*CHAPTER XXI.*
*PLAYING WITH FIRE.*
"Uncle Evas, I want you particularly," said Toney next morning afterlunch.
"Your aunt does too. She and Mr. Russell are tabulating guests. I hearsome great man sleeps here to-night."
"I'm just off to meet him, but you will be very nice to him, uncle, atdinner to-night, won't you, and mind you see he takes in JeanieHamilton. They will talk of music all the time and save us a lot oftrouble."
"Very well, but your aunt will pair him off with Lady Southbourne. Heseems to be no end of a swell. For my part I never can find a word tosay to these geniuses."
"Dear, ducky uncle, they are none of them so nice as you are, gospeltruth, but I wish you were just a wee bit curious." The heart of SirEvas felt warmed. He realised now what an immense difference Toney'slove made in his life. To him it seemed as if he had been in a gravetill her arrival, and then had slowly crept out of it.
"Curious, eh? Well, so I am."
"You never asked me why I wanted you particularly."
"I'm a trifle nervous when you do!" he answered laughing.
"You always were a bit of a coward, weren't you? Well, I'll tell you.You must let Maud Hamilton go in with Mr. Waycott, I think it's allright."
"Good Lord! what's all right?"
"Why, they are! I wonder they don't announce it, but I expect MissHonoria doesn't like it."
"Like what?"
"You know! I think they're engaged now. He nearly always comes to meether at the Haven."
"Toney, your romantic nature should be curbed. I don't believe a word ofit."
Toney looked up with wide-opened eyes.
"That's just like a man--awfully opaque. Well, I'm off, I'm going todrive the motor to the station, and come back in the dog-cart."
"You'll take Jim?"
"No, I'm going quite alone. I want to make friends with the greatmusician."
"I say, Toney, I don't think that's quite _comme-il-faut_. Now you're alady of property you mustn't be quite so--so----"
"Oh, Uncle Evas, you do disappoint me! It's Mr. Russell that isspoiling your natural disposition. You're downright snobby! What harmcan I do to a poor stranger that comes here to give us pleasure? He'snot a wild beast. Good-bye, and wish me luck."
"You won't let--your aunt see you, will you, Toney?"
"No, you bet!" and Toney flew off laughing heartily.
"Can't get the fear of Aunt Dove out of his constitution, poor darling,sort of chronic disease," she said to herself.
Happily the day turned into a dull drizzle, and the county magnatesstayed indoors, or they might have seen a flying machine guided by theheiress, dashing up to the station. Toney timed herself always to beexact, with no time to spare. Her face was radiant. She had settledher plan of campaign, and as she walked up and down well "reefed in"with a serge coat and skirt of the simplest description, no one wouldhave guessed that she was the envy of all the impoverished aristocratsof the county. She looked more cheerful than she felt, however."There's many a slip between the cup and the lip," and that tiresomeproverb would float about on the surface of Toney's brain.
The train flustered in with a great show of consequentiality, the slowporters had on the look of "Take it easy, pray," as Toney ran up anddown looking for the great man, whose father had once kept a shop. Fora moment she thought he had failed to appear, then from the other end ofthe platform a tall man with a very remarkable face came slowly towardsher. He carried a violin case, and a man-servant followed him ladenwith other luggage.
Toney knew at once this was her man, and she seized the porter.
"Mr. Smith, will you please get a fly and put that gentleman and all theluggage in it. I'm driving the other gentleman in the dog-cart."
The porter touched his hat with a grin, he was not accustomed to beingcalled Mr. Smith, nor to hear a man-servant called a gentleman.
Then Toney began her campaign.
"How do you do? I know you are Mr. Frank Weston, because--there's noone else, is there--I've come to drive you home. I'm Toney Whitburn, sonow we're introduced. Lady Dove's giving the party, but I take all thetrouble. There's a fly for your man, and if you want the violin withyou I'll put it behind us."
Frank Weston had been much dissatisfied with himself for accepting themunificent private offer for playing in a private house. The money hadtempted him, as he had lately heard of a broken-down violinist who hadnothing but the workhouse before him, and he had infinite pity forfailure and poverty. For himself--now his parents were well providedfor--he cared nothing at all. The one romance of his life had failed.He had loved once and once only. Jeanie Hamilton had touched his heartwith her beauty and her talent, and strange to say her pride, but whenher mother had told him her daughter refused his love, and had intimatedthat their social positions were too far removed, the genius had liftedhis head more proudly than any aristocrat.
"I offered her my heart and my music," he had said, "they are worth morethan anything she may possess."
"Yes, yes--you--and your genius but--your people are not our people,"Mrs. Hamilton had murmured with the softness of a purring pussy.
Frank Weston's face had turned paler if possible than usual, and hewalked away without answering. The iron had entered into his soul. Butin spite of this he still loved his first love, though her name hadnever again passed his lips, and he hated other women because of her.No other should spurn him, and though many had wished to marry him, hehad never asked any. His music was the gainer, for after that peoplesaid Frank Weston was inspired in his pathetic movements, and now Toneywas going to play with fire.
Frank Weston's face was one not to be easily forgotten. His featuresseemed to be cut in alabaster, his hair reached his coat collar in softcurling fashion, but there was no affectation about him. He was far tootrue a genius to descend to small advertisements. Music was his onlyinterest in life, but even a dreamy genius stood no chance with Toney.She piloted him out of the station and both stood by the side of thedog-cart. Frank Weston looked round hopelessly. He could not drive,and looking down at the slight girlish figure he doubted if she could,when he saw Jim holding the thorough-bred. Toney answered his look.
"Oh, yes, I'll drive you. There's a dry place for your violin. You cantrust me. This is my own horse and we understand each other. It'sawfully good of you to come to us. You don't usually, do you, but I didso particularly want you." Frank Weston gradually took in thesituation.
"My agent said a Miss Whitburn--wanted----"
Toney jumped in and he had to follow.
"Yes, that's all right, that's me. When your agent said, 'It will onlybe a big price that will tempt him,' I said, 'Go ahead!'" Toney spokeso simply that Mr. Weston smiled.
"I may as well own it at once," he said. "It was the money that temptedme. There is a poor friend of mine whose career is cut short in aterrible manner. He has creeping paralysis coming on from over-work.He's too young for the charitable societies to come to his help, so----"
"So you are going to do it! Oh, isn't that lovely! I am glad you toldme, I'll just double the fee if that will set him up."
Frank stared at this unusually generous girl.
"Oh, but you are already paying a very heavy fee for--a very short time.I expect you are one of the amateurs who have all the fine feelings ofthe professional--finer often, because unconnected with publicrecognition." He lifted his head and smiled, then became conscious thatMiss Whitburn was flying along the country roads at a furious pace.
"Oh, gracious stars! don't think so for a moment about me! I don't knowone note from another, but I've got a friend who feels all that, atleast I suppose so. I do want you to be--sort of friendly with her,because I've got it all up for her."
"All for your friend? How extraordinary!" said the genius, "but,forgive me for asking, is your horse running away? I'm no good withhorses." There was a touch of anxiety in his voic
e. He heard arippling laugh near him.
"Don't you like it? I'll pull him in, but it's the pace I like!Suppose, Mr. Weston, you were driving with your--say your intended,would you be afraid for her?"
Mr. Weston turned towards Toney with a look of dismayed surprise.
"I--have not--got one--I really can't say."
"I'm awfully glad, I half feared you might be engaged, you know----People say you are tremendously run after. If you had been, of course Ishould have asked _her_ too. You don't mind my saying this, do you?I'm only an Australian girl, and out there we don't mince matters somuch as people do here, and I once heard that--that you were going tomarry a girl and that she----" Toney cleared her throat. She glancedat the genius whose marble-cut face was lifted towards the sky with ahard strange look on it. No one had ever dared to speak to him aboutthat episode since it happened, and here was a strange girl introducingthe subject! The very boldness of it put him off his guard.
"You heard rightly, Miss Whitburn; the only woman I ever loved jiltedme, because I was not as nobly born as she was, and now----"
"I expect she's just mad with herself that she was so silly! A hundredto one it was her mother, sort of old pussy cat I shouldn't wonder. Whydidn't you ask her again? I should if I were a man! I would not takeno, not for Joe!" Toney was so excited that she flicked Colon with herwhip and he, to show his surprise, suddenly reared and then boltedforward. The genius turned towards his terrible driver in mute appeal.
"It's all right, indeed it is, Colon's as gentle as a child, but I wasthinking so much about your young--lady, that I touched him with thewhip. He's awfully proud and that was his way of remonstrating. Here'sthe gate---- Will you hold Colon a minute, or----"
"Let me open the gate," said the genius, suiting the action to thewords; not for the world would he have held that horse, his preciousStradivarius was behind him. Toney smiled, but indeed Colon stood quitequietly whilst she remarked,
"I told you he's like a lamb--but you will let me help about yourfriend? It will give me so muck pleasure, and I shan't feel thisconcert is wasted if you do."
"If I let you pay twice over?" said the genius, now quite under thespell of this extraordinary heiress, whose generosity was as surprisingas her driving.
"If you and my friend don't enjoy this concert--"
"I shall do my best for your friend after your great kindness. Is it--aman?" He believed it was Toney's fiance as her mind ran on thatsubject, and he felt in a soft mood, though he could not have told why.
"A man! I should think not! Mr. Russell--he helps me with myletters--he's musical, but then he doesn't think much of me!"
"His taste must be bad," said Frank, actually making a compliment. "Hewould have more confidence in you if you drove him back from thestation." Frank Weston had forgiven her and Toney realised it with joy.
"Ouf! Here's Aldersfield House, I'm glad the drive is over. Will youpromise, even if you don't like my friend, to take her in to dinner andto talk music to her? She'll love that. The other people wouldn'tunderstand it--and you won't try it on me, will you, or on Uncle Evas?He'd want to be polite, but he wouldn't know what to answer."
"I think you can trust me, Miss Whitburn, not to bore the unmusical. Ishall do my best to please your lady friend, because all the time Ishall see Arthur Mullins' face when he hears of his luck."
"That's all right! I'm awfully relieved. You'll like to go to yourroom now at once, won't you, and rest? I'll send you up some tea, andthen you won't have to answer foolish questions."
"That would be most kind," he said gratefully. How very extraordinarilythoughtful this young heiress seemed to be.
Toney was saying to herself, "Then they won't meet till dinner-time, andshe'll just be looking so beautiful that----"
"Gollywogs!" she exclaimed as she jumped down and Jim came running up,"There's visitors just come. Jim, take Mr. Weston in by the garden door,and tell them to take him to his room and give him tea."
In this way Toney smuggled in the genius and she herself stepped intothe hall to find the two Hamiltons there taking their wraps off.
"I am glad you are come early for tea. I'm sure Aunt Dove will wantsome help about the Peerage. I'm no use at all. If a man has got allhis legs and arms, and he has a nice face and lots of genius, I don'tcare how he came into the world."
Maud laughed, and as Jeanie walked towards the drawing-room Toney seizedher.
"Maud, he's come, he's in his room, they won't meet till dinner."
"Oh, Toney!" gasped Maud, "but do you know anything about some lovelydresses that came for us this morning?"
Toney laughed.
"Don't betray me! Pups used to say a general overlooks nothing to winthe victory."