III
At the slight creaking made by Macmaster in pushing open his door, Tietjens started violently. He was sitting in a smoking-jacket, playing patience engrossedly in a sort of garret bedroom. It had a sloping roof outlined by black oak beams, which cut into squares the cream coloured patent distemper of the walls. The room contained also a four-post bedstead, a corner cupboard in black oak, and many rush mats on a polished oak floor of very irregular planking. Tietjens, who hated these disinterred and waxed relics of the past, sat in the centre of the room at a flimsy card-table beneath a white-shaded electric light of a brilliance that, in those surroundings, appeared unreasonable. This was one of those restored old groups of cottages that it was at that date the fashion to convert into hostelries. To it Macmaster, who was in search of the inspiration of the past, had preferred to come. Tietjens, not desiring to interfere with his friendвАЩs culture, had accepted the quarters, though he would have preferred to go to a comfortable modern hotel as being less affected and cheaper. Accustomed to what he called the grown oldnesses of a morose, rambling Yorkshire manor house, he disliked being among collected and rather pitiful bits which, he said, made him feel ridiculous, as if he were trying to behave seriously at a fancy-dress ball. Macmaster, on the other hand, with gratification and a serious air, would run his fingertips along the bevellings of a darkened piece of furniture, and would declare it genuine вАЬChippendaleвАЭ or вАЬJacobean oak,вАЭ as the case might be. And he seemed to gain an added seriousness and weight of manner with each piece of ancient furniture that down the years he thus touched. But Tietjens would declare that you could tell the beastly thing was a fake by just cocking an eye at it and, if the matter happened to fall under the test of professional dealers in old furniture, Tietjens was the more often in the right of it, and Macmaster, sighing slightly, would prepare to proceed still further along the difficult road to connoisseurship. Eventually, by conscientious study, he got so far as at times to be called in by Somerset House to value great properties for probateвБ†вАФan occupation at once distinguished and highly profitable.
Tietjens swore with the extreme vehemence of a man who has been made, but who much dislikes being seen, to start.
MacmasterвБ†вАФin evening dress he looked extremely miniature!вБ†вАФsaid:
вАЬIвАЩm sorry, old man, I know how much you dislike being interrupted. But the General is in a terrible temper.вАЭ
Tietjens rose stiffly, lurched over to an eighteenth century rosewood folding washstand, took from its top a glass of flat whisky and soda, and gulped down a large quantity. He looked about uncertainly, perceived a notebook on a вАЬChippendaleвАЭ bureau, made a short calculation in pencil and looked at his friend momentarily.
Macmaster said again:
вАЬIвАЩm sorry, old man. I must have interrupted one of your immense calculations.вАЭ
Tietjens said:
вАЬYou havenвАЩt. I was only thinking. IвАЩm just as glad youвАЩve come. What did you say?вАЭ
Macmaster repeated:
вАЬI said, General is in a terrible temper. ItвАЩs just as well you didnвАЩt come up to dinner.вАЭ
Tietjens said:
вАЬHe isnвАЩtвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ He isnвАЩt in a temper. HeвАЩs as pleased as punch at not having to have these women up before him.вАЭ
Macmaster said:
вАЬHe says heвАЩs got the police scouring the whole county for them, and that youвАЩd better leave by the first train tomorrow.вАЭ
Tietjens said:
вАЬI wonвАЩt. I canвАЩt. IвАЩve got to wait here for a wire from Sylvia.вАЭ
Macmaster groaned:
вАЬOh dear! Oh dear!вАЭ Then he said hopefully: вАЬBut we could have it forwarded to Hythe.вАЭ
Tietjens said with some vehemence:
вАЬI tell you I wonвАЩt leave here. I tell you IвАЩve settled it with the police and that swine of a Cabinet Minister. IвАЩve mended the leg of the canary of the wife of the police-constable. Sit down and be reasonable. The police donвАЩt touch people like us.вАЭ
Macmaster said:
вАЬI donвАЩt believe you realise the public feeling there isвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬOf course I do, amongst people like Sandbach,вАЭ Tietjens said. вАЬSit down, I tell you.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Have some whisky.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ He filled himself out another long tumbler and, holding it, dropped into a too low-seated, reddish wicker armchair that had cretonne fixings. Beneath his weight the chair sagged a good deal and his dress-shirt front bulged up to his chin.
Macmaster said:
вАЬWhatвАЩs the matter with you?вАЭ TietjensвАЩ eyes were bloodshot.
вАЬI tell you,вАЭ Tietjens said, вАЬIвАЩm waiting for a wire from Sylvia.вАЭ
Macmaster said:
вАЬOh!вАЭ And then: вАЬIt canвАЩt come tonight, itвАЩs getting on for one.вАЭ
вАЬIt can,вАЭ Tietjens said, вАЬIвАЩve fixed it up with the postmasterвБ†вАФall the way up to Town! It probably wonвАЩt come because Sylvia wonвАЩt send it until the last moment, to bother me. None the less IвАЩm waiting for a wire from Sylvia, and this is what I look like.вАЭ
Macmaster said:
вАЬThat womanвАЩs the cruellest beastвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬYou might,вАЭ Tietjens interrupted, вАЬremember that youвАЩre talking about my wife.вАЭ
вАЬI donвАЩt see,вАЭ Macmaster said, вАЬhow one can talk about Sylvia withoutвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬThe line is a perfectly simple one to draw,вАЭ Tietjens said. вАЬYou can relate a ladyвАЩs actions if you know them and are asked to. You mustnвАЩt comment. In this case you donвАЩt know the ladyвАЩs actions even, so you may as well hold your tongue.вАЭ He sat looking straight in front of him.
Macmaster sighed from deep in his chest. He asked himself if this was what sixteen hours waiting had done for his friend, what were all the remaining hours going to do?
Tietjens said:
вАЬI shall be fit to talk about Sylvia after two more whiskies.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ LetвАЩs settle your other perturbations first.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ The fair girl is called Wannop: Valentine Wannop.вАЭ
вАЬThatвАЩs the ProfessorвАЩs name,вАЭ Macmaster said.
вАЬSheвАЩs the late Professor WannopвАЩs daughter,вАЭ Tietjens said. вАЬSheвАЩs also the daughter of the novelist.вАЭ
Macmaster interjected:
вАЬButвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬShe supported herself for a year after the ProfessorвАЩs death as a domestic servant,вАЭ Tietjens said. вАЬNow sheвАЩs housemaid for her mother, the novelist, in an inexpensive cottage. I should imagine the two experiences would make her desire to better the lot of her sex.вАЭ
Macmaster again interjected a вАЬButвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬI got that information from the policeman whilst I was putting his wifeвАЩs canaryвАЩs leg in splints.вАЭ
Macmaster said:
вАЬThe policeman you knocked down?вАЭ His eyes expressed unreasoning surprise. He added: вАЬHe knew MissвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ ehвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Wannop then!вАЭ
вАЬYou would not expect much intelligence from the police of Sussex,вАЭ Tietjens said. вАЬBut you would be wrong. P.C. Finn is clever enough to recognise the young lady who for several years past has managed the constabularyвАЩs wivesвАЩ and childrenвАЩs annual tea and sports. He says Miss Wannop holds the quarter-mile, half-mile, high jump, long jump and putting the weight records for East Sussex. That explains how she went over that dyke in such tidy style.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ And precious glad the good, simple man was when I told him he was to leave the girl alone. He didnвАЩt know, he said, how heвАЩd ever a had the face to serve the warrant on Miss Wannop. The other girlвБ†вАФthe one that squeakedвБ†вАФis a stranger, a Londoner probably.вАЭ
Macmaster said:
вАЬYou told the policemanвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬI gave him,вАЭ Tietjens said, вАЬthe Rt. Hon.¬†Stephen Fenick WaterhouseвАЩs compliments, and heвАЩd be much obliged if the P.C. would hand in a вАШNo Can DoвАЩ report in the matter of those ladies every morning to his inspector. I gave him also a brand new fiвАЩ pun noteвБ†вАФfrom the Cabinet MinisterвБ†вАФand a couple of quid and the price of a new pair of trousers from myself. So heвАЩs the happiest constable in Sussex. A very decent fellow; he told me how to know a dog otterвАЩs spoor from a gravid bitchвАЩs.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ But that wouldnвАЩt interest you.вАЭ
He began again:
вАЬDonвАЩt look so inexpressibly foolish. I told you IвАЩd been dining with that swine.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ No, I oughtnвАЩt to call him a swine after eating his dinner. Besides, heвАЩs a very decent fellow.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬYou didnвАЩt tell me youвАЩd been dining with Mr.¬†Waterhouse,вАЭ Macmaster said. вАЬI hope you remembered that, as heвАЩs amongst other things the President of the Funded Debt Commission heвАЩs the power of life and death over the department and us.вАЭ
вАЬYou didnвАЩt think,вАЭ Tietjens answered, вАЬthat you are the only one to dine with the great ones of the earth! I wanted to talk to that fellowвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ about those figures their cursed crowd made me fake. I meant to give him a bit of my mind.вАЭ
вАЬYou didnвАЩt!вАЭ Macmaster said with an expression of panic. вАЬBesides, they didnвАЩt ask you to fake the calculation. They only asked you to work it out on the basis of given figures.вАЭ
вАЬAnyhow,вАЭ Tietjens said, вАЬI gave him a bit of my mind. I told him that, at threepence, it must run the countryвБ†вАФand certainly himself as a politician!вБ†вАФto absolute ruin.вАЭ
Macmaster uttered a deep вАЬGood Lord!вАЭ and then: вАЬBut wonвАЩt you ever remember youвАЩre a Government servant? He couldвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬMr.¬†Waterhouse,вАЭ Tietjens said, вАЬasked me if I wouldnвАЩt consent to be transferred to his secretaryвАЩs department. And when I said: вАШGo to hell!вАЩ he walked round the streets with me for two hours arguing.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ I was working out the chances on a 4¬љd. basis for him when you interrupted me. IвАЩve promised to let him have the figures when he goes up by the 1:30 on Monday.вАЭ
Macmaster said:
вАЬYou havenвАЩt.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ But by Jove youвАЩre the only man in England that could do it.вАЭ
вАЬThat was what Mr.¬†Waterhouse said,вАЭ Tietjens commented. вАЬHe said old Ingleby had told him so.вАЭ
вАЬI do hope,вАЭ Macmaster said, вАЬthat you answered him politely!вАЭ
вАЬI told him,вАЭ Tietjens answered, вАЬthat there were a dozen men who could do it as well as I, and I mentioned your name in particular.вАЭ
вАЬBut I couldnвАЩt,вАЭ Macmaster answered. вАЬOf course I could convert a 3d. rate into 4¬љd. But these are the actuarial variations; theyвАЩre infinite. I couldnвАЩt touch them.вАЭ
Tietjens said negligently: вАЬI donвАЩt want my name mixed up in the unspeakable affair. When I give him the papers on Monday I shall tell him you did most of the work.вАЭ
Again Macmaster groaned.
Nor was this distress mere altruism. Immensely ambitious for his brilliant friend, MacmasterвАЩs ambition was one ingredient of his strong desire for security. At Cambridge he had been perfectly content with a moderate, quite respectable place on the list of mathematical postulants. He knew that that made him safe, and he had still more satisfaction in the thought that it would warrant him in never being brilliant in after life. But when Tietjens, two years after, had come out as a mere Second Wrangler, Macmaster had been bitterly and loudly disappointed. He knew perfectly well that Tietjens simply hadnвАЩt taken trouble; and, ten chances to one, it was on purpose that Tietjens hadnвАЩt taken trouble. For the matter of that, for Tietjens it wouldnвАЩt have been trouble.
And, indeed, to MacmasterвАЩs upbraidings, which Macmaster hadnвАЩt spared him, Tietjens had answered that he hadnвАЩt been able to think of going through the rest of his life with a beastly placard like Senior Wrangler hung round his neck.
But Macmaster had early made up his mind that life for him would be safest if he could go about, not very much observed but still an authority, in the midst of a body of men all labelled. He wanted to walk down Pall Mall on the arm, precisely, of a largely-lettered Senior Wrangler; to return eastward on the arm of the youngest Lord Chancellor England had ever seen; to stroll down Whitehall in familiar converse with a world-famous novelist, saluting on the way a majority of My Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. And, after tea, for an hour at the club all these, in a little group, should treat him with the courtesy of men who respected him for his soundness. Then he would be safe.
And he had no doubt that Tietjens was the most brilliant man in England of that day, so that nothing caused him more anguish than the thought that Tietjens might not make a brilliant and rapid career towards some illustrious position in the public services. He would very willinglyвБ†вАФhe desired, indeed, nothing better!вБ†вАФhave seen Tietjens pass over his own head! It did not seem to him a condemnation of the public services that this appeared to be unlikely.
Yet Macmaster was still not without hope. He was quite aware that there are other techniques of careers than that which he had prescribed for himself. He could not imagine himself, even in the most deferential way, correcting a superior; yet he could see that, though Tietjens treated almost every hierarch as if he were a born fool, no one very much resented it. Of course Tietjens was a Tietjens of Groby; but was that going to be enough to live on forever? Times were changing, and Macmaster imagined this to be a democratic age.
But Tietjens went on, with both hands as it were, throwing away opportunity and committing outrage.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶
That day Macmaster could only consider to be one of disaster. He got up from his chair and filled himself another drink; he felt himself to be distressed and to need it. Slouching amongst his cretonnes, Tietjens was gazing in front of him. He said:
вАЬHere!вАЭ without looking at Macmaster, and held out his long glass. Into it Macmaster poured whisky with a hesitating hand. Tietjens said: вАЬGo on!вАЭ
Macmaster said:
вАЬItвАЩs late; weвАЩre breakfasting at the DucheminвАЩs at ten.вАЭ
Tietjens answered:
вАЬDonвАЩt worry, sonny. WeвАЩll be there for your pretty lady.вАЭ He added: вАЬWait another quarter of an hour. I want to talk to you.вАЭ
Macmaster sat down again and deliberately began to review the day. It had begun with disaster, and in disaster it had continued.
And, with something like a bitter irony, Macmaster remembered and brought up now for digestion the parting words of General Campion to himself. The General had limped with him to the hall door up at Mountsby and, standing patting him on the shoulder, tall, slightly bent and very friendly, had said:
вАЬLook here. Christopher Tietjens is a splendid fellow. But he needs a good woman to look after him. Get him back to Sylvia as quick as you can. Had a little tiff, havenвАЩt they? Nothing serious? Chrissie hasnвАЩt been running after the skirts? No? I daresay a little. No? Well thenвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
Macmaster had stood like a gatepost, so appalled. He had stuttered:
вАЬNo! No!вАЭ
вАЬWeвАЩve known them both so long,вАЭ the General went on. вАЬLady Claudine in particular. And, believe me, Sylvia is a splendid girl. Straight as a die; the soul of loyalty to her friends. And fearless.вБ†вАФSheвАЩd face the devil in his rage. You should have seen her out with the Belvoir! Of course you know her.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Well then!вАЭ
Macmaster had just managed to say that he knew Sylvia, of course.
вАЬWell thenвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ the General had continuedвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ вАЬyouвАЩll agree with me that if there is anything wrong between them heвАЩs to blame. And it will be resented. Very bitterly. He wouldnвАЩt set foot in this house again. But he says heвАЩs going out to her and Mrs.¬†Satterthwaite.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬI believeвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ Macmaster had begunвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ вАЬI believe he isвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬWell then!вАЭ the General had said: вАЬItвАЩs all right.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ But Christopher Tietjens needs a good womanвАЩs backing.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ HeвАЩs a splendid fellow. There are few young fellows for whom I have moreвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ I could almost say respect.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ But he needs that. To ballast him.вАЭ
In the car, running down the hill from Mountby, Macmaster had exhausted himself in the effort to restrain his execrations of the General. He wanted to shout that he was a pigheaded old fool: a meddlesome ass. But he was in the car with the two secretaries of the Cabinet Minister: the Rt. Hon. Edward Fenwick Waterhouse, who, being himself an advanced Liberal down for a weekend of golf, preferred not to dine at the house of the Conservative member. At that date there was, in politics, a phase of bitter social feud between the parties: a condition that had not till lately been characteristic of English political life. The prohibition had not extended itself to the two younger men.
Macmaster was not unpleasurably aware that these two fellows treated him with a certain deference. They had seen Macmaster being talked to familiarly by General Lord Edward Campion. Indeed, they and the car had been kept waiting whilst the General patted their fellow guest on the shoulder; held his upper arm and spoke in a low voice into his ear.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶
But that was the only pleasure that Macmaster got out of it.
Yes, the day had begun disastrously with SylviaвАЩs letter; it endedвБ†вАФif it was ended!вБ†вАФalmost more disastrously with the GeneralвАЩs eulogy of that woman. During the day he had nerved himself to having an immensely disagreeable scene with Tietjens. Tietjens must divorce the woman; it was necessary for the peace of mind of himself, of his friends, of his family; for the sake of his career; in the very name of decency!
In the meantime Tietjens had rather forced his hand. It had been a most disagreeable affair. They had arrived at Rye in time for lunchвБ†вАФat which Tietjens had consumed the best part of a bottle of Burgundy. During lunch Tietjens had given Macmaster SylviaвАЩs letter to read, saying that, as he should later consult his friend, his friend had better be made acquainted with the document.
The letter had appeared extraordinary in its effrontery, for it said nothing. Beyond the bare statement, вАЬI am now ready to return to you,вАЭ it occupied itself simply with the fact that Mrs.¬†Tietjens wantedвБ†вАФcould no longer get on withoutвБ†вАФthe services of her maid, whom she called Hullo Central. If Tietjens wanted her, Mrs.¬†Tietjens, to return to him he was to see that Hullo Central was waiting on the doorstep for her, and so on. She added the detail that there was no one else, underlined, she could bear round her while she was retiring for the night. On reflection Macmaster could see that this was the best letter the woman could have written if she wanted to be taken back; for, had she extended herself into either excuses or explanations, it was ten chances to one Tietjens would have taken the line that he couldnвАЩt go on living with a woman capable of such a lapse in taste. But Macmaster had never thought of Sylvia as wanting in savoir faire.
It had none the less hardened him in his determination to urge his friend to divorce. He had intended to begin this campaign in the fly, driving to pay his call on the Rev. Mr.¬†Duchemin, who, in early life, had been a personal disciple of Mr.¬†Ruskin and a patron and acquaintance of the poet-painter, the subject of MacmasterвАЩs monograph. On this drive Tietjens preferred not to come. He said that he would loaf about the town and meet Macmaster at the golf club towards four-thirty. He was not in the mood for making new acquaintances. Macmaster, who knew the pressure under which his friend must be suffering, thought this reasonable enough, and drove off up Iden Hill by himself.
Few women had ever made so much impression on Macmaster as Mrs.¬†Duchemin. He knew himself to be in a mood to be impressed by almost any woman, but he considered that that was not enough to account for the very strong influence she at once exercised over him. There had been two young girls in the drawing-room when he had been ushered in, but they had disappeared almost simultaneously, and although he had noticed them immediately afterwards riding past the window on bicycles, he was aware that he would not have recognised them again. From her first words on rising to greet him: вАЬNot the Mr.¬†Macmaster!вАЭ he had had eyes for no one else.
It was obvious that the Rev. Mr.¬†Duchemin must be one of those clergymen of considerable wealth and cultured taste who not infrequently adorn the Church of England. The rectory itself, a great, warm-looking manor house of very old red brick, was abutted on to by one of the largest tithe barns that Macmaster had ever seen; the church itself, with a primitive roof of oak shingles, nestled in the corner formed by the ends of rectory and tithe barn, and was by so much the smallest of the three and so undecorated that but for its little belfry it might have been a good cow-byre. All three buildings stood on the very edge of the little row of hills that looks down on the Romney Marsh; they were sheltered from the north wind by a great symmetrical fan of elms and from the southwest by a very tall hedge and shrubbery, all of remarkable yews. It was, in short, an ideal cure of souls for a wealthy clergyman of cultured tastes, for there was not so much as a peasantвАЩs cottage within a mile of it.
To Macmaster, in short, this was the ideal English home. Of Mrs.¬†DucheminвАЩs drawing-room itself, contrary to his habit, for he was sensitive and observant in such things, he could afterwards remember little except that it was perfectly sympathetic. Three long windows gave on to a perfect lawn, on which, isolated and grouped, stood standard rose trees, symmetrical half globes of green foliage picked out with flowers like bits of carved pink marble. Beyond the lawn was a low stone wall; beyond that the quiet expanse of the marsh shimmered in the sunlight.
The furniture of the room was, as to its woodwork, brown, old, with the rich softnesses of much polishing with beeswax. What pictures there were Macmaster recognised at once as being by Simeon Solomon, one of the weaker and more frail aesthetesвБ†вАФaureoled, palish heads of ladies carrying lilies that were not very like lilies. They were in the traditionвБ†вАФbut not the best of the tradition. Macmaster understoodвБ†вАФand later Mrs.¬†Duchemin confirmed him in the ideaвБ†вАФthat Mr.¬†Duchemin kept his more precious specimens of work in a sanctum, leaving to the relatively public room, good-humouredly and with slight contempt, these weaker specimens. That seemed to stamp Mr.¬†Duchemin at once as being of the elect.
Mr.¬†Duchemin in person was, however, not present; and there seemed to be a good deal of difficulty in arranging a meeting between the two men. Mr.¬†Duchemin, his wife said, was much occupied at the weekends. She added, with a faint and rather absent smile, the word, вАЬNaturally.вАЭ Macmaster at once saw that it was natural for a clergyman to be much occupied during the weekends. With a little hesitation Mrs.¬†Duchemin suggested that Mr.¬†Macmaster and his friend might come to lunch on the next dayвБ†вАФSaturday. But Macmaster had made an engagement to play the foursome with General CampionвБ†вАФhalf the round from twelve till one-thirty: half the round from three to half-past four. And, as their then present arrangements stood, Macmaster and Tietjens were to take the 6:30 train to Hythe; that ruled out either tea or dinner next day.
With sufficient, but not too extravagant, regret, Mrs. Duchemin raised her voice to say:
вАЬOh dear! Oh dear! But you must see my husband and the pictures after you have come so far.вАЭ
A rather considerable volume of harsh sound was coming through the end wall of the roomвБ†вАФthe barking of dogs, apparently the hurried removal of pieces of furniture or perhaps of packing cases, guttural ejaculations. Mrs.¬†Duchemin said, with her far away air and deep voice:
вАЬThey are making a good deal of noise. Let us go into the garden and look at my husbandвАЩs roses, if youвАЩve a moment more to give us.вАЭ
Macmaster quoted to himself:
вАЬвАКвАШI looked and saw your eyes in the shadow of your hair.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЩвАКвАЭ
There was no doubt that Mrs.¬†DucheminвАЩs eyes, which were of a dark, pebble blue, were actually in the shadow of her blue-black, very regularly waved hair. The hair came down on the square, low forehead. It was a phenomenon that Macmaster had never before really seen, and, he congratulated himself, this was one more confirmationвБ†вАФif confirmation were needed!вБ†вАФof the powers of observation of the subject of his monograph!
Mrs.¬†Duchemin bore the sunlight! Her dark complexion was clear; there was, over the cheekbones, a delicate suffusion of light carmine. Her jawbone was singularly clear-cut, to the pointed chinвБ†вАФlike an alabaster, medieval saintвАЩs.
She said:
вАЬOf course youвАЩre Scotch. IвАЩm from Auld Reekie myself.вАЭ
Macmaster would have known it. He said he was from the Port of Leith. He could not imagine hiding anything from Mrs. Duchemin. Mrs. Duchemin said with renewed insistence:
вАЬOh, but of course you must see my husband and the pictures. Let me see.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ We must think.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Would breakfast now?вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
Macmaster said that he and his friend were Government servants and up to rising early. He had a great desire to breakfast in that house. She said:
вАЬAt a quarter to ten, then, our car will be at the bottom of your street. ItвАЩs a matter of ten minutes only, so you wonвАЩt go hungry long!вАЭ
She said, gradually gaining animation, that of course Macmaster would bring his friend. He could tell Tietjens that he should meet a very charming girl. She stopped and added suddenly: вАЬProbably, at any rate.вАЭ She said the name which Macmaster caught as вАЬWanstead.вАЭ And possibly another girl. And Mr.¬†Horsted, or something like it, her husbandвАЩs junior curate. She said reflectively:
вАЬYes, we might try quite a partyвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ and added, вАЬquite noisy and gay. I hope your friendвАЩs talkative!вАЭ Macmaster said something about trouble.
вАЬOh, it canвАЩt be too much trouble,вАЭ she said. вАЬBesides, it might do my husband good.вАЭ She went on: вАЬMr.¬†Duchemin is apt to brood. ItвАЩs perhaps too lonely here.вАЭ And added the rather astonishing words: вАЬAfter all.вАЭ
And, driving back in the fly, Macmaster said to himself that you couldnвАЩt call Mrs.¬†Duchemin ordinary, at least. Yet meeting her was like going into a room that you had long left and never ceased to love. It felt good. It was perhaps partly her Edinburgh-ness. Macmaster allowed himself to coin that word. There was in Edinburgh a societyвБ†вАФhe himself had never been privileged to move in it, but its annals are part of the literature of Scotland!вБ†вАФwhere the ladies are all great ladies in tall drawing-rooms; circumspect yet shrewd: still yet with a sense of the comic: frugal yet warmly hospitable. It was perhaps just Edinburgh-ness that was wanting in the drawing-rooms of his friends in London. Mrs.¬†Cressy, the Hon.¬†Mrs.¬†Limoux and Mrs.¬†Delawnay were all almost perfection in manner, in speech, in composure. But, then, they were not young, they werenвАЩt EdinburghвБ†вАФand they werenвАЩt strikingly elegant!
Mrs.¬†Duchemin was all three! Her assured, tranquil manner she would retain to any age: it betokened the enigmatic soul of her sex, but, physically, she couldnвАЩt be more than thirty. That was unimportant, for she would never want to do anything in which physical youth counted. She would never, for instance, have occasion to run: she would always just вАЬmoveвАЭвБ†вАФfloatingly! He tried to remember the details of her dress.
It had certainly been dark blueвБ†вАФand certainly of silk: that rather coarsely-woven, exquisite material that has on its folds as of a silvery shimmer with minute knots. But very dark blue. And it contrived to be at once artisticвБ†вАФabsolutely in the tradition! And yet well cut! Very large sleeves, of course, but still with a certain fit. She had worn an immense necklace of yellow polished amber: on the dark blue! And Mrs.¬†Duchemin had said, over her husbandвАЩs roses, that the blossoms always reminded her of little mouldings of pink cloud come down for the cooling of the earth.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ A charming thought!
Suddenly he said to himself:
вАЬWhat a mate for Tietjens!вАЭ And his mind added: вАЬWhy should she not become an Influence!вАЭ
A vista opened before him, in time! He imagined Tietjens, in some way proprietarily responsible for Mrs.¬†Duchemin: quite pour le bon, tranquilly passionate and accepted, motif; and вАЬimmensely improvedвАЭ by the association. And himself, in a year or two, bringing the at last found Lady of his Delight to sit at the feet of Mrs.¬†DucheminвБ†вАФthe Lady of his Delight whilst circumspect would be also young and impressionable!вБ†вАФto learn the mysterious assuredness of manner, the gift of dressing, the knack of wearing amber and bending over standard rosesвБ†вАФand the Edinburgh-ness!
Macmaster was thus not a little excited, and finding Tietjens at tea amid the green-stained furnishings and illustrated papers of the large, corrugated iron golf-house, he could not help exclaiming:
вАЬIвАЩve accepted the invitation to breakfast with the Duchemins tomorrow for us both. I hope you wonвАЩt mind,вАЭ although Tietjens was sitting at a little table with General Campion and his brother-in-law, the Hon.¬†Paul Sandbach, Conservative member for the division and husband of Lady Claudine. The General said pleasantly to Tietjens:
вАЬBreakfast! With Duchemin! You go, my boy! YouвАЩll get the best breakfast you ever had in your life.вАЭ
He added to his brother-in-law: вАЬNot the eternal mock kedgeree Claudine gives us every morning.вАЭ
Sandbach grunted:
вАЬItвАЩs not for want of trying to steal their cook. Claudine has a shy at it every time we come down here.вАЭ
The General said pleasantly to MacmasterвБ†вАФhe spoke always pleasantly, with a half smile and a slight sibilance:
вАЬMy brother-in-law isnвАЩt serious, you understand. My sister wouldnвАЩt think of stealing a cook. Let alone from Duchemin. SheвАЩd be frightened to.вАЭ
Sandbach grunted:
вАЬWho wouldnвАЩt?вАЭ
Both these gentlemen were very lame: Mr.¬†Sandbach from birth and the General as the result of a slight but neglected motor accident. He had practically only one vanity, the belief that he was qualified to act as his own chauffeur, and since he was both inexpert and very careless, he met with frequent accidents. Mr.¬†Sandbach had a dark, round, bulldog face and a violent manner. He had twice been suspended from his Parliamentary duties for applying to the then Chancellor of the Exchequer the epithet вАЬlying attorney,вАЭ and he was at that moment still suspended.
Macmaster then became unpleasantly perturbed. With his sensitiveness he was perfectly aware of an unpleasant chill in the air. There was also a stiffness about TietjensвАЩ eyes. He was looking straight before him; there was a silence too. Behind TietjensвАЩ back were two men with bright green coats, red knitted waistcoats and florid faces. One was bald and blonde, the other had black hair, remarkably oiled and shiny; both were forty-fivish. They were regarding the occupants of the TietjensвАЩ table with both their mouths slightly open. They were undisguisedly listening. In front of each were three empty sloe-gin glasses and one half-filled tumbler of brandy and soda. Macmaster understood why the General had explained that his sister had not tried to steal Mrs.¬†DucheminвАЩs cook.
Tietjens said:
вАЬDrink up your tea quickly and letвАЩs get started.вАЭ He was drawing from his pocket a number of telegraph forms which he began arranging. The General said:
вАЬDonвАЩt burn your mouth. We canвАЩt start off before allвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ all these other gentlemen. WeвАЩre too slow.вАЭ
вАЬNo; weвАЩre beastly well stuck,вАЭ Sandbach said.
Tietjens handed the telegraph forms over to Macmaster.
вАЬYouвАЩd better take a look at these,вАЭ he said. вАЬI maynвАЩt see you again today after the match. YouвАЩre dining up at Mountby. The General will run you up. Lady Claude will excuse me. IвАЩve got work to do.вАЭ
This was already matter for dismay for Macmaster. He was aware that Tietjens would have disliked dining up at Mountby with the Sandbachs, who would have a crowd, extremely smart but more than usually unintelligent. Tietjens called this crowd, indeed, the plague-spot of the partyвБ†вАФmeaning of Toryism. But Macmaster couldnвАЩt help thinking that a disagreeable dinner would be better for his friend than brooding in solitude in the black shadows of the huddled town. Then Tietjens said:
вАЬIвАЩm going to have a word with that swine!вАЭ He pointed his square chin rather rigidly before him, and looking past the two brandy drinkers, Macmaster saw one of those faces that frequent caricature made familiar and yet strange. Macmaster couldnвАЩt, at the moment, put a name to it. It must be a politician, probably a Minister. But which? His mind was already in a dreadful state. In the glimpse he had caught of the telegraph form now in his hand he had perceived that it was addressed to Sylvia Tietjens and began with the word вАЬagreed.вАЭ He said swiftly:
вАЬHas that been sent or is it only a draft?вАЭ
Tietjens said:
вАЬThat fellow is the Rt. Hon.¬†Stephen Fenwick Waterhouse. HeвАЩs chairman of the Funded Debt Commission. HeвАЩs the swine who made us fake that return in the office.вАЭ
That moment was the worst Macmaster had ever known. A worse came. Tietjens said:
вАЬIвАЩm going to have a word with him. ThatвАЩs why IвАЩm not dining at Mountby. ItвАЩs a duty to the country.вАЭ
MacmasterвАЩs mind simply stopped. He was in a space, all windows. There was sunlight outside. And clouds. Pink and white. Woolly! Some ships. And two men: one dark and oily, the other rather blotchy on a blonde baldness. They were talking, but their words made no impression on Macmaster. The dark, oily man said that he was not going to take Gertie to Budapest. Not half! He winked like a nightmare. Beyond were two young men and a preposterous face.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ It was all so like a nightmare that the Cabinet MinisterвАЩs features were distorted for Macmaster. Like an enormous mask of pantomime: shiny, with an immense nose and elongated, Chinese eyes.
Yet not unpleasant! Macmaster was a Whig by conviction, by nation, by temperament. He thought that public servants should abstain from political activity. Nevertheless, he couldnвАЩt be expected to think a Liberal Cabinet Minister ugly. On the contrary, Mr.¬†Waterhouse appeared to have a frank, humorous, kindly expression. He listened deferentially to one of his secretaries, resting his hand on the young manвАЩs shoulder, smiling a little, rather sleepily. No doubt he was overworked. And then, letting himself go in a side-shaking laugh. Putting on flesh!
What a pity! What a pity! Macmaster was reading a string of incomprehensible words in TietjensвАЩ heavily scored writing. Not entertainвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ flat not houseвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ child remain at sister.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ His eyes went backwards and forwards over the phrases. He could not connect the words without stops. The man with the oily hair said in a sickly voice that Gertie was hot stuff, but not the one for Budapest with all the Gitana girls you were telling me of! Why, heвАЩd kept Gertie for five years now. More like the real thing! His friendвАЩs voice was like a result of indigestion. Tietjens, Sandbach and the General were stiff, like pokers.
What a pity! Macmaster thought.
He ought to have been sitting.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ It would have been pleasant and right to be sitting with the pleasant Minister. In the ordinary course he, Macmaster, would have been. The best golfer in the place was usually set to play with distinguished visitors, and there was next to no one in the south of England who ordinarily could beat him. He had begun at four, playing with a miniature cleek and a found shilling ball over the municipal links. Going to the poor school every morning and back to dinner; and back to school and back to bed! Over the cold, rushy, sandy links, beside the grey sea. Both shoes full of sand. The found shilling ball had lasted him three years.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶
Macmaster exclaimed: вАЬGood God!вАЭ He had just gathered from the telegram that Tietjens meant to go to Germany on Tuesday. As if at MacmasterвАЩs ejaculation Tietjens said:
вАЬYes. It is unbearable. If you donвАЩt stop those swine, General, I shall.вАЭ
The General sibilated low, between his teeth:
вАЬWait a minute.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Wait a minute.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Perhaps that other fellow will.вАЭ
The man with the black oily hair said:
вАЬIf BudapestвАЩs the place for the girls you say it is, old pal, with the Turkish baths and all, weвАЩll paint the old town red all right, next month,вАЭ and he winked at Tietjens. His friend, with his head down, seemed to make internal rumblings, looking apprehensively beneath his blotched forehead at the General.
вАЬNot,вАЭ the other continued argumentatively, вАЬthat I donвАЩt love my old woman. SheвАЩs all right. And then thereвАЩs Gertie. вАЩOt stuff, but the real thing. But I say a man wantsвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ He ejaculated, вАЬOh!вАЭ
The General, his hands in his pockets, very tall, thin, red-cheeked, his white hair combed forward in a fringe, sauntered towards the other table. It was not two yards, but it seemed a long saunter. He stood right over them, they looking up, open-eyed, like schoolboys at a balloon. He said:
вАЬIвАЩm glad youвАЩre enjoying our links, gentlemen.вАЭ
The bald man said: вАЬWe are! We are! First-class. A treat!вАЭ
вАЬBut,вАЭ the General said, вАЬit isnвАЩt wise to discuss oneвАЩsвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ ehвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ domestic circumstancesвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ atвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ at mess, you know, or in a golf house. People might hear.вАЭ
The gentleman with the oily hair rose and exclaimed:
вАЬOo, theвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
The other man mumbled: вАЬShut up, Briggs.вАЭ
The General said:
вАЬIвАЩm the president of the club, you know. ItвАЩs my duty to see that the majority of the club and its visitors are pleased. I hope you donвАЩt mind.вАЭ
The General came back to his seat. He was trembling with vexation.
вАЬIt makes one as beastly a bounder as themselves,вАЭ he said. вАЬBut what the devil else was one to do?вАЭ The two city men had ambled hastily into the dressing-rooms; the dire silence fell. Macmaster realised that, for these Tories at least, this was really the end of the world. The last of England! He returned, with panic in his heart, to TietjensвАЩ telegram.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Tietjens was going to Germany on Tuesday. He offered to throw over the department.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ These were unthinkable things. You couldnвАЩt imagine them!
He began to read the telegram all over again. A shadow fell upon the flimsy sheets. The Rt. Hon. Mr. Waterhouse was between the head of the table and the windows. He said:
вАЬWeвАЩre much obliged, General. It was impossible to hear ourselves speak for those obscene fellowsвАЩ smut. ItвАЩs fellows like that that make our friends the suffragettes! That warrants them.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ He added: вАЬHullo! Sandbach! Enjoying your rest?вАЭ
The General said:
вАЬI was hoping youвАЩd take on the job of telling these fellows off.вАЭ
Mr. Sandbach, his bulldog jaw sticking out, the short black hair on his scalp appearing to rise, barked:
вАЬHullo, Waterslop! Enjoying your plunder?вАЭ
Mr. Waterhouse, tall, slouching and untidy-haired, lifted the flaps of his coat. It was so ragged that it appeared as if straws stuck out of the elbows.
вАЬAll that the suffragettes have left of me,вАЭ he said, laughingly. вАЬIsnвАЩt one of you fellows a genius called Tietjens?вАЭ He was looking at Macmaster. The General said:
вАЬTietjensвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ MacmasterвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ The Minister went on very friendly:
вАЬOh, itвАЩs you?вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ I just wanted to take the opportunity of thanking you.вАЭ
Tietjens said:
вАЬGood God! What for?вАЭ
вАЬYou know!вАЭ the Minister said, вАЬwe couldnвАЩt have got the Bill before the House till next session without your figuresвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ He said slyly: вАЬCould we, Sandbach?вАЭ and added to Tietjens: вАЬIngleby told meвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
Tietjens was chalk-white and stiffened. He stuttered:
вАЬI canвАЩt take any credit.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ I considerвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
Macmaster exclaimed:
вАЬTietjensвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ youвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ he didnвАЩt know what he was going to say.
вАЬOh, youвАЩre too modest,вАЭ Mr.¬†Waterhouse overwhelmed Tietjens. вАЬWe know whom weвАЩve to thankвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ His eyes drifted to Sandbach a little absently. Then his face lit up.
вАЬOh! Look here, Sandbach,вАЭ he saidвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ вАЬCome here, will you?вАЭ He walked a pace or two away, calling to one of his young men: вАЬOh, Sanderson, give the bobbie a drink. A good stiff one.вАЭ Sandbach jerked himself awkwardly out of his chair and limped to the Minister.
Tietjens burst out:
вАЬMe too modest! Me!вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ The swine.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ The unspeakable swine!вАЭ
The General said:
вАЬWhatвАЩs it all about, Chrissie? You probably are too modest.вАЭ
Tietjens said:
вАЬDamn it. ItвАЩs a serious matter. ItвАЩs driving me out of the unspeakable office IвАЩm in.вАЭ
Macmaster said:
вАЬNo! No! YouвАЩre wrong. ItвАЩs a wrong view you take.вАЭ And with a good deal of real passion he began to explain to the General. It was an affair that had already given him a great deal of pain. The Government had asked the statistical department for figures illuminating a number of schedules that they desired to use in presenting their new Bill to the Commons. Mr.¬†Waterhouse was to present it.
Mr. Waterhouse at the moment was slapping Mr. Sandbach on the back, tossing the hair out of his eyes and laughing like a hysterical schoolgirl. He looked suddenly tired. A police constable, his buttons shining, appeared, drinking from a pewter-pot outside the glazed door. The two city men ran across the angle from the dressing-room to the same door, buttoning their clothes. The Minister said loudly:
вАЬMake it guineas!вАЭ
It seemed to Macmaster painfully wrong that Tietjens should call anyone so genial and unaffected an unspeakable swine. It was unjust. He went on with his explanation to the General.
The Government had wanted a set of figures based on a calculation called B 7. Tietjens, who had been working on one called H 19вБ†вАФfor his own instructionвБ†вАФhad persuaded himself that H 19 was the lowest figure that was actuarially sound.
The General said pleasantly: вАЬAll this is Greek to me.вАЭ
вАЬOh no, it neednвАЩt be,вАЭ Macmaster heard himself say. вАЬIt amounts to this. Chrissie was asked by the GovernmentвБ†вАФby Sir Reginald InglebyвБ†вАФto work out what 3 вЬХ 3 comes to: it was that sort of thing in principle. He said that the only figure that would not ruin the country was nine times nineвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬThe Government wanted to shovel money into the workingmanвАЩs pockets, in fact,вАЭ the General said. вАЬMoney for nothingвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ or votes, I suppose.вАЭ
вАЬBut that isnвАЩt the point, sir,вАЭ Macmaster ventured to say. вАЬAll that Chrissie was asked to do was to say what 3 вЬХ 3 was.вАЭ
вАЬWell, he appears to have done it and earned no end of kudos,вАЭ the General said. вАЬThatвАЩs all right. WeвАЩve all, always, believed in ChrissieвАЩs ability. But heвАЩs a strong-tempered beggar.вАЭ
вАЬHe was extraordinarily rude to Sir Reginald over it,вАЭ Macmaster went on.
The General said:
вАЬOh dear! Oh dear!вАЭ He shook his head at Tietjens and assumed with care the blank, slightly disappointing air of the regular officer. вАЬI donвАЩt like to hear of rudeness to a superior. In any service.вАЭ
вАЬI donвАЩt think,вАЭ Tietjens said with extreme mildness, вАЬthat Macmaster is quite fair to me. Of course heвАЩs a right to his opinion as to what the discipline of a service demands. I certainly told Ingleby that IвАЩd rather resign than do that beastly jobвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬYou shouldnвАЩt have,вАЭ the General said. вАЬWhat would become of the services if everyone did as you did?вАЭ
Sandbach came back laughing and dropped painfully into his low armchair.
вАЬThat fellowвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ he began.
The General slightly raised his hand.
вАЬA minute!вАЭ he said. вАЬI was about to tell Chrissie, here, that if I am offered the jobвБ†вАФof course itвАЩs an order reallyвБ†вАФof suppressing the Ulster VolunteersвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ IвАЩd rather cut my throat than do itвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
Sandbach said:
вАЬOf course you would, old chap. TheyвАЩre our brothers. YouвАЩd see the beastly, lying Government damned first.вАЭ
вАЬI was going to say that I should accept,вАЭ the General said, вАЬI shouldnвАЩt resign my commission.вАЭ
Sandbach said:
вАЬGood God!вАЭ
Tietjens said:
вАЬWell, I didnвАЩt.вАЭ
вАЬGeneral! You! After all Claudine and I have saidвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
Tietjens interrupted:
вАЬExcuse me, Sandbach. IвАЩm receiving this reprimand for the moment. I wasnвАЩt, then, rude to Ingleby. If IвАЩd expressed contempt for what he said or for himself, that would have been rude. I didnвАЩt. He wasnвАЩt in the least offended. He looked like a cockatoo, but he wasnвАЩt offended. And I let him over-persuade me. He was right, really. He pointed out that, if I didnвАЩt do the job, those swine would put on one of our little competition wallah head clerks and get all the schedules faked, as well as starting off with false premises!вАЭ
вАЬThatвАЩs the view I take,вАЭ the General said, вАЬif I donвАЩt take the Ulster job the Government will put on a fellow whoвАЩll burn all the farmhouses and rape all the women in the three counties. TheyвАЩve got him up their sleeve. He only asks for the Connaught Rangers to go through the north with. And you know what that means. All the sameвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ He looked at Tietjens: вАЬOne should not be rude to oneвАЩs superiors.вАЭ
вАЬI tell you I wasnвАЩt rude,вАЭ Tietjens exclaimed. вАЬDamn your nice, paternal old eyes. Get that into your mind!вАЭ
The General shook his head:
вАЬYou brilliant fellows!вАЭ he said. вАЬThe country, or the army, or anything, could not be run by you. It takes stupid fools like me and Sandbach, along with sound, moderate heads like our friend here.вАЭ He indicated Macmaster and, rising, went on: вАЬCome along. YouвАЩre playing me, Macmaster. They say youвАЩre hot stuff. ChrissieвАЩs no good. He can take Sandbach on.вАЭ
He walked off with Macmaster towards the dressing-room.
Sandbach, wriggling awkwardly out of his chair, shouted:
вАЬSave the country.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Damn itвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ He stood on his feet. вАЬI and Campion.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Look at what the countryвАЩs come to.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ What with swine like these two in our club houses! And policemen to go round the links with Ministers to protect them from the wild women.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ By God! IвАЩd like to have the flaying of the skin off some of their backs. I would. By God I would.вАЭ
He added:
вАЬThat fellow Waterslops is a bit of a sportsman. I havenвАЩt been able to tell you about our bet, youвАЩve been making such a noise.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ Is your friend really plus one at North Berwick? What are you like?вАЭ
вАЬMacmaster is a good plus two anywhere when heвАЩs in practice.вАЭ
Sandbach said:
вАЬGood Lord.вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ A stout fellowвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ
вАЬAs for me,вАЭ Tietjens said, вАЬI loathe the beastly game.вАЭ
вАЬSo do I,вАЭ Sandbach answered. вАЬWeвАЩll just lollop along behind them.вАЭ