*CHAPTER XV.*
*GENTLE AND SIMPLE.*
Toney wished with all her heart her _avante garde_ had not been showninto Lady Dove's presence, but now that they were here she would not forthe world hustle them out. She might hurt their feelings, and they mustconsider that "something to their advantage" meant only a snubbing. Shehid her despair with extra energy. How she hated social distinctions!The Honourable Edward came forward to greet her with great cordiality.His mother, more slowly, did the same. Toney felt a difficulty inintroducing the _avante garde_, as she did not know one of their names.However she made a dash at Smith, hoping one of them would respond tothe call.
"Oh, Mr. Lang, may I introduce Mr. Smith to you?" She seized on themeekest and saddest individual, who wore large spectacles and lookedmuch depressed.
"My name is Dr. Harris," he said, raising himself to his full height."The Rev. Smith you may mean," and he indicated an old clergyman wearinga threadbare coat, who also held the advertisement in his hand.
"Oh yes, of course, how do you do, Mr. Smith? You came to see Mr.Russell, didn't you, but I can do just as well. Mr. Lang, this is Mr.Smith and Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Harris."
"Miss Smith, if you please," corrected a prim lady with remains of faintbeauty.
Mrs. Harris, however, looked most disconcerted; Lady Dove's anger hadfallen especially upon her, so now she only murmured, holding out apiece of newspaper.
"We only came to see about this advertisement, because we didn't get anyanswer, and we were so anxious----"
"Of course, yes, it's all right." Then Toney turned to the lastindividual, a man who looked somewhat superior to the others, and whosmiled without intermission.
"Mr.----" Toney paused, she couldn't say Smith again, but she got noanswer, only a nod and another smile.
"He's stone deaf," said Miss Smith, who by her manner was trying to showToney that a clergyman's sister is always a lady, little guessing thatToney cared for none of such things.
"He joined us," said Dr. Harris, "but his infirmity makes it difficultto converse with him, his name is, I believe, Grant--Captain Grant!"
Captain Grant smiled and nodded, and insisted on Toney's reading her ownadvertisement, by pointing to it line by line with his first finger.
"Yes, of course--Mr. Lang, Captain Grant," she introduced the two, andthen hurriedly went to the tea-table, where Mrs. Faber was in her oldposition of tea-maker.
"Chum, dear, I'm plunging about in a bog; give them some tea quickly;that will be to their advantage anyhow. Mr. Lang will perhaps help me.Aunt Dove is looking awfully churny with the poor dears."
For a few minutes Toney flew about helping her five friends to minutecups of tea and tiny wafers of bread and butter, but the HonourableEdward Lang came nobly to the front, though with an amused smile on hisface. The two elder ladies talked together earnestly and discussed theinjustice of Radicals and Socialists, for on these topics they were inaccord.
Dr. Harris was not however going to be put off with only tiny cups oftea.
"I should be much obliged, madam, if you could tell me when we mayexpect to see Mr. Plantagenet Russell? We, at all events, must catchthe earliest train back."
"There he is!" exclaimed Toney, catching sight of Lewis and Mr. Russellcoming hastily to the house. "I really think you had better go and seehim in his private room. Let me show you the way, and I'll order asubstantial tea there. You must be awfully hungry."
Toney headed the procession out of the drawing-room, Edward Lang,hurrying to open the door for her, and hiding, as best he could, hisamused smile as Toney nodded at him, saying, "I'll come back soon."
Lady Dove gave a sigh of relief. She was so much annoyed that sheforgot her role of kind aunt.
"Antonia is incorrigible. You see how she collects strange people roundher. I tried hard to show her what an English lady should be like, butit was trouble wasted."
"She will soon outgrow all that," said Lady Southbourne kindly; "inthese days young people are so original, but it does not last!"
Mr. Lang laughed heartily.
"I am sure Miss Whitburn will always be original. She certainly can'thelp being kind."
"She drags Sir Evas into all kinds of queer things. He has really feltthe strain of so much work. General Stone was hardly kind to make himthe girl's guardian."
"He looked as if he enjoyed all the coming of age," said Edward Lang; tohimself he added, "I don't mind relieving him of the burden of fiftythousand a year at all! Good heavens! the girl must be allowed to haveher head at first, then she'll soon calm down."
"Dear Lady Dove," said Lady Southbourne, gently laying her pale lavenderkid gloved hand on her hostess as a mark of sympathy, "young people willbe young people, I daresay when you were young----"
"No indeed, I was brought up by a very particular mother, who knew whata young lady should be like."
"Ah! yes, those were indeed good old days!"
At this moment Toney rushed in again with breathless speed, andaddressed herself to Mr. Lang.
"There! it's all right, and they have unfrozen, poor dears. It'sstrange, isn't it, how these stately English homes act like cold storageon people."
"Cold storage brings us excellent things from abroad."
"I'd rather come over warm! Gracious stars! I had a trouble to thawthem, but now they're sitting down to a proper meal."
"Are your friends Salvationists, Antonia, or did they come for beggingpurposes?" said Lady Dove.
"They came hoping to hear of something to their advantage. You see,Lady Southbourne, I advertised for people in reduced circumstances, andthe answers were so many that Mr. Russell couldn't keep ahead."
"Something to their advantage, and pray what is that, Antonia? You musthave taken leave of your five senses!" exclaimed Lady Dove, turning pinkwith vexation.
Here Mrs. Faber threw herself into the breach.
"It's only one of Toney's kind schemes, Lady Dove. I will go and seeafter the visitors, Toney, if you take my place."
This happily turned the stream of hot lava from poor Toney, and LadyDove remarked,
"It is most tiresome, my companion has influenza. I generally find,don't you, Lady Southbourne, that middle-class people always give in ifeven a little finger aches. Of course, poor things, they do notunderstand our motto of 'noblesse oblige.'"
The Honourable Edward left the two ladies to their duet over thecowardice of the middle-class, and went to sit by Toney, who wasdrinking tea in earnest.
"It's rather warm work when you're taken by surprise. If I had beenhere it would have been all right," she said, smiling once more.
"I think it's always 'all right' where you are," said the young mangallantly. Toney looked up suddenly and gazed at him.
"Gracious stars! how awfully nice of you to say that, but it isn't true!I always seem to raise the dust when I come into this room! Aunt Dovewas made of different paste, so somehow we don't blend. You see I wasjust reared anyhow, never knew there were gentlemen and ladies till Icame here! Out home we were all men and women, and pretty rough atthat--ouf!"
"We are all going to become Socialists, whether we like it or not," hesaid softly.
"You'll exclude Aunt Dove, won't you?" and Toney's merry laugh soundedthrough the room.
"So little self-control," Lady Dove was heard to murmur.
"That's me!" said Toney, nodding her head, "but as you were kind enoughjust now to overlook my 'bringing up,' as Aunt Dove calls it, I'll tellyou about my friends. I'm going to buy Deep Hollow Farm and build asort of a Home for stray folk that can't swim against the stream."
"Will these be your first inmates?"
"Perhaps, Mr. Russell will tabulate them all, and we'll take the worstcases. No favour, but, of course, I must help them because they tooksuch a lot of trouble to come to-day, and because I expect they feltpretty bad before I came!"
"I think it is a noble idea, Miss Whitburn--I hope you wil
l let me helpyou as much as I can. There may be some cases in which I can proveuseful."
"Of course there will be. Let me see, will you come and help totabulate? Mr. Russell groans over the work."
Mr. Lang had no intention of working hard, but he hid this intention.
"I'm at your commands, Miss Whitburn." He was wondering in what mannerand how soon he could make an offer to Toney! Would she be easily won?He began to fear a title would not be a great attraction. He would haveto go in for Socialism or Individualism or some 'ism, to have a betterchance of getting L50,000 a year. It would be rather fatiguing, but hisdebts were many, and the money was worth the effort. Miss Whitburn wasnot likely to be particular about tying up money, and Sir Evas, herguardian, was very easy-going, and would be glad to get her wellmarried. So argued Edward Lang, never doubting but that he would be awelcome suitor. Unfortunately many mothers with marriageable daughterswere so very kind to him and had spoilt him. At the bottom he was not abad fellow, but terribly extravagant.
"Then let me command you to go away," said Toney laughing, "for AuntDove won't like me to leave you, and those poor people will findthemselves thrown from the frying-pan into the fire. Mr. Russell willwant to tabulate them so minutely."
The Honourable Edward rose quite willingly. He was afraid of seeing moreof Toney's "friends" arriving, and in any case he could not veryconveniently make love to the heiress in this formal drawing-room.
"If I obey you now, tell me when I may come again?"
"Oh, whenever you like, there's sure to be something going on in thetabulating line for some time to come." Toney's laugh was catching.
"But I may be rewarded with a talk with you, apart from the genteelbeggars," he said cheerfully.
"It's all very well laughing at beggars, but if one has nothing one doesstrange things. Do you know when I first came here I was a beggar, andnot at all genteel, Aunt Dove would tell you--and I was glad to make awhistle for five shillings!"
"Was it a successful whistle?"
"I rather think it was! I believe it was owing to it that General Stoneleft me his money. Now do say good-bye, please."
"_Au revoir_ then, Miss Whitburn, I prefer saying that---- Mother, Ireally think----" Lady Southbourne always obeyed her son and roseimmediately.
"So delighted to have seen you not looking a bit tired after yourdelightful party," she said to Toney, keeping her hand affectionately inher lavender kid, "I wish we could stay longer---- Now why not comeover and spend a few days at the Towers? Wouldn't that be delightful,Edward?"
"It would indeed!"
Toney shook her head.
"Afraid I can't, thanks; besides, I shouldn't know what to do, and atAldersfield I've got heaps waiting to be settled."
"Of course we mustn't be selfish," said Lady Southbourne, not taking anynotice of Toney's reason for not going to the Towers!
At last they were off, followed by the most gracious remarks of LadyDove as Toney flew back to her own room.
There she found not only Dr. and Mrs. Harris, Mr. and Miss Smith, andCaptain Grant, but also Lewis and Mrs. Faber assisting the visitors tomake a square meal; whilst Mr. Russell was tabulating them, every nowand then making a dart at one of the individuals to get special answers.
"This is nice! How kind of you, Mr. Waycott. Lady Southbourne and theHonourable Edward took so long to go I had to give him a hint."
"Oh, Toney! what did you say?" said Mrs. Faber.
"Why I asked him to go and he went. It's better to speak honest, isn'tit?--Dr. Harris, have some more veal pie. Our cook is just perfect atveal pies."
Dr. Harris said he didn't mind if he did have some more, but at thatmoment Mr. Russell made a dart at Miss Smith.
"What is the date of your birth, Miss Smith?"
Now Miss Smith's age was a hid treasure, and to be asked to dig it up inthis public way was more than she could bear. She blushed a vividpurple.
"It's of no consequence whatever, Mr. Russell," she said. "I reallyhave forgotten my birthday." Mr. Russell went back and put down"birthday forgotten."
"But the year?" he asked again, feeling his whole _raison d'etre_depended on that date.
"Let me see--What year were you born, brother?"
Mr. Smith blinked very often as he answered, wishing to spare hissister.
"I think I had better send you these particulars--if there is--any goodto be got by them."
"Oh, never mind," said Toney, seeing the difficulty. "Mr. Russell,please put 'Uncertain.' It isn't easy to remember, if you are askedsuddenly how old one is, is it, Mr. Waycott?" Lewis was stifling asmile.
"I am six-and-twenty, I know, because Aunt Honoria keeps my birthdaysand announces my age every year."
"Your relative knows that a man does not mind," said Dr. Harris, "butladies have rooted objections to telling their age." He bowed to MissSmith, and Miss Smith giggled softly.
Toney saw the motor drive up, and seized the occasion to dash away. Shesoon returned.
"Now you shall all be driven to the station, when you are ready, and Ido hope you won't regret your journey. It's been so very, very nice,seeing you. Just on the day, too, that I have taken the farm."
By the time they were squeezed into the big motor their faces werewreathed with smiles, especially when Toney had thrust an envelope intoeach of their hands, murmuring something about "Just to pay thejourney." The deaf gentleman opened it publicly, and nearly dropped thefive pound note, then nearly all tumbled out again to say "Thank you,"but at a sign from Toney Jim flew off as if pursued by the furies.