Bath Tangle

it immediately, too, which quite covers me with shame! I have it with me here, but felt that a word of explanation was due to you.”

Fanny had no recollection of having expressed a desire to be given the recipe; but she accepted it, with a civil thankyou.

“I so much dislike persons who make promises only to break them. But I must not keep you! I collect you have friends with you. Did I not see the Rotherham carriage in your yard?”

There was nothing for it but to admit it, and to invite the two ladies to join the party in the breakfast-parlour. With only a little show of reluctance, Lady Laleham allowed herself to be persuaded. Fanny believed she had come for no other purpose.

Nothing could have exceeded the lady’s aplomb when she reached the parlour. It was quite unnecessary for Fanny to introduce her. “Yes, indeed I am acquainted with Lady Silchester! How do you do? I believe the last time we met was at the Ormesbys’ ball: such a crush, was it not? Ah, Lord Rotherham! Don’t disturb yourself, I beg! It is quite shocking to be invading your party in this unconscionable way, but Lady Spenborough would have it so! To own the truth, it falls out very fortunately that I should find you here, for I have been wanting to see you.”

“Indeed!” he said, a strong inflexion of surprise in his voice.

“Yes, for my eldest son informs me that Gerard Monksleigh is quite a particular friend of his, and will be staying with you for Christmas. Nothing will do but that I must get up a little party for these flighty young people! I should like so much to ask Mrs Monksleigh if she will not bring her daughters to it, but how this may be done when I have not the pleasure of her acquaintance I know not, unless you will come to my aid, Lord Rotherham!”

He returned a civil answer, but could not take it upon himself to commit his cousin. Lady Silchester said: The girls want to go to the Assembly at Quenbury. I don’t know how Cordelia Monksleigh likes it for Susan and Margaret, but I’m by no means sure I care to let Caroline go. Serena! What do you think of the scheme? Would you advise it?”

Serena, who had placed Emily Laleham in a chair between her own and Rotherham’s, saw the sparkle in the girl’s big, pansy-soft eyes as they were turned anxiously towards her, and smiled, saying: “I never attended the Quenbury Assemblies myself, but I should think there could be no harm in them.”

“A dead bore,” said Rotherham. “You will meet no one there whom you know, and, unless you have a taste for being toad-eaten, will do better to remain at home.”

“You are too severe,” interposed Serena, with a good deal of meaning in her voice.

“Well, so I would,” said his sister, “but now the girls have taken the notion into their heads it is very hard to know what to do. It is a great pity they can’t dance at Claycross, but with only Elphin and Gerard between the three of them, that won’t answer. As long as there are no waltzes or quadrilles I daresay Silchester would not object to Caroline’s going. Elphin will he there, after all, and if the company should be too mixed he must dance with his sister.”

“An evening of rare pleasure for both,” commented Rotherham.

A stifled giggle made him glance down at the enchanting face beside him. A look, half of mischief, half of consternation was cast up at him. “Oh, I beg your pardon!” gasped Emily, in a frightened undervoice.

“Not at all! When I choose to be witty I like to receive just acknowledgment. Do you mean to go to this Assembly?”

“Oh, I don’t know! I do hope—but I’m not precisely out yet, and perhaps Mama won’t permit me.”

“What is the significance of being precisely out?”

“Don’t quiz her!” said Serena, perceiving that she was at a loss to know how to answer. “She will be precisely out when she has been presented. When is it to be, Emily?”

“In the spring. Mama will give a ball!” she said, in an awed tone. “At least,” she added naively, “it is Grandmama really, only she won’t come to it, which I think is a great shame.”

Rotherham looked amused, but before he could probe into the mystery of this speech, which Serena feared was his intention, his notice was claimed by Lady Laleham, seated on his left hand.

“What do you say, Lord Rotherham? Your sister and I find that we share the same scruples, but I fancy I have hit on a scheme to make it unobjectionable for our giddy young people to attend the Assembly. Do you not agree that if we make up our own party between us it will solve the problem?”

“Certainly,” he replied.

With this unenthusiastic assent she was satisfied, and began at once to engage Lady Silchester’s co- operation.

Rotherham turned again to Emily, and found her face upturned, quite pink with excitement, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, thank you!” she breathed.

“Are you so fond of Assemblies?”

“Yes, indeed! That is to say, I don’t know, for I was never at one before.”

“Not being precisely out. Do you live in Quenbury?”

“Oh, no! At Cherrifield Place! Don’t you know it? You came by it this morning!”

“Did I?”

“Yes, and Mama knew it must be you, because of the crest. We were at the gate, meaning only to walk into the village, but Mama said we would come here instead, because there was a recipe she wished to give Lady Spenborough.”

“Providential!”

She was puzzled, and, scared by the satirical note in his voice, was stricken to silence. Serena, a trifle unsteadily, said: “Well, I hope you will enjoy the Assembly, and have a great many partners.”

“Within the limits of exclusiveness,” interpolated Rotherham, meeting her eye.

She frowned at him, knowing him to be quite capable of saying something outrageous enough to be understood by his innocent neighbour. Fortunately, since he met the frown with a bland look she knew well. Lady Laleham, having achieved her object, now judged it to be good tactics to take her leave. Her carriage was called for, and she bore her daughter off, well pleased with the success of her morning’s campaign.

“I never meet that woman but I smell the shop,” observed Lady Silchester calmly. “I wish I may not be her dear Augusta Silchester hereafter!”

“You are well served for having been fool enough to have mentioned the Assembly,” said her brother.

“Very true. I shall have the headache, and send Caroline with Cordelia.”

“I believe she knew you were here, and that is why she came!” declared Fanny, very much ruffled.

“She did!” Serena said, her eyes dancing. “That absurd child let the secret out in the most innocent fashion imaginable! How I contrived to keep my face I don’t know! Well for her Mama was not attending!”

“A pretty little dab of a girl,” said Lady Silchester. “Not enough countenance, but she’ll take very well, I daresay. Dark girls are being much admired just now. Depend upon it, her mother means her to go to the highest bidder. They say Laleham is pretty well at a standstill.”

“What I want to know,” said Rotherham, “is why Grandmama won’t be at the ball which she is to give.”

“I was in dread that you would ask her!” Serena said.

“I shall discover it at the Assembly, when you are not there to spoil sport.”

“You will not go to the Assembly!” she exclaimed incredulously.

“Certainly I shall.”

“Having a taste for being toad-eaten?” she quizzed him.

“No, for Miss Laleham’s artless conversation!”

“Ah, she won’t gratify you! You have frightened her away!”

“She must be lured back to hand.”

“No, no, it would be too bad of you! You might wake expectations in Mama’s bosom, moreover!”

“Irresistible! I shall come out on the side of my niece and my wards, and you will hear next that I am not by half as disagreeable as they had supposed.”

She laughed, but could not believe him to be serious. However, the next visitor to the Dower House was Mrs Monksleigh, who drove over from Claycross on Christmas Eve, and disclosed that the Assembly scheme was now a settled thing. “I own, I thought it would come to nothing, and so I warned the girls. I’m sure I was never more