Coquette

trust. She had set her heart upon it, although she knew that asMiss Summers was no older than herself, and as little likely to marry,she might fruitlessly wait a lifetime. Anything which suggested apossible rival, even though it might only be in the distant future, wasa cause of sleeplessness to her, and after a sleepless night, when allpossible causes of grief, summoned from memory and the inventions of herown unquiet spirit, came into her head, Miss Rapson was one of the mostinsufferable women in the dressmaking. "If I was boss here," thoughtSally, "and I had any trouble with her, she'd go like a shot. Easily getsomeone in _her_ place." But she did not show that she was thinkingthis. She said: "Yes, Miss Rapson. No, Miss Rapson. I'll tell MissSummers, Miss Rapson," in the most respectful way. It was Miss Rapsonwho first suspiciously sounded Miss Summers about Sally. "Do you thinkshe's _deep_?" she asked.

  Now that Miss Summers had more to do, Sally was very useful to her.Also, Sally came to admire Miss Summers more than ever. She might befunny, with her eternally cold nose and her cat-like appearance, but shewas an extraordinarily capable woman. She rose to emergencies, which isthe sign of essential greatness. Not once did Sally see Miss Summerslose her nerve. True, there was no need for diplomacy or largegeneralship; but when work has to be arranged so that all customers aresatisfied, not only with its quality but with the promptness of itsdelivery, a good deal of skill and management is required. It wasforthcoming; and Sally was at hand to give important aid. The weak spotin the government of the business seemed to be Gaga, who betrayedincessant vacillation, and came in so often to consult Miss Summers thatshe became quite ruffled and indignant with him. "Such nonsense!" shewould say to Sally. "A grown up man like that asking such sillyquestions. Why a _girl_ would do it better." She had all the capablewoman's contempt for the average member of her own sex. "Girls!" shewould sniff. Shrewdly, Sally watched the comedy; but for all hershrewdness she never quite understood the cause of Gaga's weakness. Itwas that Madam had insisted upon early obedience in days when Gaga'sprecocious ill-health made him pliable; and a docile child becomes atractable boy and finally a man who needs constant guidance. Sally onlysaw the last stage. She nodded grimly to herself one day. "Wantssomebody to look after him," she said. "Somebody to manage him." Withone of her unerring supplements she added confidently: "I could managehim. And look after him, too, for that matter. Poor lamb!"

  The extra work kept Miss Summers and Miss Rapson late almost everyevening, and Sally also stayed, so that in the evenings she often sawGaga. She even, once or twice, when Miss Summers had gone to consultMiss Rapson (who stood upon her dignity and kept to her own room),sought pretexts for going into the room where Gaga was. She went in tolook at the Directory, or she pretended that she had supposed MissSummers with him; and on these occasions she stood at the door, andtalked, until Miss Summers' imminent return made her fly innocently backto her seat. She enjoyed observing Gaga's pleasure, and even excitement,at her approach. It gratified her naughty vanity and her impulse to theexploitation of others. One evening when she had thus stolen fiveminutes, she found Gaga ruffling his hair over an account, and at hisgreat sigh of bewilderment she turned from the book she was needlesslyconsulting.

  "Got a headache, Mr. Bertram?" she timidly and commiseratingly asked.

  Gaga looked up at her gratefully, a comic expression of dismay upon hisface. The books lay before him upon the table, and an account had beentransferred from one to another. A litter of papers was also there. Hewas in the last stages of perplexity.

  "No," he said. "It's this account. I can't make it out. See if you can."

  Sally went and stood close to him, leaning over to examine the books, sothat his shoulder touched her side. She knew that the contact thrilledhim, and for an instant was so occupied with the recognition that shecould not collect her thoughts. He had been adding up in pencil on asheet of paper the two series of entries, and there was a discrepancybetween them. Sally checked his figures: there seemed nothing wrong withthem. She herself added the two series of entries. Then, with a pointedfinger she counted the entries. One of them had been omitted. Anotherexamination showed which of them it was. She had solved hismystification. Her small forefinger pointed to that entry whichaccounted for the difference in the two casts. Gaga looked up at her inwondering admiration.

  "What a marvellous girl you are!" he impulsively ejaculated. "I've beenworrying over this for ten minutes. Thank you. Er--thank you."

  Still she did not immediately leave him, and he made no attempt to move.It would have been the easiest thing for Gaga to encircle her with hisarm, but he did not do so. At last Sally started away.

  "I must go," she said breathlessly.

  "Thank you, Miss Minto. I'm.... I'm so much ... obliged," stammeredGaga. She was at the door. "Oh, Miss Minto...." Sally turned, amischievous expectancy upon her face. "Er...." Gaga swallowed. A faintcolour rose to his grey cheeks. "I say, I wish you'd come out to dinnerwith me. I...."

  "Oh, Mr. Bertram," murmured Sally. "It's very kind of you. I...."

  "_Do_ come. I'm ... so much obliged to you, you know. I mean, I...."

  Sally gave a quick nod. She peeped to see that Miss Summers had notreturned.

  "Well, you see," she said. Then: "All right, I will. Thank you verymuch."

  "To-night? In half an hour? Splendid. I'll be at the corner of thestreet. Just outside that big corner place. Thank you. That'll be fine."He was jubilant. Sally went back to her place with her mouth puckeredinto a curious smile that nobody could have understood. She felt thatshe had embarked at last upon the inevitable adventure with Gaga, andher sensation for the moment was one of pure triumph. A moment later,triumph was suffused with a faint derision. She thought how easy it wasto handle Gaga. She felt how easy, how temptingly easy, it would bealways to handle him. But all the same she was rather excited. It wasthe first time she had been out to dinner with a man. She knew he wouldlook handsome and like a gentleman; she knew he would have plenty ofmoney. She was glad to think that she was wearing her newest frock, thesmartest she had. Well, she demanded of herself, why not? It'll pleasehim, or he wouldn't have asked me! Would they have wine to drink? shewondered. A momentary self-distrust seized her in the matter oftable-manners; but she shook it off. She would watch what Gaga did. Shemustn't drink too much. She must mind her step. Then, irresistibly:"What a lark!" murmured Sally. She was very demure upon Miss Summers'return, and listened with equanimity to a few remarks made by MissSummers as to the capacity of Miss Rapson. In reality her thoughts wereoccupied with speculations as to the entertainment which lay ahead. SoGaga had never given Rose anything; more fool Rose! Rose! She didn'tknow how to manage a man! She didn't know anything at all. She had beenborn pretty, and she thought that was all you had to do. Sally had notbeen born pretty; she had had to fight against physical disadvantages.It had taught her a great deal. It had taught her the art of tactics.Sally was very much wiser than she had been a year earlier. She hadlearnt immeasurably from her contact with Toby. She had kept her eyesopen. She was unscrupulous. It was of no use to be scrupulous in thisworld; you lost all the fun of the fair. Sally was hilarious at her ownirreverent unscrupulousness.

  Half an hour later she slipped out, and along the street Gaga waswaiting. He raised his hat--a thing Toby would never have done if he hadleft her so recently--and fell into step beside her. Sally shot a brighteye full of assurance. As Gaga showed himself nervous, so her assuranceincreased.

  "Where would you like to go?" asked Gaga.

  "Oo, you know better than ... I do," answered Sally, meekly. He stoppedfor a moment; then turned eastward; then stopped afresh, hesitatinguntil Sally slightly frowned.

  "Yes, we'll go to the Singe d'Or," he explained. "Unless you.... No,we'll go to the Rezzonico. You'd like to have music, I expect. You know,it's awfully good of you to come. I've wanted to talk to you ever sinceI heard you sing so beautifully."

  The Love Path! Sally gave a start. What had Mrs. Perce said! Sally mightnot have a fortune in her voice, she mischievously thought; but at leastshe had a
dinner! Well, master Toby; and what did he think of that, ifyou please?

  "I'm very fond of music," she said, glibly.

  "I could tell...." There was a pause. "Do you ... do you sing much?"

  "No, not much." Sally was speaking like a lady. "Ai ... a ... don't getvery much taime. I'm very fond of. It's so ... it's so...." She wasrather lost for a phrase that should sound well.

  "Quite, quite," agreed Gaga, eagerly.

  "I wish I could play," Sally hurried to say, feeling that she had failedin effectiveness.