The Disturbing Charm
Page 26
CHAPTER IX
CHAMPAGNE AND THE CHARM
"Here's to the Wings of Love, May they never moult a feather."
Toast.
Almost roughly he dragged Jack Awdas into the little entrance lobby,where, under a couple of mounted ibex heads, a carved oak chest waspiled up with khaki caps, gloves, and British warms. The red silk-shadedhanging-lamp glowed down on the two young men reflected in a convexmirror on the other wall; Captain Ross's black head was therein enlargeduntil his figure had the proportions of a tadpole; his face showed theexpression of a deeply-injured man, of one whom his friend had "let in"for something uncalled-for and gratuitous.
"See here," he began abruptly. "I've got to tell you. There's somethingI know that I don't know if I'm supposed to know."
Jack Awdas gave his husky boy's laugh.
"Well, dash it, there are a few things that a Captain on the staff issupposed to know after all. '_Wearing red things round his hat, he'semployed at this and----_'"
"Don't rag, Jack. This thing's about _you_." Then, almost violently, "Isaw you this morning."
That red light glowed on a change in the fair one of the two faces asthe young flying officer looked down upon his friend, "I say, d'youmean----?"
"Yep. I saw you."
Awdas, still startled, broke into another laugh. "Sorry, Ross. I didn'tmean to steal a march upon you, you know. But look here, old thing, howthe devil did you see me? You weren't there. Nobody was, ex----"
"I was in my office. Saw you all right from the window there."
"The deuce you did!... I say, if you let it get known about theHoneycomb, that you've got a view like that, you'll have some of theMandarins snaffling that office of yours for themselves."
Captain Ross did not smile as he returned curtly, "There must be a dozenof our windows looking, straight out on to the entrance to the AdelphiChapel."
Then a broad grin overspread Jack Awdas's fair face. "Well, is that all,old thing?" he asked, tucking his handkerchief up his sleeve and makingas though he would turn back to the door, through which there rollicked,but subdued, the strains of "Me and My Girl" put on very quickly."Weren't you going to congratulate me, Ross?"
Ross growled, "I guess a fellow doesn't want to put his foot into it bythrowing about congratulations for a secret marriage----"
"Secret? Good Lord, nothing secret about it," the other young officertook up quickly, as he sat down for a moment on the edge of thatheaped-up chest. "Look here! We haven't told anybody about it becausethere simply hasn't been time yet. When we came here tonight we weregoing to tell you. We wouldn't put off Mrs. Cartwright; we were going tocome as if nothing had happened, and then make a wedding party of it;tell you all, first thing. But how've I been able to get a word in?First there was our gallant ally the Sergeant that everybody had to makea fuss over in French, and then there was young Brown and his widow,_that_ announcement! and then there was you----"
"_Me?_"
"Yes, you yarning away about what women were and what they weren't, andif so why not. There hasn't been time to get a word in, man. Secret?" Helaughed joyously. "Why, I expect Golden's just telling Mrs. Cartwrightall about it now." The bridegroom crossed his long legs and grinned upinto the unresponsive face of this bachelor standing before him. "Yes;this morning! I didn't see what there was to wait for ... here, have oneof mine. Golden thought it was a bit quick, but then so she did when Iwanted to be engaged to her, after three whole blooming days. Thought itwas _sudden_! That's----why, it's nearly four months ago. Anyway I saidto myself yesterday, 'This engagement's been dragging on long enough;looks like lasting for ever'----so I got the license right away, wiredfor my mother, broke it to Golden's governor, who has always been verydecent, and----Well, they were the only guests as far as I knew, neverguessing that you and the rest of the Honeycomb were gazing from thewindows at my girl in her veil and orange-blossoms. So now will youcongratulate me on my marriage?"
The face of the finest judge of marriage in Europe was a study.
* * * * *
For weeks past now, from the windows of cell 0638 at the Honeycomb,Captain Fergus Ross had been accustomed to glance up from his desk andto observe through the window various taxis, cars, or broughams drive upto the door of the Adelphi Chapel.
He had seen young people and their friends alight in ceremonial kit. Hehad watched them go in; and he had seen young couples presently come outagain, sometimes under arches of swords, sometimes under those ofcrutches and walking-sticks, sometimes in a simple shower of confetti.No doubt these sights had confirmed him in his misogynistic broodings.
This very morning he had attracted the attention of his colleague, MajorLeefe, to the window, and, pointing down upon a hurrying young figure inkhaki with a sword, had announced with a grim and pitying smile, "Theregoes another good man to his doom."
Even as he pronounced the last word (which he did as though it were theGerman for "stupid"), he observed the hurrying figure below to raise itshead for a moment as it looked quickly around.
He had recognized Jack Awdas.
Five minutes afterwards he had seen Golden in all her bridal glory, stepout of a taxi with Mr. van Huysen.
You could have knocked Captain Ross down with a feather.
What was everybody coming to? he had pondered irritably ever since._All_ his friends....
* * * * *
"I congrrratulate----" he began stiffly, but at that very moment aclamour broke out above the music in the room they had left.
"Where is he?"
"Fetch him in----"
"Fancy bolting like that----" came the muffled cries.
The door was flung suddenly open as Brown, Ellerton, the Highlander,Sergeant Tronchet and the Master of the House burst suddenly into thelobby.
"Here he is!"
"Now, you rascal----"
"Dark horse, what?"
"Come in, you dog----"
"Ah, _farceur_! Felicita----"
"Bai Jove, trying to hush it up----"
"Mr. Awdas, I say. Mr. Awdas----"
"Ah, would you----"
"Monsieur de l'Audace!"
"Priceless!"
Among them they almost carried Jack's Herculean young form back into thesitting-room.
Captain Ross followed.
The golden head of the Sunburst Girl towered above the heads of Olwenand of Miss Walsh as they pressed upon her their enthusiastic goodwishes. Laughing, flushed, sparkling, she was giving her version of thatdilatory courtship of Jack's; while Mrs. Cartwright in the corner bythat desk of hers, was hunting in some _cache_ of hers for something (towit, the last drop of Bubbly she possessed).
"Here's more surprises about your English ways," the American bride waslaughing. "Here's this Bird-boy of mine----well, you all know the quickand sudden start of our engagement! There was father and I thinkingmaybe it wouldn't matter so much provided we had a sensible time to getto know one another in after say a year! Then yesterday Jack getssuddenly scared that we'll both be grey and rheumatic fossils if wearen't married half an hour from then.... Say, Olwen? What could I say?I don't know how he does it--it's mesmerism or a charm, I guess, forwhen once Jack takes it into his head----"
Here the laughter and cheering of the men broke out. The Master of theHouse was seen to be advancing, carrying at the full length of his youngarms a tray of glasses. Mrs. Cartwright rose from the chest, smilinglyholding a gold-topped bottle in either hand.
"Who's going to open these?"
Already Mr. Brown had whisked a skirt of his tunic under his arm and wasslipping his sapper's knife from its swivel. "Stand from under!" sangout the little second lieutenant as pop! went a cork. "Right! I'll fill'em, Mrs. C. I'm the next starter for the matrimonial stakes, after thegiddy bridegroom. Out o' the way, Ross! Don't take up the earth....Invited out to supper, and staying to wedding-breakfast, eh?... Here'syours, Miss Olwen; a bridesmaid, are you?... No, you don't, Ellerton;_I'm_ b
ooked for best man.... I'm going to have one from everybody...._After_ you've finished with my feet, Ross----"
Captain Ross, glaring above his glass at the group about that tall andresplendent bridal pair, found his bad temper of the day culminating ina very curious decision.
He was going to leave directly he'd finished this glass of champagne inwhich they toasted the young Awdases. And he was going to take with him,Olwen Howel-Jones. He was going to see her home. He was; not thatgibbering idiot Brown, who was engaged anyway, nor that hopeless assEllerton, that Naval outfitter's dummy; no fear. Most certainly not. Asfor that fellow Jack, what the Hades did he mean by looking as if hewere the only man on God's earth whose wedding-night it had ever been orever could be? Was Jack Awdas the first young fool who'd ever managed toget himself marked down and married by a girl?... The whole party seemedto be one confounded whirl of tomfoolery.... Well, he, Ross, wasleaving, and taking that chit home. (It was high time.) Drive her allthe way, too; because he'd got something to say to her. Straight awayhe'd say to her, "Now, see here, damn it, there's going to be no more of_this_, there's been enough of it, and I won't have it."
Just that was what he intended to say, and----
At this instant the Master of the House, in the treble one of hisvoices, called, "I say, Captain Ross, please--they're asking for _you_."
The telephone-bell had rung a moment before, and Keith had run out ofthe room to answer it.
The telephone was just outside; Captain Ross went to it....
In a minute or so he returned. He was seen to draw his hostess aside, tomurmur something to her. Mrs. Cartwright nodded quickly. Then he went upfor the second time that evening to catch hold, with his one remaininghand, of the arm of Jack Awdas. The young flying officer gave a jerk ofhis fair head; a whisper to Golden, another to his hostess.... Beforethe rest of the group had realized that they were going, those two, Rossand Awdas, were out of the flat, down the one flight of steps and outinto the clear moonlight above Westminster.
Then, composedly and carelessly, Mrs. Cartwright slipped her arm throughGolden's, and turned to her other guests.
"I'm so sorry to be inhospitable, dear people, but I think it would bebetter if you went, now!" she announced, smilingly. "There's heaps oftime. You see Captain Ross gets the warning from the Honeycomb half anhour before any of us, and they've just rung him up to say----"
"Raid on!" ejaculated Keith's highest squeak.
"Probably, he thinks," said his mother with a shrug. "Tiresome peoplethese Huns are; _no_ sense of fitness. Well--finish your bubbly and offwith you."
There was a scurrying of the women-folk to get their wraps from Mrs.Cartwright's bedroom; a chorus of comment half exasperated, half amused.Raids were less of a terror by night than a source of deep boredom toLondoners by this time.... They had all been in them before; they knew(with luck) just what would happen from the first whistling signals ofthe "Take cover" to the "All clear."
"_Bother_ them," exclaimed little Olwen, disgusted. "In the middle ofthe party for _you_, Golden!"
The men, coated and capped, thronged the tiny lobby, waiting.... Mr.Brown and Captain Ross's friend would escort Mrs. Cartwright's niece toher hotel. Young Mr. Ellerton was all eagerness to see Miss Howel-Jonesall the way home again. Agatha's sergeant had secured a taxi to take his_fiancee_ Victoria-wards; they offered a lift to Golden, imagining thatthe young bride would now return to her father's house in GrosvenorGardens. But in the midst of the little bustle of departure Mrs.Cartwright had given a gentle clasp to the American girl's arm.
"Don't go," she said softly. "I am going to put you up, Golden. You areto stay with me. He told me he wanted you to stay with me tonight----"
As she finished speaking, the first warning maroon went off with abang.