CHAPTER XI
Mrs. Lennox was giving one of those little dinners for which she wasjustly famous. To-night it was in honor of Monsieur Jules Gremond, theyoung African explorer who was paying a flying visit to the States. Tomeet him were Miss Davis, a debutante whose prettiness could always becounted on to make a picture; Miss Marston, whose cleverness it wasthought would interest him; and Kenneth Landor, whose attentions to MissDavis had been rather pronounced during the season. Opposite his wifeacross the round table sat Mr. Lennox, than whom there was no moredelightful host.
They had not been long gathered about the table before Mrs. Lennox wasconscious that her guests were lacking in that subtle attraction towardone another which is absolutely indispensable to the success of a smalldinner. Monsieur Gremond, between her and Miss Marston, appeared to belistening in a most politely conventional manner to the girl who wasmaking commonplace conversation with frequent pauses during which heturned to Mrs. Lennox, with whom he immediately fell into interestingtalk. Kenneth Landor was singularly distrait. At first he hadappropriated Miss Davis with his usual devoted air, but after a bit thislanguished and he, too, turned so often to Mrs. Lennox, next whom hesat, that Miss Davis first pouted and then in a fit of pique plungedinto a violent flirtation with Mr. Lennox, much to that person'samusement. Mrs. Lennox found it necessary to throw herself into thebreach here, there and everywhere, but under her skillful manipulationthe talk at last became general and animated.
The interest of the table naturally centered on Gremond, who managedadroitly to keep the conversation off himself, thereby winning theadmiration of his hostess--she rather enjoyed a lion who did not roar.Finally, with the arrival of the savory which followed the dessert--forMrs. Lennox had adopted this English custom, she had the satisfaction ofseeing Miss Marston and her husband deep in talk, Miss Davis and Kenneth"frivoling" as was their wont and was herself free to enjoy atete-a-tete with her guest of honor.
"Your country is a source of endless interest to me, Madame," theFrenchman was saying, "but it is as nothing to your women. They rivalours--even surpass them."
"I am afraid we are in danger of being told that too often," laughed hishostess, gaily.
"Some things bear repetition, Madame."
"Have you known many of us, Monsieur?" she asked, interested. "I thinkyou said you had been over here before."
"Yes, nearly two years ago, before I started off to Africa. It wasindeed the cause of my immediate start for Africa," he said with aretrospective air. "Then, too, Madame, America became very dear to methrough my friendship with Sidney Renshawe--we were like brotherstogether in Paris."
"Ah, yes, I know, he speaks of you with great affection. He will be upfrom Virginia in a day or two, will he not?"
"Not before I am off. I go to New Orleans on important business and fromthere to California, but I shall stay with him here on my return. Ah!you cannot dream what he has been to me," he cried with Gallicenthusiasm, "he--and one other."
"Will you come and tell me about it later, Monsieur, when you havefinished your cigars?" she said softly, picking up her gloves and givingthe signal to rise.
"Madame is very good," he murmured, bowing low as he stood aside for herto pass.
Left together, the three men drew near and by a common interest causedGremond to talk of his explorations for fully half an hour, which timewas all too short to his listeners, who were greatly interested in theman as well as in what he had done. Though they had just met him withinthe week he was well known to them through Renshawe, a warm friend ofKenneth and the Lennoxes and the half hour over their cigars wouldunquestionably have lengthened out indefinitely had the women not beenwaiting for them in the drawing-room.
The party had expected to go to the opera together, but when the menrejoined the women they found a change of plan, Miss Marston havingsecretly confided to Mrs. Lennox that she had been "on the go" sosteadily for weeks that it would be bliss to keep still, and "Couldn'twe all spend the evening here instead?" Pretty, disdainful Miss Davis,seeing in this suggestion possibilities of a prolonged tete-a-tete withKenneth Landor, was enthusiastic in seconding it; while Mrs. Lennoxacquiesced gladly--she had put in an exhausting day at variouscharitable organizations and was more tired than she cared to admit. Asfor the men, they were loud in their acclamations of delight over whatMr. Lennox called "the joy of a home evening." Accordingly they left theformal drawing-room and repaired to Mrs. Lennox's sanctum, a unique roomfinished in ebony, the dark wood relieved from somberness by a deepfrieze of Pompeiian figures done in red, while bits of this vivid colorwere everywhere conspicuous in the furnishing. In all its appointmentsit showed the touch of a strong individuality and expressed in its waythe aesthetic side of Mrs. Lennox's nature. It had also what in a woman'sroom made it distinctive--space. Mrs. Lennox was a person who liked freescope for her body as well as her mind.
The guests, therefore, distributed themselves about comfortably and MissDavis found herself exercising her fascinations upon the distinguishedforeigner, who encouraged her by undisguised admiration, which indeed hehad given her throughout dinner by glances meant to convey what thedistance of the table between them made it impossible to say. But thepaying of excessive compliments to a girl like Miss Davis, who caresonly for that sort of thing from the masculine sex, sometimes palls andGremond was just thinking a bit longingly of his charming hostess whenthat individual approached them.
"Miss Davis," she said, "Mr. Landor has been proposing a game ofbilliards. He wants you to help him beat Miss Marston and myhusband--they have already begun to play, I believe. Will you jointhem?"
"Do Miss Davis, will you?" urged Kenneth, who always enjoyed the game.
Miss Davis looked at him and rose by way of answer. She had long agodiscovered that her eyes did considerable execution. Then with a glanceat Gremond which said that he too might follow her, she went withKenneth across the hall into the billiard room.
Mrs. Lennox sank into a curiously carved old ebony chair, against whichher bare arms and shoulders gleamed white. She was gowned in black,unrelieved except for the rope of pearls wound twice around her throatand hanging in a loose chain to her waist; but the severity of outlinewas exceedingly becoming to her slender figure and the absence of coloremphasized the beauty of her skin, which was as fair and soft as if shewere twenty instead of forty. She sighed a little as she leaned back inher chair, and Gremond reaching for some cushions from a divan near bytucked them in behind her comfortably.
"Madame is tired to-night," he said.
"Monsieur Gremond," turning her head the better to see him, "I feel asif I should offer you a thousand apologies. I had planned a gay eveningfor you and instead you are becoming initiated into intimate home life.We are already treating you like one of the family. Fancy!"
"A privilege not accorded to many; is it not so, Madame? I feelflattered beyond all telling."
It pleased her that he was quick to recognize this as unusual treatmentof the stranger within her gates and she said cordially, "I felt when Isaw you that we should not make the usual beginning. It is a littlepeculiarity of mine that I steal into people's lives in the middle--whenI like them. I have never analyzed it, but I trust to my instincts and Iam not often mistaken. Now you," she said, leaning languidly back on hercushions, "you interest me and I've sent them all off to play billiardsthat we may have a quiet little talk together. I want to hear more ofwhat you were telling me at dinner, if I may."
"Madame is very good," he said again. "We were speaking of SidneyRenshawe, were we not?"
"Of him--'and one other,'" she quoted, watching his eloquent face.
His black eyes softened and he leaned forward a little, using his handsin frequent gesticulation as he began to talk. "I am reminded, Madame,of a certain witty English author who said that Columbus discoveredAmerica but America discovered him. To paraphrase him, I should say thattwo Americans discovered me--dear old Renshawe and the most charminglittle girl I ever knew."
"Yes?" she said.
r /> "But for those two, Madame, I might have been--anything!" He shruggedhis shoulders expressively. "The one had faith in me, the other taughtme to have faith in myself. She was my inspiration." It seemed asnatural to him to confide in this charming woman as if he had known herall his life, and in this he was not unlike the majority of people inwhom Mrs. Lennox showed an interest, for she had that divine gift whichfor lack of an English word we call "simpatica"--an open sesame to allhearts.
She was listening very quietly, but the look on her face was one ofabsorbed attention as Gremond went on.
"For several years, Madame, I had been formulating my African plans, butI lacked distinct purpose until I knew her. She had the American ideathat a man must accomplish something in the world. She thought I shouldprove myself capable of the great things I talked about."
"She can scarcely have reason to find fault with you now," the womansaid.
"I hope not, Madame, when she knows what I have tried to do and how muchmore I shall do when I return."
"Are you going to tell her--soon?"
"Soon?" with a quick indrawing of his breath, "as soon as I can get toCalifornia, but alas! that will not be for many weeks. I am not surethat she will want to listen to me, Madame, but I shall make her; Imust."
"You met her in Europe, I fancy?"
"On the contrary, I met her in Southern California in one of the bighotels where I was stopping. She was living there and we were throwntogether constantly, laughing, dancing, riding--a gay life. Now and thenwhen we touched on serious subjects I was amazed and moved by her greatcomprehension and high ideals."
"Does she not know what a powerful factor she has been in your life?"she asked.
"Not yet, Madame. I went away with my heart full of her, but said noword. I felt I had not the right on so short an acquaintance and beforeI had really accomplished anything."
"Perhaps not, my friend, but I am not sure that I altogether agree withyou. I feel that she liked you, with possibly more than the ordinaryliking, and a girl wants some sign."
"I wrote her once, asking her to hold me in remembrance; was that asign, Madame? It was all I dared to make. It seemed to me it was deedsand not words that were wanted."
"It was both, Monsieur, if you will allow me to say so, for withoutwords how could a girl know that deeds were done for her sake alone?"
"I thought she would know it all because I loved her so," he faltered.
"Oh, you men, you men!" Mrs. Lennox cried impatiently, "how you doexpect a woman to take things for granted! Forgive me, MonsieurGremond"--leaning forward and touching his arm--"but sometimes I getvery cross over it."
"Oh Madame, Madame!" he exclaimed impetuously, "you cannot think, youcannot mean I have made a mistake?"
"Indeed, no," she replied reassuringly, seeing how his confident mannerhad changed to despair, "but I do mean that the ways of women are notmore enigmatical than those of men--_some_ men," she qualified.
He laughed, glad to have the tension of the past moment broken by herlight tone. For a moment neither spoke. Across the hall came the faintclicking of the billiard-balls.
"We must join the others, Monsieur," the woman said at last.
"May I thank you for the pleasantest hour I have spent since myarrival?" he said earnestly as he rose.
"The pleasantest--as yet. Eh, Monsieur?" with a charming smile.
"As yet, Madame," bowing gravely over her hand which he had taken inhis.
"Then will you come to me again, when you return and tell me _all_ aboutit?" with a faint pressure of her fingers in his.
"May I, Madame? Ah, that will be a privilege indeed!" and stooping hekissed her hand.
A moment later they had joined the others.