Phyllis of Philistia [98]
with. "You have begun well. You will soon get to know her if your others days here are like to-day. That nightingale! Oh, yes, you will soon get to know her."
He shook his head.
"I doubt it," said he, in a low tone. His eyes were turned in the direction of Phyllis. She was on a seat at an open window, the twilight of moonlight and lamplight glimmering about her hair. "I doubt it. It takes a man such as I am a long time to know such a girl as Phyllis Ayrton."
That was a saying which had a certain amount of irritation for Ella. He had never said anything in the past about her, Ella, being beyond the knowledge of ordinary men.
"That's a very good beginning," said she, with a little laugh that meant much. "But don't despair. After all, girls are pretty much alike. I was a girl once--it seems a long time ago. I thought then that I knew a great deal about men. Alas! all that I have learned since is simply that they know a great deal about me. Am I different from other women, I wonder? Am I more shallow--more transparent? Was I ever an enigma to you, Bertie?"
"You were always a woman," he said. "That is why----"
"That is why----"
"That is why I am here to-night. If you were not a true woman I should be far away."
"You are far away--from me, Bertie."
"No, no! I am only beginning to appreciate you--to understand you."
"I am to be understood through the medium of Phyllis Ayrton? Isn't that like looking at happiness through another's eyes?"
He did not appear to catch her meaning at once. He looked at her and then his eyes went across the room to Phyllis. At the same instant the performance on the piano ceased. Everyone said "Thanks, awfully good," and there were some audible yawns.
There was a brandy and soda yearning in the men's eyes.
"We'll get off to bed; someone may begin to play something else," whispered the hostess to one of her lady guests.
The men looked as if they had heard the suggestion and heartily approved of it.
The next evening Ella was fortunate enough to get beside Herbert once again--she had scarcely had an opportunity of exchanging a word with him all day. He had been with Phyllis alone in the Canadian canoe. It only held two comfortably, otherwise---- But no one had volunteered to put its capacity to the test. Ella had gone in one of the punts with four or five of her guests; but the punt never overtook the canoe. It was those of the guests who had been in the punt that afterward said it was very funny to observe the chagrin of Queen Guinevere when she found that her Sir Lancelot had discovered an Elaine.
"You have had a delightful day, I'm sure," said Ella. She had found him at the bottom of the garden just before dinner. It was not for her he was loitering there.
"Delightful? Perhaps. I shall know more about it ten years hence," he replied.
"You are almost gruff as well as unintelligible," said she.
"I beg your pardon," he cried. "Pray forgive me, Ella."
"I'll forgive your gruffness if you make yourself intelligible," said she. "You frighten me. Ten years hence? What has happened to-day?"
"Oh, nothing whatever has happened! and as for ten years hence--well, in ten years hence I shall be looking back to this day either as one of the happiest of my life, or as Francesca looked back upon her /tempo felice/."
"Oh, now that you get into a foreign language you are quite intelligible. You have not spoken?"
"Spoken? I? To her--to her? I have not spoken. I don't believe that I shall ever have the courage to speak to her in the sense you mean."
Ella smiled as she settled a rose on the bodice of her evening dress-- its red petals were reposing in that little interspace that dimpled the soft shell-pink of her bosom. The man before her had once kissed her.
She smiled, as she knew that he was watching her. She wondered if he had forgotten that kiss.
"Why should you lose courage at this juncture?" she asked. "She hasn't, up to the present, shown any very marked antipathy to you, so far as I can see. She is certainly not wanting in courage, if you
He shook his head.
"I doubt it," said he, in a low tone. His eyes were turned in the direction of Phyllis. She was on a seat at an open window, the twilight of moonlight and lamplight glimmering about her hair. "I doubt it. It takes a man such as I am a long time to know such a girl as Phyllis Ayrton."
That was a saying which had a certain amount of irritation for Ella. He had never said anything in the past about her, Ella, being beyond the knowledge of ordinary men.
"That's a very good beginning," said she, with a little laugh that meant much. "But don't despair. After all, girls are pretty much alike. I was a girl once--it seems a long time ago. I thought then that I knew a great deal about men. Alas! all that I have learned since is simply that they know a great deal about me. Am I different from other women, I wonder? Am I more shallow--more transparent? Was I ever an enigma to you, Bertie?"
"You were always a woman," he said. "That is why----"
"That is why----"
"That is why I am here to-night. If you were not a true woman I should be far away."
"You are far away--from me, Bertie."
"No, no! I am only beginning to appreciate you--to understand you."
"I am to be understood through the medium of Phyllis Ayrton? Isn't that like looking at happiness through another's eyes?"
He did not appear to catch her meaning at once. He looked at her and then his eyes went across the room to Phyllis. At the same instant the performance on the piano ceased. Everyone said "Thanks, awfully good," and there were some audible yawns.
There was a brandy and soda yearning in the men's eyes.
"We'll get off to bed; someone may begin to play something else," whispered the hostess to one of her lady guests.
The men looked as if they had heard the suggestion and heartily approved of it.
The next evening Ella was fortunate enough to get beside Herbert once again--she had scarcely had an opportunity of exchanging a word with him all day. He had been with Phyllis alone in the Canadian canoe. It only held two comfortably, otherwise---- But no one had volunteered to put its capacity to the test. Ella had gone in one of the punts with four or five of her guests; but the punt never overtook the canoe. It was those of the guests who had been in the punt that afterward said it was very funny to observe the chagrin of Queen Guinevere when she found that her Sir Lancelot had discovered an Elaine.
"You have had a delightful day, I'm sure," said Ella. She had found him at the bottom of the garden just before dinner. It was not for her he was loitering there.
"Delightful? Perhaps. I shall know more about it ten years hence," he replied.
"You are almost gruff as well as unintelligible," said she.
"I beg your pardon," he cried. "Pray forgive me, Ella."
"I'll forgive your gruffness if you make yourself intelligible," said she. "You frighten me. Ten years hence? What has happened to-day?"
"Oh, nothing whatever has happened! and as for ten years hence--well, in ten years hence I shall be looking back to this day either as one of the happiest of my life, or as Francesca looked back upon her /tempo felice/."
"Oh, now that you get into a foreign language you are quite intelligible. You have not spoken?"
"Spoken? I? To her--to her? I have not spoken. I don't believe that I shall ever have the courage to speak to her in the sense you mean."
Ella smiled as she settled a rose on the bodice of her evening dress-- its red petals were reposing in that little interspace that dimpled the soft shell-pink of her bosom. The man before her had once kissed her.
She smiled, as she knew that he was watching her. She wondered if he had forgotten that kiss.
"Why should you lose courage at this juncture?" she asked. "She hasn't, up to the present, shown any very marked antipathy to you, so far as I can see. She is certainly not wanting in courage, if you