A Woman-Hater [11]
"Zoe!" (sharply).
"Yes, aunt " (faintly).
"Tell your brother--if he can leave off smoking--I wish to speak to him."
Zoe hung her head, and was in no hurry to bring about the proposed conference.
While she deliberated, says Fanny, with vast alacrity, "I'll tell him, aunt."
"Oh, Fanny!" murmured Zoe, in a reproachful whisper.
"All right!" whispered Fanny in reply, and whipped out on to the balcony. "Here's Aunt Maitland wants to know if you ever leave off smoking;" and she threw a most aggressive manner into the query.
The big man replied, composedly, "Tell her I do--at meals and prayers; but I always _sleep_ with a pipe in my mouth--heavily insured!"
"Well, then, you mustn't; for she has something very particular to say to you when you've done smoking."
"Something particular! That means something disagreeable. Tell her I shall be smoking all day to-day."
Fanny danced into the room and said, "He says he shall be smoking all day, _under the circumstances."_
Miss Maitland gave this faithful messenger the look of a basilisk, and flounced to her own room. The young ladies instantly stepped out on the balcony, and got one on each side of Harrington, with the feminine instinct of propitiation; for they felt sure the enemy would tell, soon or late.
"What does the old cat want to talk to me about?" said Harrington, lazily, to Fanny.
It was Zoe who replied:
"Can't you guess, dear?" said she, tenderly--"our misconduct." Then she put her head on his shoulder, as much as to say, "But we have a more lenient judge here."
"As if I could not see _that_ without her assistance!" said Harrington Vizard. (Puff!) At which comfortable reply Zoe looked very rueful, and Fanny burst out laughing.
Soon after this Fanny gave Zoe a look, and they retired to their rooms; and Zoe said she would never come out again, and Fanny must stay with her. Fanny felt sure _ennui_ would thaw that resolve in a few hours; so she submitted, but declared it was absurd, and the very way to give a perfect trifle importance.
"Kiss your hand!" said she, disdainfully--"that is nothing. If I was the man, I'd have kissed both your cheeks long before this."
"And I should have boxed your ears and made you cry," said Zoe, with calm superiority.
So she had her way, and the deserted Severne felt dull, but was too good a general to show it. He bestowed his welcome company on Mr. Vizard, walked with him, talked with him, and made himself so agreeable, that Vizard, who admired him greatly, said to him, "What a good fellow you are, to bestow your sunshine on me. I began to be afraid those girls had got you, and tied you to their apron-strings altogether."
"Oh, no!" said Severne: "they are charming; but, after all, one can't do without a male friend: there are so few things that interest ladies. Unless you can talk red-hot religion, you are bound to flirt with them a little. To be sure, they look shy, if you do, but if you don't--"
"They _are_ bored; whereas they only _looked_ shy. I know 'em. Call another subject, please."
"Well, I will; but perhaps it may not be so agreeable a one."
"That is very unlikely," said the woman-hater, dryly.
"Well, it is Tin. I'm rather short. You see, when I fell in with you at Monaco, I had no idea of coming this way; but, meeting with an old college friend--what a tie college is, isn't it? There is nothing like it; when you have been at college with a man, you seem never to wear him out, as you do the acquaintances you make afterward."
"That is very true," said Vizard warmly.
"Isn't it? Now, for instance, if I had only known you of late years, I should feel awfully shy of borrowing a few hundreds of you--for a month or two."
"I don't know why you should, old fellow."
"I should, though. But having been at college together makes all the difference. I don't mind telling you that I have never been at Homburg without taking a turn at the table, and I am grizzling awfully now at not having sent to my man of business for funds."
"How much do you want? That is the only question."