‘And mine, Stack.’
‘I won’t bandy compliments, miss, but he’ll be a lucky one, if you’ll excuse me.’
Dinny smiled. ‘No, I shall be the lucky one. Good-bye, and thank you again.’
She went away, treading, so to speak, on Cork Street. She had an ally in the lion’s mouth; a spy in the friend’s camp; a faithful traitor! Thus mixing her metaphors, she scurried back to her aunt’s house. Her father would almost certainly go there before returning to Condaford.
Seeing his unmistakable old bowler in the hall, she took the precaution of removing her own hat before going to the drawing-room. He was talking to her aunt, and they stopped as she came in. Everyone would always stop now as she came in! Looking at them with quiet directness, she sat down.
The General’s eyes met hers.
‘I’ve been to see Mr Desert, Dinny.’
‘I know, dear. He is thinking it over. We shall wait till everyone knows, anyway.’
The General moved uneasily.
‘And if it is any satisfaction to you, we are not formally engaged.’
The General gave her a slight bow, and Dinny turned to her aunt, who was fanning a pink face with a piece of lilac-coloured blotting-paper.
There was a silence, then the General said:
‘When are you going to Lippinghall, Em?’
‘Next week,’ replied Lady Mont, ‘or is it the week after? Lawrence knows. I’m showing two gardeners at the Chelsea Flower Show. Boswell and Johnson, Dinny.’
‘Oh! Are they still with you?’
‘More so. Con, you ought to grow pestifera – no, that’s not the name – that hairy anemone thing.’
‘Pulsatilla, Auntie.’
‘Charmin’ flowers. They want lime.’
‘We’re short of lime at Condaford,’ said the General, ‘as you ought to know, Em.’
‘Our azaleas were a dream this year, Aunt Em.’
Lady Mont put down the blotting-paper.
‘I’ve been tellin’ your father, Dinny, that it’s no good fussin’ you.’
Dinny, watching her father’s glum face, said: ‘Do you know that nice shop in Bond Street, Auntie, where they make animals? I got a lovely little vixen and her cubs there to make Dad like foxes better.’
‘Huntin’,’ said Lady Mont, and sighed. ‘When they get up chimneys, it’s rather touchin’.’
‘Even Dad doesn’t like digging out, or stopping earths, do you, Dad?’
‘N-no!’ said the General, ‘on the whole, no!’
‘Bloodin’ children, too,’ said Lady Mont. ‘I saw you blooded, Con.’
‘Messy job, and quite unnecessary! Only the old raw-hide school go in for it now.’
‘He looked so nasty, Dinny.’
‘Yes, you haven’t got the face for it, Dad. It wants one of those snub-nosed, red-haired, freckled boys, that like killing for the sake of killing.’
The general rose.
‘I must be going back to the Club. Jean picks me up there. When shall we see you, Dinny? Your mother – ’ and he stopped.
‘Aunt Em’s keeping me till Saturday.’
The General nodded. He suffered his sister’s and daughter’s kiss with a face that seemed to say, ‘Yes – but – ’
From the window Dinny watched his figure moving down the street, and her heart twitched.
‘Your father!’ said her aunt’s voice behind her. ‘All this is very wearin’, Dinny.’
‘I think it’s very dear of Dad not to have mentioned the fact that I’m dependent on him.’
‘Con is a dear,’ said Lady Mont; ‘he said the young man was respectful. Who was it said: “Goroo – goroo”?’
‘The old Jew in David Copperfield.’
‘Well, it’s what I feel.’
Dinny turned from the window.
‘Auntie! I don’t feel the same being at all as I did two weeks ago. I’m utterly changed. Then I didn’t seem to have any desires; now I’m all one desire, and I don’t seem to care whether I’m decent or not. Don’t say Epsom salts!’
Lady Mont patted her arm.
‘ “Honour thy father and thy mother”,’ she said; ‘but then there was “Forsake all and follow me”, so you can’t tell.’
‘I can,’ said Dinny. ‘Do you know what I’m hoping now? That everything will come out tomorrow. If it did, we could be married at once.’
‘Let’s have some tea, Dinny. Blore, tea! Indian and rather strong!’
Chapter Sixteen
DINNY took her lover to Adrian’s door at the museum the next day, and left him there. Looking round at his tall, hatless, girt-in figure, she saw him give a violent shiver. But he smiled, and even at that distance she felt warmed by his eyes.