Coquette

"Well, you ought to know, I suppose.It's not as smart as yours."

  "D'you like it, Toby?" asked Sally, eagerly. He had never said anythingbefore about her clothes. She was suddenly sportive with pride in hisinterest.

  Toby nodded. He had been betrayed into his speech of approval. It wasnot natural to him.

  "It's all right," he nonchalantly said. "I've seen worse."

  Sally shook his arm, provoked by a variety of feelings. She loved him totease her. How strange! She felt a hundred years older than Toby, andyet she felt like a little girl. And when she was with him she did nothave to mind her tongue, but could be as slangy and as natural as shepleased. Toby did not know any better. She had not always to bethinking, with him, of what a real lady might be expected to say. He wasa relaxation for her.

  "That's right," she said. "Flatter me. Make me get swelled head. Don'tthink of the consequences. Ladle it out. Tell me I look a littleprincess."

  "No, Sally. I wouldn't do that," answered Toby, possessively. "I don'twant you to get above yourself. You're a bit uppish as it is. Noticedit? Well, I have. And that's a thing I want to talk to you about."

  "Oh," said Sally in a dangerous tone. "What is? Look, there's a bus!"

  With Sally's nimbleness and Toby's muscle they obtained seats upon thetop of the bus, and, seated together, resumed their conversation in low,grumbling tones. She first repeated her question with newaggressiveness, not at all deterred from the possibility of a row by herdelight in Toby's company.

  "About you," said Toby. "You see, smartness is all very well; but ifyou're going to be a sailor's wife you got to look where you're going.Now, your last letter. It said you was being a good girl, and takingevening classes--that's because I told you my aunt see you out with afellow one night, coming from the schools. Now what the Hell's the goodof evening classes to a sailor's wife; and who _is_ this fellow auntseen you with?"

  "I suppose even a sailor's wife wants to know how to cook," remarkedSally.

  "Oh cooking," grimly said Toby. "Does the fellow learn cooking, too?"

  Sally was impudent. She was enjoying herself. She rejoiced that heshould be so jealous and authoritative when she knew that she couldalways play with him.

  "I don't know which fellow your aunt saw," she answered flippantly."There's so many of them at the classes. I can't tell which it might be.Did she tell you what he was like?"

  "She told me you was arm in arm."

  "That's a lie," said Sally, curtly. "Nosey old cat. She never saw me armin arm with anybody. And even if I had been, what business is it ofhers? What does she know about me? About me and you?"

  "She see us last time I was home. See us twice. That's why she told meabout you and this other fellow. See? She says--that girl I see you withseems to have got another young man--light come, light go."

  "O-o-oh!" Sally gritted her teeth. "I _would_ like to have your aunt bythe back hair, Toby! Old cat! She's made it up, I expect. Interferingold beast! But, after all, there's a lot of fellows at the class, and weall come out together, and sometimes they walk a bit of the way homewith me. That's all it is. Nothing to make a fuss about. I'm not a nun,got to pass men by on the other side of the road, am I?"

  "Well, I won't have it!" cried Toby, restless in his seat. His dark facewas darker. There was a red under his tan, and a gleam of his teeth thatmade him like an angry dog. "And that's enough of it. I won't have it.You belong to me. See? And if I catch another fellow nosing round I'llsplit his head open. Damned sauce! Just because I'm away, you think youcan go marching about...."

  He sulked for several minutes, frowning, and biting a torn thumbnail.

  "What you done to your thumb?" demanded Sally taking it quickly betweenher own fingers. Toby made no answer, but, very flushed, drew his thumbaway. With her chin a little out, and an air of quietly humming toherself, Sally looked at all the shops and houses upon their route, andat the people walking sedately upon the pavements. As it was Saturdayafternoon, many of the West End stores were shuttered; but as the buswent farther west, and into suburban areas, there was great marketingactivity. Sally watched all the people and observed all the shops withan absorbed childish interest that was almost passionate in itsintensity. She took no notice of Toby for a quarter of an hour. He mightnot have been there. This was his punishment for being outspoken andsuspicious. She was not going to have that sort of thing from anybody.But if Sally was supercilious, Toby was stubborn. Once his grievance hadbeen voiced, and had been taken flippantly, he was reduced to glowering.At Sally's continued disregard, and after a going over in his own mindof all they had said, Toby began to feel uncomfortable. He began to feela fool. At the precise moment when his sensation of foolishness wasstrongest upon him, Sally turned and slipped her arm within his, andpressed his elbow warmly against her side. They did not speak; but peacewas made. Presently Sally began to draw Toby's attention to things theypassed, and although at first he was surly in his responses, Toby wasgradually and surely appeased by her masterly handling of him. He wasnot free from suspicion--she did not want him to be, because it enhancedher value; but he was dominated by her cajolery.

  When they arrived in Richmond, and had climbed the hill, and had lookeddown from the Terrace Gardens upon that lovely piece of the Thames whichis to be seen from the height, Sally and Toby walked arm in arm aboutthe Deer Park. They saw the leaves falling, quite yellow, although thetrees were still dense with foliage; and the crisp air exhilarated them.In the sun it was hot and dazzlingly bright.

  "Tell me about what you've seen, Toby," suddenly asked Sally.

  "Seen?" Toby fumbled a minute in his mind. "What d'you mean--seen?"

  "At sea, and when you go ashore. _You_ know. Ships and places."

  Toby looked puzzled. "Well, what's there to tell?" he questioned. "Aship's a ship. You wouldn't understand if I was to tell you I'd seen aschooner, or a barque, or a cattle-boat, or a dinghy." He was ratherlofty. "I mean, you wouldn't _know_."

  "How do _you_ know, then? How can _you_ tell the difference?" shepersisted.

  Toby laughed at the fact that she had not recognised how he had slippedin the dinghy among recognisable ships. He had supposed everybody knewwhat a dinghy was. He pointed that fact out to Sally, who could not seethat she had betrayed such glaring foolishness. Pressed to confinehimself to comparable vessels, Toby condescendingly resumed:

  "It's a question of the size, and the rig.... All that." He waselaborately the expert, sure that an amateur could never understand.Sally might have retorted with baffling words about seams and camisolesand voile; but she was shrewd in mystic silence. "You'd have to see theships.... Then I could point it all out to you. I mean, a gunboat or acruiser or a trawler.... What I mean, they're _different_. See a bigliner going out from Liverpool: I tell you, it's a sight. Flocks ofpeople, and the old thing moving along like grease. Leaves you standing.At first you don't half feel a fool. But on a boat like ours there's notime to look about. We're under-manned. That's what it is. Not enough ofus to make it light for everybody. Ought to be altered. Got to be doingchores the whole time. Swabbing down, cooking----"

  "Can _you_ cook?" Sally was swift, arch, incredulous.

  Toby grinned. Then he remembered her classes--her "cooking" classes--andhis aunt's message, and grew suddenly serious.

  "Look here, Sally. That cooking. I don't like them other fellows," hesaid. "I mean to say, meeting them at classes, and walking home, andthat."

  Sally held his arm tightly. A look of scorn appeared upon her face. Inher heart a feeling arose of impatience and amused enjoyment of hisconcern about a thing that was to her so trivial compared with her lovefor himself.

  "You going to begin that again?" she demanded. "Silly. Here, put yourface down. There! D'you think I don't love you. Think I don't believeyou're worth ten of those others? Well, I do. And that's enough ofthat."

  Toby was obstinate. He wanted her to be his property. Nevertheless, histone was milder.

  "It's not right, Sally, you going about with other fellows. What I
mean,_you_ think it's all right, but what do _they_ think?"

  "I don't care _what_ they think. I don't care what anybody thinks,except you. And if you don't trust me, well...."

  Toby was manifestly terrified at the removal of her arm from his. Hecaught it again, but she wrenched free. For a few moments they walkedalong together in dead silence, gloomy and disunited. Toby clenched hisfists. He looked about him, and uneasily