II
In the meantime Mrs.┬аVereker had her own methods. One day she asked Nell to go and see an old friendтБатАФa girl who had married some few years ago. Amelie King had been a brilliant dashing creature whom Nell, as a schoolgirl, had admired enviously. She might have made a very good marriage, but to everyoneтАЩs surprise she had married a struggling young man and had disappeared from her own particular gay world.
тАЬIt seems unkind to drop old friends,тАЭ said Mrs.┬аVereker. тАЬIтАЩm sure Amelie would be pleased if you went to see her, and youтАЩre not doing anything this afternoon.тАЭ
So Nell went off obediently to call on Mrs.┬аHorton at 35 Glenster Gardens, Ealing.
It was a hot day. Nell took the District Railway and inquired her way from Ealing Broadway Station when she got there.
Glenster Gardens proved to be about a mile from the stationтБатАФa long depressing road of little houses, all exactly alike. The door of No.┬а35 was opened by a frowsy-looking maid with a dirty apron and Nell was shown into a small drawing-room. There were one or two nice old pieces of furniture in it and the cretonnes and curtains were of an attractive pattern though very faded, but the place was very untidy and littered with childrenтАЩs toys and odd bits of mending. A childтАЩs fretful wail rose from somewhere in the house as the door opened and Amelie came in.
тАЬNell, why how nice of you! I havenтАЩt seen you for years.тАЭ
Nell had quite a shock on seeing her. Could this be the well-turned-out attractive Amelie? Her figure had got sloppy, her blouse was shapeless and evidently homemade, and her face was tired and worried with all the old dash and sparkle gone out of it.
She sat down and they talked. Presently Nell was taken to see the two children, a boy and a girl, the younger a baby in a cot.
тАЬI ought to take them out now,тАЭ said Amelie, тАЬbut really IтАЩm too tired this afternoon. You donтАЩt know how tired one can get pushing a perambulator all the way up from the shops as I did this morning.тАЭ
The boy was an attractive child, the baby girl looked sickly and peevish.
тАЬItтАЩs partly her teeth,тАЭ said Amelie. тАЬAnd then her digestion is weak, the doctor says. I do wish she wouldnтАЩt cry so at night. ItтАЩs annoying for Jack, who needs his sleep after working all day.тАЭ
тАЬYou donтАЩt have a nurse?тАЭ
тАЬCanтАЩt afford it, my dear. We have the half-witтБатАФthatтАЩs what we call the girl who opened the door to you. SheтАЩs a complete idiot, but she comes cheap and she really will set to and do some work which is more than most of them will do. A general servant hates coming anywhere where there are children.тАЭ
She called out: тАЬMary, bring some tea,тАЭ and led the way back to the drawing-room.
тАЬOh, dear Nell, do you know I almost wish you hadnтАЩt come to see me. You look so smart and coolтБатАФyou remind me of all the fun one used to have in the old days. Tennis and dancing and golf and parties.тАЭ
Nell said timidly: тАЬBut youтАЩre happyтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬOh, of course. IтАЩm only enjoying a grumble. JackтАЩs a dear, and then there are the children, only sometimesтБатАФwell, one is really too tired to care for anyone or anything. I feel IтАЩd sell my nearest and dearest for a tiled bathroom and bath salts and a maid to brush my hair and lovely silken garments to slip into. And then you hear some rich idiot holding forth on how money doesnтАЩt bring happiness. Fools!тАЭ
She laughed.
тАЬTell me some news, Nell. IтАЩm so out of things nowadays. You canтАЩt keep up if you have no money. I never see any of the old crowd.тАЭ
They gossiped a little, so-and-so was married, so-and-so had had a row with her husband, so-and-so had got a new baby, and about so-and-so there was the most terrible scandal.
Tea was brought, rather untidily, with smeary silver and thick bread and butter. As they were finishing, the front door was opened with a key and a manтАЩs voice sounded from the hall fretful and irritable.
тАЬAmelieтБатАФI say, it is too bad. I only ask you to do one thing and you go and forget it. This parcel has never been taken down to JonesтАЩs. You said you would.тАЭ
Amelie ran out to him in the hall. There was a quick interchange of whispers. She brought him into the drawing-room where he greeted Nell. The child in the nursery began to wail again.
тАЬI must go to her,тАЭ said Amelie, and hurried away.
тАЬWhat a life!тАЭ said Jack Horton. He was still very good-looking, though his clothes were distinctly shabby and there were bad-tempered lines coming round his mouth. He laughed as though it were a great joke. тАЬYouтАЩve found us at sixes and sevens, Miss Vereker. We always are. Travelling to and fro in trains this weather is very tryingтБатАФand no peace in the home when you get there!тАЭ
He laughed again, and Nell laughed too, politely. Amelie came back holding the child in her arms. Nell rose to go. They came with her to the door, Amelie sent messages to Mrs.┬аVereker and waved her hand.
At the gate Nell looked back and caught the expression on AmelieтАЩs face. A hungry envious look.
In spite of herself NellтАЩs heart sank. Was this the inevitable end? Did poverty kill love?
She reached the main road and was walking along it in the direction of the station when an unexpected voice made her start.
тАЬMiss Nell, by all thatтАЩs wonderful!тАЭ
A big Rolls-Royce had drawn up to the kerb, George Chetwynd sat behind the wheel smiling at her.
тАЬIf this isnтАЩt too good to be true! I thought I saw a girl who was mighty like youтБатАФfrom the back view anyhowтБатАФso I slowed down to have a look at her face, and it was your very self. Are you going back to town? Because if so, step in.тАЭ
Nell stepped in obediently and settled herself contentedly beside the driver. The car glided forward smoothly, gathering power. A heavenly sensation, Nell thoughtтБатАФeffortless, delightful.
тАЬAnd what are you doing in Ealing?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩve been to see some friends.тАЭ
Moved by some obscure prompting, she described her visit. Chetwynd listened sympathetically, nodding his head from side to side, all the while driving the car with the perfection of a master.
тАЬIf that isnтАЩt too bad,тАЭ he said sympathetically. тАЬYou know, I hate to think of that poor girl. Women ought to be taken care ofтБатАФto have their lives made easy for them. They ought to be surrounded with everything they want.тАЭ
He looked at Nell and said kindly: тАЬItтАЩs upset you, I can see. You must have a very soft heart, Miss Nell.тАЭ
Nell looked at him with a sudden warming of her heart. She did like George Chetwynd. There was something so kind and reliable and strong about him. She liked his rather wooden face, and the way his greying hair grew back from his temples. She liked the square, upright way he sat, and the firm precision of his hands on the wheel. He looked the kind of man who could deal with any emergency, a man on whom you could depend. The brunt of things would always be on his shoulders, not on yours. Oh! yes, she liked George. He was a nice person to meet when you were tired at the end of a bothering day.
тАЬIs my tie crooked?тАЭ he asked suddenly without looking round.
Nell laughed.
тАЬWas I staring? IтАЩm afraid I was.тАЭ
тАЬI felt the glance. What were you doingтБатАФsizing me up?тАЭ
тАЬI believe I was.тАЭ
тАЬAnd I suppose IтАЩve been found utterly wanting.тАЭ
тАЬNo, very much the other way about.тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt say these nice thingsтБатАФwhich IтАЩm sure you donтАЩt mean. You excited me so much that I nearly collided with a tram then.тАЭ
тАЬI never say things I donтАЩt mean.тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt you? I wonder now.тАЭ His voice altered. тАЬThereтАЩs something IтАЩve wanted to say to you for a long time. This is a funny place to say it, but IтАЩm going to take the plunge here and now. Will you marry me, Nell? I want you very badly.тАЭ
тАЬOh!тАЭ Nell was startled. тАЬOh! no, I couldnтАЩt.тАЭ
He shot a quick glance at her before returning to his task of steering through the traffic. He slowed down a little.
тАЬDo you mean that, I wonder? I know IтАЩm too old for youтБатАФтАЭ
тАЬNoтБатАФyouтАЩre notтБатАФI mean, itтАЩs not that.тАЭ
A little smile twisted his mouth.
тАЬI must be twenty years older than you, Nell, at least. ItтАЩs a lot, I know. But I do honestly believe that I could make you happy. Queerly enough, IтАЩm sure of it.тАЭ
Nell didnтАЩt answer for a minute or two. Then she said rather weakly: тАЬOh! but really, I couldnтАЩt.тАЭ
тАЬSplendid! You said it much less decidedly that time.тАЭ
тАЬBut indeedтБатАФтАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm not going to bother you any more just now. WeтАЩll take it that youтАЩve said No this time. But you arenтАЩt always going to say No, Nell. I can afford to wait quite a long time for what I want to have. Some day youтАЩll find yourself saying Yes.тАЭ
тАЬNo, I shanтАЩt.тАЭ
тАЬYes, you will, dear. ThereтАЩs no one else, is there? Ah! but I know there isnтАЩt.тАЭ
Nell didnтАЩt answer. She told herself that she didnтАЩt know what to say. She had tacitly promised her mother that nothing should be said about her engagement.
And yet, somewhere, deep down, she felt ashamed.
George Chetwynd began cheerfully to talk of various outside topics.