too, had told him that she was happy, not pleasedmerely, or excited or thrilled, but happy. Incredible as it seemed tohis modest soul, her happiness was one with his. It seemed there wasnothing left to ask God for; the only possible attitude was to stand upand praise and thank Him. Jack did that every day and night that passed.
Dodo, when she left her husband, had not gone straight to thedining-room to join Edith and the cold beef. For half an hour before,she had been conscious of a queer and rather sickening pain, that hadmade it an effort to continue enthusiastically telephoning and arguing.She had had no real doubt in her own mind that it was the result of arather strenuous morning without any food except the slice of bread andbutter that had accompanied her early bedroom tea, but she thought thatshe would go upstairs and have her hot bath, which was sure to make herquite comfortable, before she ate. Her bathroom which opened out of herbedroom was prepared for her, the water steaming and smelling of thedelicious verbena-salts which her maid had put into it, and convincedthat she would feel perfectly fit again after it, she quickly undressed,and went in with bare feet to enjoy herself. But even as she took offher dressing-gown, she had a start of pain that for the momentfrightened her, and caused her to stand naked by her bath, holding on tothe edge of it. Then the pain gradually drew away, as if pulled out ofher by a string, and in a minute more she was quite herself again. Butthere was the memory of it left, like a black patch, so it seemed, evenwhen it had quite ceased. However, it had gone now, and instinctivelyobeying the habit of years, she swiftly turned her mind to contemplatethe thoroughly delightful things that lay in front of her, rather thanthe disturbing moment that had passed now, leaving only a black patch inmemory. But before she slipped into the hot aromatic water, she wipedthe sweat from her forehead. She splashed the steaming water over herback, wriggling a little at the touch of it.
"O Lord, how nice!" she said to herself. "And it's hardly possible tobear it. And that reminds me that I utterly forgot to say my prayersthis morning, because I was in such a hurry. Any one would have been onsuch a lovely morning, with such a lovely horse waiting at the door. ButI am having the nicest time that anybody ever had, and I'll try not tobe quite such a disgrace as I used to be."
Dodo gave a loud sigh of reverent content and splashed again. It must beunderstood that she was saying her forgotten prayers.
"And Jack's a perfect darling," she went on, "and I am so pleased tolove somebody. I never loved anybody before really, if you know what Imean by love, except perhaps Nadine. It makes the most tremendousdifference, and one doesn't think about oneself absolutely all thetime, though I daresay very nearly. Of course I was always fond ofp
eople, but I think that was chiefly because they were mostly so nice tome. I must go to church next Sunday, which is to-morrow, and do all thisproperly, but it would have been much more convenient if it had been theday after to-morrow, as I think I promised Jack to play golf with himto-morrow. But I'll see what can be done. Now I've dropped the soap, andisn't everything extraordinarily mixed up! Oh, please don't let me haveany more pain like what I had just now, if it's all the same; but ofcourse if I must have it, well, there it is. But I hope it doesn't meananything nasty--"
Dodo dropped the soap which she had just rescued from the bottom of thecloudy water, and looked up with bright eyes.
"Oh, my dear, can it be that?" she said aloud. "Is it possible?"
She recollected that she had said "my dear" when she was by way ofsaying her forgotten prayers, and so added "Amen" very loudly andpiously. Then, quite revivified, she got out, dried herself with greatspeed and went downstairs half-dressed, with an immense fur-coat tocover deficiencies, since it was impossible to wait any longer for food.She felt no fatigue any more, but a sudden intense eagerness at thethought of what possibly that pain might mean. It seemed almostincredible, but she found herself almost longing for a return of thatwhich had frightened her before.
It was impossible for her to cram any more engagements into that day,since they already fitted into each other like the petals of a rose notyet fully blown, but she made an appointment with her doctor for nextmorning. The interview was not a long one, but Dodo came out from it,wreathed in smiles, immensely excited, and hurried home, where she wentstraight up to Jack's room. She seized him with both hands, and kissedhim indiscriminately.
"Oh, my dear, you can't possibly guess," she said, "because it is quitetoo ridiculous, and only a person like me could possibly have doneanything of the kind, and you're Zacharias, but you needn't be dumb. Oh,Jack, don't you see? Yes: it's that. I'm going to have a baby, insteadof cancer. I was prepared--at least not quite--for its being cancer,which I shouldn't have enjoyed at all, but Dr. Ingram says it's theother thing. Did you ever hear anything so nice, and I am a verywonderful woman, aren't I, and pray God it will be a boy! Oh, Jack,think how bored I was with the bearing of my first child. I didn'tdeserve it, and you used to come and cheer me up. And then, poor littleinnocent, it was taken from me. Poor little chap: he would have beenLord Chesterford now instead of you if he had lived. Won't it seem funnygiving birth to the same baby, so to speak, twice? Ah, my dear, but it'snot the same! It's your child this time, Jack, and I shan't be boredthis time. You see I didn't really become a woman at all till lately. Iwas merely a sprightly little devil, and so I suppose God is giving meanother chance. Jack, it simply must be a boy: I shall love to hearLord Harchester cry this time."
Jack, though informed that he needn't be like Zacharias, had been dumbbecause there was no vacant moment to speak in. The news had amazed andastounded him.
"Oh, Dodo!" he said. "Next to yourself, that is the best gift of all.But I'm not sure I forgive you, for suspecting you were ill, and nottelling me."
"Then I shall get along quite nicely without your forgiveness," saidshe. "Forgiveness, indeed! Or will it be twins? Wouldn't that beexciting? But a boy anyhow: I've ordered him, and he shall have one blueeye because he's yours and one brown eye because he's mine, and so he'llbe like a Welsh collie, and every one will say: 'What a pretty littledog; does he bite?' Jack, I hope he'll be rather a rip when he grows upand make his love to other people's wives. I suppose I oughtn't to wishthat, but I can't help it. I like a boy with a little dash in him. Heshall be about as tall as you, but much better looking, and oh, to thinkthat I once had a boy before, and didn't care! My conscience! I carenow, and only yesterday I said I should probably soon be a grandmother,and now I've got to leave out the grand, and be just a humble motherfirst. I'm not humble: I'm just as proud as I can stick together."
Suddenly this amazing flood of speech stopped, and Dodo grew dim-eyed,and laid her head on her husband's shoulder.
"My soul doth magnify the Lord!" she whispered.
The night of Dodo's ball had arrived, and she was going to lead thecotillion, but not dance more than she felt to be absolutely necessary.She had told everybody what was going to happen to her, in strictprivacy, which was clearly the best way of keeping it secret for thepresent. Since she was not going to dance more than a step or two shehad put on all the jewels she could manage to attach to herself,including the girdle of great emeralds that Waldenech had given her.This was a magnificent adornment, far too nice to give back to him whenshe divorced him, and she meant to let Nadine have it, as soon as shecould bear to part with it herself, which did not seem likely to happenin the immediate future. It consisted of large square stones set inbrilliants, and long pear-shaped emeralds depended from it. Jack hadonce asked her how she could bear to wear it, and she had said:"Darling, when emeralds are as big as that, they help you to bear a gooddeal. They make a perfect Spartan of me." In other respects she worewhat she called the "nursery fender," which was a diamond crown so highthat children would have been safe from falling over it into the fire,the famous Chesterford pearls, and a sort of breast-plate of rubies,like the High-priest.
"I suppose it's dreadfully vulgar to wear so many jewels," she said toJack, as they took their stand at the top of the stairs, where Dodointended to remain and receive her guests, as long as she could bear notbeing in the ball-room, "but most people who have got very nice stoneslike me I notice are vulgar. The truly refined people are those whohave got three garnets and one zircon. They also say that big pearls,great eggs like these, are vulgar and seed-pearls tasteful. What a word,'tasteful'! And they talk of people's being very simply and exquisitelydressed. Thank God, no one can say I'm simply dressed to-night. I'm not:I'm the most elaborate object for miles round. Jack, when my baby-- DearLady Ayr, how nice to see you, and Esther and John. Seymour dined here,and he has been taking notes of our clothes for the new paper called_Gowns_!"
As in the old days, when Dodo piped, the world danced, and she was asvital, as charged with that magnetism that spreads enjoyment rounditself more infectiously than influenza, to-night as ever. Her beauty,too, was like a rose, full-blown, but without one petal yet fallen: andshe stood there, in the glory of her incomparable form, jeweled andsuperb, a Juno decked for a feast among the high gods. All the world ofher friends streamed up the stairs to be welcomed by that wonderfulsmiling face, and many instead of going in to the ball-room waited roundthe balustrade at the stair-head watching her. By degrees the tide ofarriving guests slackened, and she turned to Jack.
"Jack dear, the band is turning all my blood into champagne," she said."Come and have one turn with me round the ball-room. Why are they allstanding about, instead of going to dance? Do they want to be shown how?Just once round, or perhaps twice, and then I will stop quiet until thecotillion."
Dodo suddenly knit her eyebrows, and looked sharply down into the hallbelow.
"I was right, and you were wrong," she said. "There's Waldenech justcome in. He is not going to come upstairs. Wait here for me."
Jack stepped forward.
"No, that's for me to do," he said
Dodo laid her hand on his arm.
"Do as I tell you, my dear," she said. "Wait here: it won't take me aminute."
She went straight down into the hall: all smiles and gaiety had left herface, but its vitality was quite unimpaired. The color that was in hercheeks had left them, but it was not fear that had driven it away, butanger. He was just receiving a ticket for his hat and coat, and she wentstraight up to him.
"Waldenech, take your hat and coat, and go away," she said. "You musthave come to the wrong house, you were not asked here."
He turned at the sound of her voice, and looked up at her.
"You incomparable creature," he said rather thickly. "You pearl!"
"Give the Prince his hat and coat," said Dodo. "Now go, Waldenech,before I disgrace you. I mean it: if you do not go quietly and at once,you shall be turned out."
His eyes wandered unsteadily from her face to her bosom, and down to herwaist where the great girdle gleamed and shone.
"You still wear the jewels I gave you," he said.
Dodo instantly undid the clasp, and the girdle fell on to the carpet.
"I do not wear them any more," she said. "Take them, and go."
He stood there for a moment without moving. Then he bent down and pickedthem up.
"I ask your pardon most humbly," he said. "I am a gentleman, really.Please let me see you put the girdle on again, before I go; and say youforgive me. If your husband knows I am here, ask his pardon for mealso."
Some great wave of pity came over Dodo, utterly quenching her anger.
"Oh, Waldenech, you have all my forgiveness, my dear," she said. "Buttake the jewels."
"I ask you to give me that sign of your forgiveness," he said.
Dodo smiled at him.
"Fasten it yourself, then," she said.
His fingers halted over this, but in a moment he had found and securedthe clasp.
"Good-night," he said.
* * * * *
The whole scene had lasted not more than a minute, and scarcelyhalf-a-dozen people had seen her speaking to him, or knew who it was.Berts, who had just arrived, was one of these. Dodo turned to him.
"Ah, there you are, Berts," she said. "We are going to begin thecotillion exactly at twelve. Yes, poor dear Waldenech looked in, but hecouldn't stop. You might remember not to tell Nadine. And why wasn'tEdith here for dinner? Or isn't she staying here now? Now I come tothink of it I haven't seen her all day."
"She left you yesterday," said Berts, "and I've just left her at homeeating a chop and correcting proofs of a part-song. She was alsosinging. She's coming though, and says she will lead the cotillion withme, and she's sure you oughtn't to. She didn't say why."
Dodo went up to Jack.
"He went like a lamb, poor dear," she said, "though I thought for amoment he was going to stop like a lion. It gave me a little heart-ache,Jack, for, after all, you know-- Now we are going twice round theball-room. It isn't much of a heart-ache, it's only a little one, and Iexpect it will soon stop."
This, it may be expected, was the case, for certainly Dodo did notbehave as if she had any kind of ache, however little, anywhere, and,whether she danced or sat still, was the sun and center of the brilliantscene. Wall-flowers raised their heads on her approach, and weregalvanized into vitality. She ordained that there should be a waltz inwhich nobody should take part who was not over forty, led off herselfwith Lord Ayr, who had not had a wink of sleep all evening, and was fartoo much surprised to be capable of resistance, and convinced him thathis dancing days were not nearly over yet. All manner of women who hadhoped that nobody dreamed that they were more than thirty-five at themost followed her, reckless of the antiquity which they had publiclyand irrevocably acknowledged, while Edith Arbuthnot, arriving in themiddle of this and being quite unable to find a disengaged gentleman ofsuitable years, pirouetted up and down the room all by herself, untilshe clawed hold of Jack, who was taking the breathless Lady Ayr to getsome strictly unalcoholic refreshment.
"I don't know how I came to do it," said this lady to Esther, as shedrank her lemonade. "I haven't danced for years. Somehow I feel as if itwas Lady Chesterford's fault. She has got into everybody's head, itseems to me. We're all behaving like boys and girls. Fancy Ayr dancing,too! Ayr, I saw you dancing."
Lord Ayr had come in with Dodo, at the end of this, unutterablybriskened up.
"And I saw you dancing, my dear," he said. "And I hope you feel all thebetter for it, because I do."
"We all do," said Dodo, "and we'll all do it again. I want everything atonce, a cigarette and an ice and a glass of champagne and Berts. Esther,be angelic and fetch me Berts. Don't tell him only I want him, but fetchhim. Oh, Jack, isn't it fun: yes, darling, we're going to begin thecotillion immediately, and I'm going to be ever so quiet. Edith, it wasdear of you to offer to take my place, but I wouldn't give it up toTerpsichore herself or even Salome. Jack dear, go and make every one goand sit down in two rows round the ball-room, and if anybody finds arather large diamond about, it's probably mine, though I never wrote myname on it.... Wasn't it careless? It resembles the _Koh-i-noor_. Oh,Berts, there you are. Now don't lose your head, but give all theplainest women the most favors. Then the pretty ones will easily see theplan, and the plain ones won't. It's the greatest happiness for theplainest number."
* * * * *
Certainly it was the most successful cotillion. As Dodo had arranged,all the more unattractive people got selected first, and all the moreattractive, as Dodo had foreseen, saw exactly what was happening. Thestyle was distinctly anti-Leap-year and in the mirror-figure men,instead of women, rejected the faces in the glass, and Lord Ayr hadnothing whatever to say to his wife, who was instantly accepted by Jack.And at the end, the band preceding, they danced through the entirehouse, from cellar to garret. They waltzed through drawing-rooms anddining-room, and up the stairs, and through Dodo's bedroom, and throughJack's dressing-room, where his pajamas were lying on his bed (Berts putthem on _en passant_), and into _cul-de-sacs_, and impenetrableservants' rooms. And somehow it was Dodo all the time who inspired thesechildish orgies: those near her saw her, those behind danced wildlyafter her. There was no accounting for it, except in the fact that whileshe was enjoying herself so enormously, it was impossible not to enjoytoo. Sometimes it was she shrieking, "Yes, straight on," sometimes itwas her laugh-choked voice, saying "No, don't go in there," but the factthat she was leading them, with her nursery fender, and her vitality,and her ropes of pearls, and her complete _abandon_ to the spirit ofdancing, with Berts for partner in Jack's pajamas, made a magnet that itwas impossible not to follow. They passed through bedroom and attic,they went twice round the huge kitchen, where the _chef_, at Dodo'simperious command, laid down his culinary implements (which at themoment meant an ice-pail) and joined the dance with the firstkitchen-maid. Then Dodo saw a footman standing idle, and called to him,"Take my maid, William," and William with a broad grin embraced aperfectly willing Frenchwoman of great attractions, and joined in thedance. Like the fairies in a Midsummer-night's Dream, they danced thewhole hour through, Dodo with Berts, the chef with the kitchen-maid,William with Dodo's maid, Lord Ayr with Nadine, Lady Ayr with somebodywhom nobody knew by sight, who had probably come there by mistake, andthe first twenty couples or so finished up in the cellar. This, thoughit seemed improvised, had been provided for, and there were cane-chairsto rest in, and bottles instantly opened. The rest, following the band,danced their way back to the supper-room, where they were almostimmediately joined by the cellar party, who were hungry as well asthirsty, and had nothing to eat down below.
* * * * *
It was between three and four o'clock that the last guests took theirways. As the dance had been announced to take place from ten till two,the cordial spirit of the invitation had been made good. And at lengthDodo found herself alone with Jack.
"Lovely, just lovely," she said, as he unclasped her diamond collar."Oh, Jack, what a darling world it is!"
"Not tired?"
Dodo faced round, and her brilliance and freshness was a thing to marvelat
"Look at me!" she said. "Tell me if I look tired!"
He laid the collar down on her table: her neck seemed to him soinfinitely more beautiful than the gorgeous bauble with which it hadbeen covered, a Beauty released from beauteous bonds.
"Not very. Ah, Dodo, and this is the best of all, when they have allgone, and you are left."
She put her face up to his.
"Why, of course," she said. "Do you suppose I wasn't looking forward tothis one minute alone with you all the evening? I was, my dear, thoughif I said I thought of it all the time, I should be telling a silly lie.But it was anchored firmly in my mind all the time. Oh, what prettyspeeches for a middle-aged old couple to make to each other! Bu
t thefact is that we get on very nicely together. Good-night, old boy. It'sall too lovely. Oh, Daddy! Fancy becoming Daddy! Oh, by the way, didHugh come? I didn't see him."
"Yes, he sat out a couple of dances with Nadine, and then went away."
"Poor old chap!" said Dodo.
As has been mentioned, Dodo proposed to take her family and a great manyother people as well to spend Christmas down at Meering, which at thisinclement time of the year often had spells of warm and genial weather.Scattered through the same weeks there were to be severalshooting-parties at Winston, but motor-cars, driven at a sufficientlyhigh speed, made light of the difficulty of being in two places at thesame time, and on the day after the dance she talked these arrangementsover with Nadine.
"In any case," she said, "you can be hostess in one house and I, in theother, so that we can be in two places at once quite easily, so Jack iswrong as usual. Jack dear, I said 'as usual.'"
Jack got up: it was he who had made the ill-considered remark that youcan't be in two places at once.
"I heard," he said, "and you may hear, too, that I will not have yougoing up to North Wales every other day, and flying down again the next.Otherwise you may settle what you like. Personally, I shall be atWinston almost all the time, as there's a heap of business to be done,and as Nadine hates shooting-parties--"
"Oh, a story!" said Nadine.
"Well, my dear, you always do your best to spoil them by making a largequantity of young gentlemen, who have been asked to shoot, sit round youand talk to you instead."
"Papa Jack, if you want to call me a flirt, pray do so. I will forgiveyou instantly. And to save you trouble, I will tell you what you aredriving to--"
"At," said Jack.
"Driving to," repeated Nadine with considerable asperity, for she wasaware she was wrong. "You want me to be at Meering, and Mama to be atWinston. So why not say so without calling me a flirt?"
"This daughter of Eve--" began Jack.
"My name is Dorothea," interrupted Dodo, "but they call me Dodo forshort. I was never called Eve either before, during, or after baptism."
"All I mean," said Jack, "is that Dorothea is not going to divide theweek into week-ends, and be twenty-four hours at Meering and thentwenty-four at Winston. The master of the house has spoken."
"What a bully!" said Nadine.
"Then I shan't give you a wedding-present," said Jack.
"Darling Papa Jack, you are not a bully. Let's all go down to Meering ina few days, and stop there over Christmas. Then you and Dorothea shallgo to Winston, and I shall be left all alone at Meering, and you shallhave your horrid shooting-parties and she shall do the flirting insteadof me."
"Strictly speaking, will you be all alone at Meering?"
"Not absolutely. I have asked a few friends."
"Who is going to chaperone you all, darling?" said Dodo.
"We shall chaperone each other, as usual."
"That you and Dodo can settle," said Jack. "Good-by: don't quarrel."
"Indeed, that will be all right, Mama," said Nadine, "or I daresayEdith would come. Anyhow, we were often all together before like that inthe summer."
"Yes, my dear, but it's a little different now," said Dodo. "You areengaged to Seymour, and Hugh is going to be there, too."
"Yes, but that makes it all the simpler."
Dodo got up.
"I wonder if you realize that Seymour is in love with you," she said."In love with you like Hugh is, I mean."
"Perfectly, and he is charming about it," said Nadine. "And I practiseevery morning being in love with him like that. I think I am getting onvery well. I dreamed about him last night. I thought he gave me a greatbox of jade and when I opened it, there was a rabbit inside--"
"That shows great progress," said Dodo.
"Mama, I think you are laughing at me. But what would you have? I amvery fond of him, he is handsome and clever and charming. I expected tofind it tiresome when he told me he was in love like that, but it is notthe least so."
Memories of the man she had married when she was even younger thanNadine, came unbidden into Dodo's mind: she remembered her firsthusband's blind, dog-like devotion and her own _ennui_ when he strove toexpress it, to communicate it to her.
"Nadine," she said, "treat it reverently, my dear. There is nothing inthe world that a man can give a woman that is to be compared to that. Itis better than a rabbit in a jade-box. When I was even younger thanyou, Papa Jack's cousin gave it me, and--and I didn't reverence it.Don't repeat my irreparable error."
"Weren't you nice to him?" asked Nadine.
"I was a brute beast to him, my darling."
"Oh, I shan't be a brute beast to Seymour," said Nadine. "Besides, Idon't suppose you were. You didn't know: wasn't that all?"
Dodo wiped the mist from her eyes.
"No, that wasn't nearly all. But be tender with it, and pray, oh, mydear, pray, that you may catch that--that 'noble fever.' Who calls itthat? It is so true. And Hughie? I never saw him last night."
Nadine made a little gesture of despair.
"Ah, dear Hughie," she said. "That is not very happy. That is so largelywhy I wanted to marry Seymour quickly, in January instead of later, sothat it may be done, and Hughie will not fret any more. I hate seeinghim suffer, and I can't marry him. It would not be fair: it would becheating him, as I told him before."
"But you are not cheating Seymour?" asked Dodo.
"Not in the same way. He is not simple, like Hugh. Hugh has only onethought: Seymour has plenty of others. He has such a mind: it is subtleand swift like a woman's. Hughie has the mind of a great retriever dog,and the eyes of one. There is all the difference in the world betweenthem. Seymour knows what he is in for, and still wants it. Hugh thinkshe knows, but he doesn't. I understand Hugh so well: I know I am right.And I would have given anything to be able to be in love with him. Itwas a pity!"
There was something here that Dodo had not known and there was adangerous sound about it.
"Do you mean you wish you were in love with him?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, Mama, but I'm not. I used to practice trying to be for monthsand months, just as I am practising for Seymour now. La, la, what aworld!"
Nadine paused a moment.
"Of course I've quite stopped practising being in love with Hugh since Iwas engaged to Seymour," she said with an air of the most candid virtue."That _would_ be cheating."
Nadine got up looking like a tall white lily.
"Seymour is so good for me," she said. "He doesn't think much of mybrain, you know, and I used to think a good deal of it. He doesn't sayI'm stupid, but he hasn't got the smallest respect for my mind. I am notsure whether he is right, but I expect seeing so much of Hugh made methink I was clever. I wonder if being in love makes people stupid. Hehimself seems to me to be not quite so subtle as he was, and perhapsit's my fault. What do you think, Mama?"