CHAPTER V.
An easy matter to obtain a full list of other manufacturers in the sameline of business, and when Madame entrusted her with importanterrands,--
"I'm sending you, my dear, because I know I can rely upon you!"
--Then advantage was taken of the opportunity to skip up a staircaseand, opening a door that had the word "Inquiries" painted upon it, setupon the task of routing the defence, to obtain an interview with someresponsible individual. Usually the answer was that no vacancyexisted, but this did not prevent a brief cross-examination. Why wasshe leaving Great Titchfield Street, and was it because there did notexist a sufficient amount of work, and had Hilbert's secured anyimportant contracts lately, and had the firm any special work in view?To which questions Miss Higham replied with caution and reserve, sothat frequently the responsible individual came out of his office,walking with her down the stairs in the endeavour to obtain usefulinformation. As a rule, the discussion ended with a command that sheshould look in again when it chanced she was passing by. At GreatTitchfield Street, when Miss Rabbit and Gertie happened to be, for themoment, alone, the forewoman begged her in a low, confidential whispernot to put off till to-morrow anything she could do to-day, adding thatprocrastination was the thief of time.
"The fact is," said Miss Rabbit, with a burst of private candour, "Idon't care what happens so long as you are safe. Very strange, isn'tit, dear?"
It seemed to the perplexed girl, at this period, that life was made upof incidents which could not be spoken about freely. There was no onewith whom she could share the knowledge acquired at Wallingford; thathad to be endured alone. At Praed Street she found her aunt gazing ather curiously, sometimes beginning a sentence, and stopping, as onefearful of trespassing on prohibited ground. When Mr. Trew called, heand Mrs. Mills conferred in undertones, breaking off when the girl camenear, and speaking, in an unconvincing way, of an interesting murder inSouth London; Trew thought the police could find the missing man ifthey only went the right way about it. Great Titchfield Street, fromeight o'clock in the morning till nearly eight at night, appeared to beenveloped in a dense fog, with Madame showing none of the distractionof mind natural to one on the edge of a financial crisis, and Bunnyconveying friendliness by nods and furtive winks; the girls, as always,chattered freely of their small romances, not concealing their derisiveattitude towards young men, excepting as means of escort and paymasterswhere sweets and tram-tickets were involved; any slackening ofattention in these details, and dark hints were given of an intentionof giving the sack. Listening, Gertie came to the conclusion that herown case was unique, in that she had allowed Henry Douglass to assumethe position of autocrat. One of the men who worked the nettingmachine spoke to her exultantly of wisdom in managing his wife; themethod adopted was, it seemed, to contradict every blessed thing shesaid.
On the top of all this comes Frederick Bulpert, encountered nearQueen's Hall one evening at five minutes to eight, trying to make uphis mind whether to spend a shilling on a promenade concert or todisburse the money on a steak--Bulpert very glad to meet Gertie,because he has something to say to her that he cannot speak of to anyone else; something which must be regarded (says Frederick) as strictly_entre nous_. A spot of rain, and the stout young man says with areckless air, "Oh, come on in!" and Gertie agrees to accompany him,with two provisions: first, that she shall be allowed to pay forherself; second (because aunt has a new trick of requiring every minutebetween Great Titchfield Street and Praed Street to be accounted for),that Frederick will see her home later to the shop. Gertie thinks adose of music will do her as much good as anything.
"I don't claim," he admits, "to have an over and above savage breast,but I must confess it soothes me at times."
They are in time to take up position near the fountain in the centre ofthe promenade, to join in the welcome given to the leading men of theorchestra, to swell the applause offered to the conductor, tosing--this being the opening night--the National Anthem. Fredericktakes what he calls seconds; neighbours misunderstand it for anexpression of disloyalty. Then the programme starts. FrederickBulpert, new silk hat at back of head, and arms folded, listens to the"William Tell" overture, Handel's "Largo," and the suite from "PeerGynt" with the frown of a man not to be taken in and unwilling to beinfluenced by the approbation exhibited by people round him. A songfollows, and he remarks to Gertie that a recitation would be more inkeeping with the style of the entertainment. A violin solo with amelody that cries softly about love, the love of two people, withanxieties at first, at the end perfect triumph.
"We'll have a stroll out in the corridor," commands Bulpert. "Thatlast piece has made me feel somewhat _decollete_."
They gain the outer circle when Gertie has persuaded him to give to herthe task of leading through the crowd; her smile obtains a free waythat his truculent methods fail to obtain.
"I'm going to give up the Post Office," he announces impressively, "andI'm going in for the stage."
"If you can make money at it, there's no reason why you shouldn't."
Bulpert shows disappointment at the form of this agreement.
"I've come to the conclusion," he goes on, "that I'm not acting fairlytowards the world in concentrating my abilities on the serving out ofstamps and the issuing of postal orders. Besides which, I get no timefor study. Evening before last, at the Finsbury Town Hall, I came asnear to finding my memory fail as ever I've been. I'm burning thecandle at both ends."
"Hope you'll have good luck."
"I shall deserve to have it," he concedes. "I sometimes stand at theside of the platform, and I see other parties trying in the same line,and I have to admit to myself that I do put something into myrenditions of our poets and humorists that they fail to convey.Furthermore--"
"I don't want to miss the Henry the Eighth dances."
"Mention of him leads up to what I want to see you about. If I go onthe stage--and to tell you the truth, I haven't completely made up mymind as yet--I shall want a certain amount of comfort at home. Aprofessional man can't be bothered about domestic affairs. He has tokeep his mind on his work."
"Where does Henry the Eighth come in?"
Bulpert takes her arm. "I had an idea of asking you, Gertie, to marryme."
A pause of nearly half a minute.
"Do you mind if I think it over before giving a definite answer?"
"I'm agreeable to that," he says, "providing you don't take toothundering long about it."
Thus, a new perplexity was added to those that Gertie Higham alreadybore upon her shoulders. There existed arguments in favour ofaccepting Bulpert's offer. He belonged to her own set; he was not in aposition to comment upon her manner of speech, and there would be thesatisfaction of knowing that she was in all respects his equal; in manyhis superior. Bulpert was perhaps a trifle pompous, more than a trifleconceited, but he was steady. If she married him, it would be adistinct score to arrange that it occurred ere Henry Douglass and MissLoriner became united; were Gertie to send a small white box containingsugared cake after, the newspapers announced this fashionable wedding,the effect of the gift would be marred.
"I want to serve him out," she argued to herself, "for the way hetreated me. It's only fair!"
Mrs. Mills was obviously delighted by the visits of Bulpert, and heringenuity in leaving the young people together in the shop parlourproved that she was a mistress in the art of strategy. Bulpert excusedhimself to Gertie for omitting to invite her to the play, or for otheroutings, on the grounds that he was saving money; but he sometimes tookher along to Paddington Station to see the night expresses start, andtwice they went together to a large open place of entertainment inEdgware Road where you could, by dropping a penny in the slot, inspecta series of pictures that proved less exciting than the exhibitedtitle; at the same expense you heard Miss Milly Manton's latest song,and George Limpsey's celebrated triumph in, "I wish I didn't talk somuch to Clara!" On the evening of a day when Gertie had called uponthe last firm of
the list, she told Bulpert, as they met near MarbleArch, that if he cared to ask her now to be his wife she would accepthim.
"Right you are," he said. "Then we'll consider the matter aspractically settled."
They found Mr. Trew outside the shop when they returned; seeing them,he assumed the attitude of a figure taking snuff, and Gertie knew fromthis he was in good spirits. Mrs. Mills made the announcement thatsupper was waiting--a special meal because royalty had gone by that dayto take train for Windsor--and Mr. Trew suggested Bulpert should havefirst cut at the food, the while he and the little missy strolled upand down to enjoy the evening air.
"I was bound to come along and see you," he said. "When I got the newsI nearly fell off my seat. Should have done, only that I was strappedin. You remember Miss--what-was-her-name--we met at the Zoo thatSunday afternoon."
"Miss Loriner."
Mr. Trew stopped to make his announcement in a dramatic form.
"She's going to get spliced."
"So I guessed," remarked Gertie.
"But can you guess who to?"
"I think I can."
"Oh," he said regretfully. "Of course, if I'm not the first in thefield with the news, there's an end of it. I sh'd say they'd be a verycomfortable, 'appy, get-on-well-together couple, once they settle down."
She made a remark in a trembling voice.
"Of course you hope they will," he echoed heartily. "You and him havealways got along well together. As I said, he hasn't took much timeabout it. Finished his book, he tells me."
"Mr. Trew, who are you talking about?"
"Why, your cousin Clarence, of course. I know it's correct because Igot the information straight from the stable. And he would have calledround to tell you, only he was busy. Said he wanted to see you soon,because he'd got a message. I won't be certain; there was a lot oftraffic about, but I rather fancy it was something in the nature of apressing invite."
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