'Oh no! He was dancing with her the last waltz. My wife tells me the young fellows form up in column for the honour of obtaining the lady's hand.'
'Charles is fortunate, then,' said Judith.
'If you choose to call it fortunate,' said Sir Henry, giving her a somewhat shrewd look. 'I don't want to see any of my staff entangled in that direction. She has a very unsettling effect, from what I can discover. One of Barnes's boys lost his head badly over her, and is now of about as much use to Barnes as my wife's little spaniel would be.'
'I wonder who introduced Charles to her?'
Sir Henry laughed shortly. 'I can tell you that, dear lady. The Prince of Orange.' Judith pursued the subject no further. Sir Henry's differences with the Prince made it tactless to introduce that ebullient young gentleman's name into any conversation with his second-in-command.
Colonel Audley relinquished Barbara presently, and discovering a disinclination in himself to dance with anyone else, went away in search of other amusement. This was not hard to find, for he had many friends present, and was able to spend a pleasant hour %vandering about the ballroom and the adjoining salons, exchanging greetings and news with his acquaintances.
Two suppers were being served at midnight, the one a select affair given by the King to his more Distinguished guests; the other a less select and more Informal entertainment held in an adjoining salon. The Earl and Countess of Worth were of the first party; so, too, was Colonel Audley, in his character of aide-de-camp. He was about to join the stream of people passing through the ballroom to the King's supper parlour, and was standing by the entrance to one of the apartments leading out of the main antechamber, when the curtains obscuring the room behind him were thrust back, and Miss Devenish came out, almost running, her cheeks flushed, and one hand gasping to her shoulder a torn frill of lace.
So precipitate was her arrival in the antechamber that she nearly collided with Colonel Audley and recoiled with an exclamation on her lips and appearance of great confusion.
Colonel Audley had turned, with a word of apology for obstructing the way. Miss Devenish, still clutching her torn frill, said in a breathless voice: 'It is of no consequence. It was quite my fault. I beg your pardon - I was going in search of my aunt!'
Colonel Audley glanced from this agitated little lady towards the room from which she had fled in such haste, and took a step towards the entrance. Miss Devenish put out her hand quickly to stop him: 'Oh, please!' she said. 'I don't wish - I am being very stupid. So vexing! I have had the misfortune to tear my lace, and must get it pinned up.'
Colonel Audley took her trembling hand in his, and held it in a comfortingly firm clasp. 'My dear ma'am, what has happened to distress you?' he asked. 'Is there anything I can do?'
'Oh no, indeed! You are very kind, but it was nothing - really nothing at all! If I could find my aunt it is time to be going in to supper, I believe.'
Colonel Audley glanced towards the ballroom. 'We will do our best to discover her, but I am afraid it will be a difficult task,' he said. 'Does she expect you to join her in the supper-room?'
'Oh yes! That is, nothing was said, but of course she would expect me. I was to have gone in with a - a gentleman, only…' She broke off, blushing more furiously that ever.
'Only that perhaps the gentleman had had a trifle too much to drink, and so forgot himself,' finished the Colonel in a matter-of-fact voice.
Miss Devenish gave a gasp, and looked quickly up into his face. The smile in his eyes seemed to reassure her. She said: 'Yes, that was it. Oh, how singular it must appear to you! But indeed -'
'It doesn't appear in the least singular to me,' he interrupted. 'But your lace! That is a more serious matter. If you had a pin - or even two pins - in your reticule, and could trust to my bungling fingers, I believe I could set it to rights.'
The fright had by this time died out of her eyes. A smile quivered on her lips. She replied: 'I have a pin -two pins - but are you sure you can?'
'No,' said the Colonel. 'But I am sure I can try , give me your pins.'
She glanced round, but they were alone in the antechamber. 'Thank you: you are very obliging!' she said and opened her reticule.
The pins once discovered, it was a matter of a minute or two only before the frills were in place again. Miss Devenish was quite astonished by the Colonel's deediness. 'I made sure you would prick me at least!'
said merrily. 'But I am quite in your debt! Thank you.'
He offered his arm. 'May I take you to your aunt, if we can find her?'
'Oh - ! I should be very happy: but am I not trespassing on your time?'
'How should you be? Perhaps your aunt may be waiting for you in the ballroom.'
No trace, however, of Mrs Fisher was to be found there, nor was she discovered in the corridor leading to the second supper-room.
'I am afraid there is nothing for it but for you to accept me in place of your other supper partner,' said the Colonel. 'Your aunt must have gone in already, and from what I have seen of the crowd there you will be lucky indeed if you contrive to find her. Shall we go in?'
She looked doubtfully at him. 'But are you sure you are not expected in the other room? I thought - someone told me - that nearly all the staff officers were invited, and you are one, are you not?'
'I am, but no one will care a button whether I sup in the other room or not, I assure you,' replied the Colonel. 'It will be very dull, if I know these staff functions.'
'Will it?'
'Oh, I give you my word! It will last an interminable time, and a great many people will made interminable speeches. I should infinitely prefer to sup with you.'
Miss Devenish smiled. 'I shall be very happy to go with you,' she said. 'Indeed, I think I should feel wretchedly lost by myself. There are so many people!'
They fell in with the slow-moving stream of guests, and presently found themselves in a large, brilliantly-lit room set out with any number of tables, and already bewilderingly full of people. As they paused within the room, looking about them for a couple of vacant places, Miss Devenish exclaimed: 'Oh, there she is!' and started towards a table near the door, at which was seated a stout, good-humoured-looking lady in purple sarsnet and a turban.
'There you are, my love!' said Mrs Fisher. 'I came in early to be sure of obtaining a good place. Well, and are you enjoying yourself? For my part I find the rooms very hot, but I daresay young people don't notice such Things. You had better sit down while you may. I assure you I have been quite put to it to keep these seats for you.'
Miss Devenish turned to Colonel Audley. 'Thank you so very much! You need not miss your engagement in the other room after all, you see.'
Mrs Fisher, having favoured the Colonel with a sleepy yet shrewd scrutiny, interposed to invite him most hospitably to join her at the table. 'I would not go into the other room if I were you,' she told him. 'I daresay they will be making speeches for as much as a couple of hours.'
'Just what I have been saying to your niece, ma'am,' he replied, pulling out a chair for Miss Devenish.
As he did so a hand smote him on the shoulder.
'Hallo, Charles! How are you? What are you doing here? I thought you were supping in state! Judith and Worth are.'
The Colonel turned. 'Hallo, Perry!' he said, shaking hands. 'How do you do, Lady Taverner? Yes, I ought to be in the other room, but I missed Worth, and so came here instead. Are you staying long in Brussels? Do you like it?'
'Oh, pretty fair! 'Evening, ma'am - 'evening, Miss Devenish. Look, Harriet, there's Dawson waving to us: he has secured a table. Charles, are you staying with Worth? Oh then, I shall see you!'
He passed on, and the Colonel turned back to Miss Devenish to find her staring at him in the liveliest surprise. He could not help laughing. 'But what have I done? What have I said?' he asked.
'Oh! nothing, of course! But I had no idea you were Colonel Audley until Sir Peregrine spoke to you. Lady Worth is such a particular friend of mine!'
Mrs Fisher interposed to say in rather a bewildered voice: 'My love, what is all this? Surely you have been introduced!'
