VIII
SIR REGINALD
Cicely Farmond and Malcolm Cromarty walked up the avenue together, hepushing his bicycle, she walking by his side with a more than usuallyserious expression.
"Then you won't tell me where you've been?" said he.
"You won't tell me where you've been!"
He was silent for a moment and then said confidentially:
"We might as well say we've been somewhere together. I mean, if any oneasks."
"Thank you, I don't need to fib," said she.
"I don't mean I need to. Only----" he seemed to find it difficult toexplain.
"I shall merely say I have been for a walk, and you need only say youhave been for a ride--if you don't want to say where you have reallybeen."
"And if you don't want to mention that you were driving with NedCromarty," he retorted.
"He only very kindly offered me a lift!"
She looked quickly at him as she spoke and as quickly away again. Theglint in her eye seemed to displease him.
"You needn't always be so sharp with me, Cicely," he complained.
"You shouldn't say stupid things."
Both were silent for a space and then in a low mournful voice he said:
"I wish I knew how to win your sympathy, Cicely. You don't absolutelyhate me, do you?"
"Of course I don't hate you. But the way to get a girl's sympathy is notalways to keep asking for it."
He looked displeased again.
"I don't believe you know what I mean!"
"I don't believe you do either."
He grew tender.
"_Your_ sympathy, Cicely, would make all the difference to my life!"
"Now, Malcolm----" she began in a warning voice.
"Oh, I am not asking you to love me again," he assured her quickly. "Itis only sympathy I demand!"
"But you mix them up so easily. It isn't safe to give you anything."
"I won't again!" he assured her.
"Well," she said, though not very sympathetically, "what do you want tobe sympathised with about now?"
"When you offer me sympathy in that tone, I can't give you myconfidence!" he said unhappily.
"Really, Malcolm, how can I possibly tell what your confidence is goingto be beforehand? Perhaps it won't deserve sympathy."
"If you knew the state of my affairs!" he said darkly.
"A few days ago you told me they were very promising," she said with alittle smile.
"So they would be--so they are--if--if only you would care for me,Cicely!"
"You tell me they are promising when you want me to marry you, anddesperate when you want me to sympathise with you," she said a littlecruelly. "Which am I to believe?"
"Hush! Here's Sir Reginald," he said.
The gentleman who came through a door in the walled garden beside thehouse was a fresh-coloured, white-haired man of sixty; slender and notabove middle height, but very erect, and with the carriage of a person alittle conscious of being of some importance. Sir Reginald Cromarty was,in fact, extremely conscious of his position in life, and the rathersuperior and condescending air he was wont to assume in general societymade it a little difficult for a stranger to believe that he couldactually be the most popular person in the county; especially as it wasnot hard to discover that his temper could easily become peppery uponprovocation. If, however, the stranger chanced to provide the worthybaronet with even the smallest opening of exhibiting his extraordinarykindness of heart--were it only by getting wet in a shower or mislayinga walking stick, he would quickly comprehend. And the baronet's sympathynever waited to be summoned; it seemed to hover constantly over all menand women he met, spying for its chance.
He himself was totally unconscious of this attribute and imagined therespect in which he was held to be due to his lineage, rank, andsuperior breeding and understanding. Indeed, few people in this worldcan have cut a more dissimilar figure as seen from his own and fromother men's eyes; though as both parties were equally pleased with SirReginald Cromarty, it mattered little.
At the sight of Cicely his smile revealed the warmth of his feelings inthat direction.
"Ah, my dear girl," said he, "we've been looking for you. Where have youbeen?"
"I've been having a walk."
She smiled at him as she answered, and on his side it was easy to seethat the good gentleman was enraptured, and that Miss Farmond was notlikely to be severely cross-examined as to her movements. TowardsMalcolm, on the other hand, though his greeting was kindly enough, hiseye was critical. The young author's tie seemed to be regarded withparticular displeasure.
"My God, Margaret, imagine being found dead in such a thing!" he hadexclaimed to his wife, after his first sight of it; and time had donenothing to diminish his distaste for this indication of a foreign way oflife.
Lady Cromarty came out of the garden a moment later; a dark thin-facedlady with a gracious manner when she spoke, but with lips that wereusually kept very tight shut and an eye that could easily be hard.
"Nearly time for lunch," she said. "You two had better hurry up!"
The young people hurried on to the house and the baronet and his ladywalked slowly behind.
"So they have been away all morning together, Reginald," she remarked.
"Oh, I don't think so," said he. "He had his bicycle and she has beenwalking."
"You are really too unsuspicious, Reggie!"
"A woman, my dear, is perhaps a little too much the reverse where ayoung couple is concerned. I have told you before, and I repeat it nowemphatically, that neither Cicely nor Malcolm is in a position tocontemplate matrimony for an instant."
"He is your heir--and Cicely is quite aware of it."
"I assure you, Margaret," he said with great conviction, "that Cicely isnot a girl with mercenary motives. She is quite charming----"
"Oh, I know your opinion of her, Reggie," Lady Cromarty broke in atrifle impatiently, "and I am fond of her too, as you know. Still, Idon't believe a girl who can use her eyes so effectively is quite assimple as you think."
Sir Reginald laughed indulgently.
"Really, my love, even the best of women are sometimes a trifleuncharitable! But in any case Malcolm has quite enough sense of hisfuture position to realise that his wife must be somebody without theblemish on her birth, which is no fault of dear Cicely's, but--er--makesher ineligible for this particular position."
"I wish I could think that Malcolm is the kind of young man who wouldconsult anything but his own wishes. I have told you often enough,Reggie, that I don't think it is wise to keep these two young peopleliving here in the same house for months on end."
"But what can one do?" asked the benevolent baronet. "Neither of themhas any home of their own. Hang it, I'm the head of their family and I'mbound to show them a little hospitality."
"But Malcolm has rooms in town. He needn't spend months on end atKeldale."
The baronet was silent for a moment. Then he said:
"To tell the truth, my dear, I'm afraid Malcolm is not turning out quiteso well as I had hoped. He certainly ought to be away doing something.At the same time, hang it, you wouldn't have me turn my own kinsman andheir out of my house, Margaret; would you?"
Lady Cromarty sighed, and then her thin lips tightened.
"You are hopeless, Reggie. I sometimes feel as though I were here merelyas matron of a home for lost Cromartys! Well, I hope your confidencewon't be abused. I confess I don't feel very comfortable about itmyself."
"Well, well," said Sir Reginald. "My own eyes are open too, I assureyou. I shall watch them very carefully at lunch, in the light of whatyou have been saying."
The baronet was an old Etonian, and as his life had been somewhatuneventful since, he was in the habit of drawing very largely on hisrecollections of that nursery of learning. Lunch had hardly begun beforea question from Cicely set him going, and for the rest of the meal heregaled her with these reminiscences.
After luncheon he said to his wife:
"Upon my word, I noticed nothing whatever amiss. Cicely is a verysensible as well as a deuced pretty girl."
"I happened to look at Malcolm occasionally," said she.
Sir Reginald thought that she seemed to imply more than she said, butthen women were like that, he had noticed, and if one took all theirimplications into account, life would be a troublesome affair.
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