Crescent. It was pleasant enough there in the winter, for the room, being small, was easily heated; but in the summer, with even greater ease it grew oven-l
indulged in a fit of sneezing. It seemed to Helena that she was being very inconsiderate: it was always possible to stifle a sneeze. But Jessie never thought about other people. Helena, by way of waiting patiently at Jessie's door (according to the tender image she had fashioned for Archie's benefit) had just expressed this opinion slightly veiled, and she was pleased to see that at this moment Jessie left the room. A sound of sneezing from
dy to do so), leaving Helena to help Cousin Marion in the answering of her letters in the morning for some half-hour, in the entertaining of her numerous guests, and in accompanying her to any of those pleasant gaieties which swarmed about that desirable house. But instead, Cousin Marion had been quite unaware, to all appearance, of the hints Helena had subtly suggested, and Archie had been equally uncomprehending. When she had said, "This house seems so much more like my home than any other," he had certainly glowed with pleasure, but had not thought it was meant to have any application with regard to her going back to Oakland Crescent. No one had taken her hints; it had occurred to nobody how suitable it was that Jessie should go to look after her father, and Helena remain to look after her cousin. Bu
t followed dinner, when her father and Archie remained downstairs, she had a painful scene with Jessie. Jessie, according to Helena's public version, had misunderstood her in the cruellest manner, but she knew that her real complaint here was not that her sister had cruelly misunders
but was remaining at home to keep her father company, most kindly offered to get them for her. She came down again so ominously silent that Helena h
much for getting them. He is going to be there to-night, and as he sent expressly for
and Helena repeated he
soft rich voice which
envie
revol
being tearful and pathetic at the thought of Jessie's unkindness, but
why I revolt
ou know already. Archi
of affection. She did so si
r Harry for that reason? I don't grant the reason for a moment; but, even if I did, what
speech seemed to have exactly the opposite ef
. Do forgive me for questioning you, but-but are you intending to marry Lord Harlow if he asks you? If so, do make it clear
quite capable of being cruel too. She smelled her orchids, and pinned them into her go
s of Archie's affection for me, darli
colour, and laughed to herself at the defencelessness of
em, Helena? I bet you the Bradshaw did. What a thing
uation. In a big house it would not have mattered much, for they could easily have sat in different rooms; but here it made an awkwardness in the narrow existence. But Helena had the cons
ed seriously at a girl twice (nor at poor Daisy once); but he was undeniably a long time making up his mind, and Helena, though accustomed to repose the greatest confidence in herself, did not feel sure that she would prove equal to defeating the long-standing habit of celibacy. Even the continuous use of Archie in the capacity of a wedge seemed to make no impression, and she was beginning to be desperately afraid that the wedge would t
in the middle, and a row of iron palings with a gate that would not shut which separated it from the road. On the other side of that was a small demilune of a garden, which gave the place the title of Crescent, and beyond that a straight row of houses all exactly alike. A milkman was going his rounds with alto cries, and slovenly cooks and parlour-maids ca
ell of cigars and incipient cooking. The cigar smell came from the little back room adjoining the dining-room where Colonel Vautier, with tropical habits, spent the hour after tiffin (it seemed that he could not say "lunch") in dozings and smokings. Mean
here she sat, Helena could look out of the window, and from her torpid discontent she leaped with a bound into a state of alert expectancy. She hazarded, so to spea
to bring his tea to him there. Tell Miss Jessie"-Helena paused a moment-"tell her that a friend of mine has com
ut of the shelves, and sat down with it. She heard a little stir in the hall below, and had a moment of agony in thinki
parlour-maid spoke his n
r, with a smile that w
elighted. What a business you must have ha
own in the dentist's chair, and has resolved to get rid of that aching. He sat down in the chair Helena indicated, and looked round the room. It really
I should like to l
oked at h
t it lovely? Daddy came home a whole month earlier than I had expected, so I flew back here to be with him. Cousin Marion wanted
up, and continued
out. They planned going out together, I know, and I haven't seen either of them since lunch. They are such dears! They are so much to each other! Sometimes I should get a little bit jealous of each of them, if I allowed myself to. Ah! do have one of those little
he corner, and while his mouth was full, Helena proceeded with her talented conversa
ou pity me, just in a superficial way, sometimes during August? Darling daddy has so much to do at the
keep you in Lo
a lau
to persuade Jessie to go down to Lacebury with Cousin Marion, and I th
f he was smoking, to smell the faint odour of cigar that had mounted the stairs. But,
d to her
wherever that is, mayn't we be together? I want never to be awa
sed dewy e
?" she began. "
I want you
'yes,' too
f sheer gratitude, she found herself able to respond quite passably, for the innate respectability of passion touched her. He had paid her the sincerest compliment that a man can pay a girl, in expressing his desire to have her always with hi
liked to dine with them that night, but Archie was coming, and so, before he called again next morning, it was necessary to indulge in careful thought so as to produce a spontaneous suggestion next day. On her face she wore the happiness of child-like smiles, and through
but that was before the wider horizon opened to her. If he had proposed to her then she would certainly have accepted him, but she felt, though so much finer a future had now dawned on her, a sort of grudge against him for not having done so. That made the thought of telling him not unpleasant to her; there was an excitement in the thought of seeing his blank face-would it be blank? She thought so-when he heard her news. Perhaps the sight of how much it hurt him would hurt her also, but that pain would someho
h a sense of refreshment, she remembered how Jessie had betrayed herself not so many days ago. Thereat the sun came out quite serenely again, and remained out when she thought of her father. He loved shooting, and Helena determined that he should enjoy quantities of shooting. He loved all sorts of the nice things that money made so easily procurable, comfort and good cigars and riding and bathrooms attached to bedrooms. Certainly there should be a delicious room for him in all her houses; she would name it "daddy's room." The filial sentimentality of this quite overcame her, and
ow, correctly interpreting the chink of plate and tea-cup, she was certain of finding him in his study with his after-tea cigar. Very likely Jessie had gone there too; for she often took the evening paper in to her father and read him the news, and Helena hoped that this was the case to-day. She coul
tment, dry and brown and smoked like a kippered herring, furnished chiefly with books and files and decorated with the produce of oriental bazaars, spears and shel
ome to see her with a wish for a private conversation. She made these little plans quickly perhaps but always coolly,
d, "may I pay you a litt
in something I sh
r," said he. "How
bird, and then perched herself on the ar
nooze just before tea, which took it away. And then, as I told Jessie, somebody came
you visitor
aid she very sof
expectation. She did not look round, but firmly laid her hand on Jessie's clasping it
rrow morning. At least, he did the talking, and I only spoke when he had said w
on it. A few boisterous ejaculations from her father followed, and, finding that Jessie had disengaged her hand, she completed
. "Certainly he is a good deal older than she, but there's no harm in that. I wa
will be very hap
and loving to her husband as she has been to her father, w
silent
en told to guess who it was who would ask Helena to be his wife, I should h
sister, was a pity for Helena, as deep as the sea, that she could be what she was
elena really cared for
n thought so too. He's dining with us to-night, isn't he? Or wil
l tell us what she w
lau
n't she? Bless me, it's after six o'clock. We might go across the bridge and have a
d go to see Helena for a minute now, or some time before dinner. Accordi
ie's dining here to-night, and I think I will tell him my news mysel
at he had perhaps not b
is kind and thoughtf
oon as he gets here,"
and let me have tw
a minute, and returned rathe
ld tell Jessie f
ry wide, in a sort of
d her somehow without meaning it. I feel sad about it. She did not
tive," said her father, intendi
s all. Thank you e
ome people were so frank as to say that others revolted them, even though
was in the drawing-room among
send them," she said. "And
id Archie. "
half-crown on the corner of the m
p?" h
I am poor
ed at t
said. "When did you b
the middle of London there was something
she said. "How many
ing in the Park, that Lord Harlow would propose to her before the
n," he said, "but it wa
h. Poor old Bradshaw
silence. She really found him most attractive at that moment, and
fternoon," she said, still smi
chie once more. But he did not say
t soft hand with sheat
going to wish me h
on his handsome mouth, but now they wer
" he rapped out in a
it usual bet
ou've accepted
ar. Haven't
" he asked. "S
Archie looked so strange. She had expected something f
essie that Lord Davidstow has co
s made of wood, he and Helena and the roses he had sent, and the Persian rug on which he stood. And when
he said. "I hope you
to get out a bottle of champagne in which to drin
hie," he said. "I know Hel
of flesh and blood. Some cunning mechanical contrivance enabled them to talk and smile and eat: food tasted the same and so did the champagne in which presently they drank Helena's health. It was the same prickly, bubbly stuff, with a little sting in it, that he so seldom drank. But it unfroze the surface of the stricture that b
he declared hearts, he wished her to understand that he hadn't got any, and that she would do well to declare something different. "Bridge, properly understood," Archie had enunciated once, "is a form of poker: you must bewilder and terrify your adversary. And then the fun begins, and you get fined." What added to the hilarity was the concentrated seriousness which Jessie and her partner brought to bear on the game, a
ter, he half filled his tumbler with whisky, and but added a cream of bubble on the top of it. Immediately almost his sense of touch with life returned; there stole back into himself and the figures of Colonel Vautier and Jessie the perception of their several identities, and into Helena the love with which he had endowed her. But that, and all that it implied, was better than feeling nothing at all. He knew, too, that when Jessie spoke to him, or looked at him, her voice and he
ong been busy, beneath the habitual jests of their game, over her future relations with Jessie, and she had come to the conclusion that the sooner they talked the matter out the better. She found that it affected her comfort to be practically not on speaking terms with her sister, and, since she had no shrinking from what
h that need for trivial employment which so often accompanies emotional crises, she was building a house with the cards they had been using, devoting apparently her whole faculties to its breathless construction. The strong, beautiful hands which Archie had never noticed hovered over it, alighting with their bui
e was; the fall of an ingenious card-house w
rds together and se
" she said. "It is
head wistfull
it was much use playing on the pathetic stop, that made, as a general ru
" she said. "If I am unkind, if I can't bear what y
could caress and claw so exquisitely. Essentially, she cared not one atom what Je
because you can't help it. That seems to you a final and unanswerabl
Jessie. "You made Archie think you cared for him. Y
with me," said Helena. "That
, anyhow, had allowed herself to fall in love with Archie, though she would not say that that was Archie's fault. It would have been amusing to suggest that, but it did not se
re several weeks together at Silorno. And then I came to London and met Bertie. Wa
ame a st
she asked. "If you tell me
was not?" asked Helena, looking the
love with him, though she was assuredly going to marry him. She could
e said at length, "I am most sincerely sorry f
hed in tender smil
And may I ask you one thing? Will you try to feel a little more k
*
ed and disbelieved her. And somewhere, lying beneath the darkness of the windless night, was Archie, for whose happiness she would have given her heart's last blood. But all of it would not help him one
*
of reach this evening; a lid had shut down on him. Once or twice it h
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