Phineas Redux

by Anthony Trollope

  CHAPTER XV.

  "HOW WELL YOU KNEW!"

  It was necessary also that some communication should be made toPhineas, so that he might not come across Madame Goesler unawares.Lady Chiltern was more alive to that necessity than she had been tothe other, and felt that the gentleman, if not warned of what was totake place, would be much more likely than the lady to be awkward atthe trying moment. Madame Goesler would in any circumstances be sureto recover her self-possession very quickly, even were she to lose itfor a moment; but so much could hardly be said for the social powersof Phineas Finn. Lady Chiltern therefore contrived to see him alonefor a moment on his arrival. "Who do you think is here?"

  "Lady Laura has not come!"

  "Indeed, no; I wish she had. An old friend, but not so old as Laura!"

  "I cannot guess;--not Lord Fawn?"

  "Lord Fawn! What would Lord Fawn do here? Don't you know that LordFawn goes nowhere since his last matrimonial trouble? It's a friendof yours, not of mine."

  "Madame Goesler?" whispered Phineas.

  "How well you knew when I said it was a friend of yours. MadameGoesler is here,--not altered in the least."

  "Madame Goesler!"

  "Does it annoy you?"

  "Oh, no. Why should it annoy me?"

  "You never quarrelled with her?"

  "Never!"

  "There is no reason why you should not meet her?"

  "None at all;--only I was surprised. Did she know that I was coming?"

  "I told her yesterday. I hope that I have not done wrong or madethings unpleasant. I knew that you used to be friends."

  "And as friends we parted, Lady Chiltern." He had nothing more tosay in the matter; nor had she. He could not tell the story of whathad taken place between himself and the lady, and she could not keepherself from surmising that something had taken place, which, had sheknown it, would have prevented her from bringing the two together atHarrington.

  Madame Goesler, when she was dressing, acknowledged to herself thatshe had a task before her which would require all her tact and allher courage. She certainly would not have accepted Lady Chiltern'sinvitation had she known that she would encounter Phineas Finn at thehouse. She had twenty-four hours to think of it, and at one time hadalmost made up her mind that some sudden business should recall herto London. Of course, her motive would be suspected. Of course LadyChiltern would connect her departure with the man's arrival. But eventhat, bad as it would be, might be preferable to the meeting! What afool had she been,--so she accused herself,--in not foreseeing thatsuch an accident might happen, knowing as she did that Phineas Finnhad reappeared in the political world, and that he and the Chilternpeople had ever been fast friends! As she had thought about it, lyingawake at night, she had told herself that she must certainly berecalled back to London by business. She would telegraph up to town,raising a question about any trifle, and on receipt of the answer shecould be off with something of an excuse. The shame of running awayfrom the man seemed to be a worse evil than the shame of meeting him.She had in truth done nothing to disgrace herself. In her desireto save a man whom she had loved from the ruin which she thoughthad threatened him, she had--offered him her hand. She had madethe offer, and he had refused it! That was all. No; she would notbe driven to confess to herself that she had ever fled from the faceof man or woman. This man would be again in London, and she couldnot always fly. It would be only necessary that she should maintainher own composure, and the misery of the meeting would pass awayafter the first few minutes. One consolation was assured to her.She thoroughly believed in the man,--feeling certain that he hadnot betrayed her, and would not betray her. But now, as the timefor the meeting drew near, as she stood for a moment before theglass,--pretending to look at herself in order that her maid mightnot remark her uneasiness, she found that her courage, great asit was, hardly sufficed her. She almost plotted some scheme of aheadache, by which she might be enabled not to show herself tillafter dinner. "I am so blind that I can hardly see out of my eyes,"she said to the maid, actually beginning the scheme. The womanassumed a look of painful solicitude, and declared that "Madame didnot look quite her best." "I suppose I shall shake it off," saidMadame Goesler; and then she descended the stairs.

  "I suppose I shall shake it off."]

  The condition of Phineas Finn was almost as bad, but he had a muchless protracted period of anticipation than that with which the ladywas tormented. He was sent up to dress for dinner with the knowledgethat in half an hour he would find himself in the same room withMadame Goesler. There could be no question of his running away, nopossibility even of his escaping by a headache. But it may be doubtedwhether his dismay was not even more than hers. She knew that shecould teach herself to use no other than fitting words; but he wasalmost sure that he would break down if he attempted to speak to her.She would be safe from blushing, but he would assuredly become asred as a turkey-cock's comb up to the roots of his hair. Her bloodwould be under control, but his would be coursing hither and thitherthrough his veins, so as to make him utterly unable to rule himself.Nevertheless, he also plucked up his courage and descended, reachingthe drawing-room before Madame Goesler had entered it. Chiltern wasgoing on about Trumpeton Wood to Lord Baldock, and was renewing hisfury against all the Pallisers, while Adelaide stood by and laughed.Gerard Maule was lounging on a chair, wondering that any man couldexpend such energy on such a subject. Lady Chiltern was explainingthe merits of the case to Lady Baldock,--who knew nothing abouthunting; and the other guests were listening with eager attention.A certain Mr. Spooner, who rode hard and did nothing else,and who acted as an unacknowledged assistant-master under LordChiltern,--there is such a man in every hunt,--acted as chorus, andindicated, chiefly with dumb show, the strong points of the case.

  "Finn, how are you?" said Lord Chiltern, stretching out his lefthand. "Glad to have you back again, and congratulate you about theseat. It was put down in red herrings, and we found nearly a dozen ofthem afterwards,--enough to kill half the pack."

  "Picked up nine," said Mr. Spooner.

  "Children might have picked them up quite as well,--and eaten them,"said Lady Chiltern.

  "They didn't care about that," continued the Master. "And nowthey've wires and traps over the whole place. Palliser's a friend ofyours--isn't he, Finn?"

  "Of course I knew him,--when I was in office."

  "I don't know what he may be in office, but he's an uncommon bad sortof fellow to have in a county."

  "Shameful!" said Mr. Spooner, lifting up both his hands.

  "This is my first cousin, you know," whispered Adelaide, to LadyBaldock.

  "If he were my own brother, or my grandmother, I should say thesame," continued the angry lord. "We must have a meeting about it,and let the world know it,--that's all." At this moment the door wasagain opened, and Madame Goesler entered the room.

  When one wants to be natural, of necessity one becomes the reverse ofnatural. A clever actor,--or more frequently a clever actress,--willassume the appearance; but the very fact of the assumption rendersthe reality impossible. Lady Chiltern was generally very clever inthe arrangement of all little social difficulties, and, had shethought less about it, might probably have managed the present affairin an easy and graceful manner. But the thing had weighed upon hermind, and she had decided that it would be expedient that she shouldsay something when those two old friends first met each other againin her drawing-room. "Madame Max," she said, "you remember Mr. Finn."Lord Chiltern for a moment stopped the torrent of his abuse. LordBaldock made a little effort to look uninterested, but quite in vain.Mr. Spooner stood on one side. Lady Baldock stared with all hereyes,--with some feeling of instinct that there would be something tosee; and Gerard Maule, rising from the sofa, joined the circle. Itseemed as though Lady Chiltern's words had caused the formation of aring in the midst of which Phineas and Madame Goesler were to renewtheir acquaintance.

  "Very well indeed," said Madame Max, putting out her hand and lookingfull into our hero's face with her swe
etest smile. "And I hope Mr.Finn will not have forgotten me." She did it admirably--so well thatsurely she need not have thought of running away.

  But poor Phineas was not happy. "I shall never forget you," said he;and then that unavoidable blush suffused his face, and the bloodbegan to career through his veins.

  "I am so glad you are in Parliament again," said Madame Max.

  "Yes;--I've got in again, after a struggle. Are you still living inPark Lane?"

  "Oh, yes;--and shall be most happy to see you." Then she seatedherself,--as did also Lady Chiltern by her side. "I see the poorDuke's iniquities are still under discussion. I hope Lord Chilternrecognises the great happiness of having a grievance. It would be apity that so great a blessing should be thrown away upon him." Forthe moment Madame Max had got through her difficulty, and, indeed,had done so altogether till the moment should come in which sheshould find herself alone with Phineas. But he slunk back from thegathering before the fire, and stood solitary and silent till dinnerwas announced. It became his fate to take an old woman into dinnerwho was not very clearsighted. "Did you know that lady before?" sheasked.

  "Oh, yes; I knew her two or three years ago in London."

  "Do you think she is pretty?"

  "Certainly."

  "All the men say so, but I never can see it. They have been sayingever so long that the old Duke of Omnium means to marry her on hisdeathbed, but I don't suppose there can be anything in it."

  "Why should he put it off for so very inopportune an occasion?" askedPhineas.