‘Like Kitty! Permitting you to tell her what she may wear, and what she may not! I wonder she will listen to you!’
‘Sensible little thing, Kit,’ said Freddy. ‘Does do me credit! M’father was saying so only the other day.’
‘Well, she does look remarkably well, I own,’ said Meg, ‘but in one way, Freddy—and I don’t say it out of spite, for I love her dearly!—she doesn’t do you any credit at all. And Mama has heard of it, for she is not still looking after the children, and she asked me if it were true, and what could be the meaning of it? Of course I turned it off, and indeed I don’t believe a word of it, but—why does she let Dolph attach himself to her so particularly?’
But here Freddy felt himself to be upon acutely assailable ground, and he beat a retreat. A visit to Mount Street the following day did nothing to heal the wound to his amour propre, for although Lord Legerwood made no reference whatsoever to the intrusions of Dolphinton, Lady Legerwood was not similarly reticent. In deep concern, she informed him that the few particular friends to whom she had confided the news of his engagement were quite in a puzzle to know what to think of Miss Charing’s predilection for Lord Dolphinton’s society. It was not, therefore, surprising that when, a few days later, Mr Standen, bowling along Piccadilly in his tilbury, reached the bottom of Old Bond Street in time to see Miss Charing, accompanied by Lord Dolphinton, enter the portals of the Egyptian Hall, upon the south side of the street, he should have been moved to pull up abruptly, to consign his carriage to the care of his groom, and to cross Piccadilly in a purposeful manner.
The Egyptian Hall, which had been erected four years previously, was otherwise known as Bullock’s Museum, and contained curiosities from the South Seas, from North and South America; a collection of armoury, and works of art; and had lately received, as an additional attraction, the Emperor Napoleon’s travelling-carriage. Its cognomen was derived from the style of its architecture, which included inclined pilasters ornamented with hieroglyphics. It was an imposing edifice, but it had not previously tempted Mr Standen to inspect its many marvels. Nor, when he had penetrated beyond the vestibule, did he waste time in studying the exhibits tastefully arranged around the walls. The only object in which he was interested was found seated primly upon a chair, a catalogue in her gloved hands, and her gaze fixed thoughtfully upon the model of a Red Indian chief in full panoply of war. Of Lord Dolphinton there was no sign, a circumstance which caused Mr Standen to exclaim, quite contrary to his intention: ‘Well, if this don’t beat the Dutch! First the fellow brings you to a devilish place like this, and then he dashed well leaves you here!’
‘Freddy!’ cried Miss Charing, jumping almost out of her skin.
‘And don’t you say Freddy to me!’ added Mr Standen severely. ‘I told you I wouldn’t have it, Kit, and I dashed well meant it! Have the whole town talking!’
Kitty looked very much bewildered, but as it was plain that Mr Standen was filled with righteous wrath she refrained from protest, merely saying in a small, doubtful voice: ‘Frederick? Should I, in public, call you Mr Standen?’
‘Call me Mr Standen?’ said Freddy, thrown quite out of his stride. ‘No, of course you should not! Never heard such a silly question in my life! And it ain’t a bit of use trying to turn the subject! Not one to take a pet for no reason, but this is the outside of enough, Kit!’
‘I wasn’t trying to turn the subject! You said I must not call you Freddy!’
Mr Standen stared at her. ‘Said you wasn’t to call me Freddy? Nonsense!’
?
??But you did!’ replied Kitty indignantly. ‘Just this moment past! I must own, I think it was very unkind in you, for I had no notion it was wrong!’
‘It’s my belief,’ said Mr Standen, with austerity, ‘that you’re trying to fob me off, Kit! Well, it won’t fadge! I saw you walk into this place on Dolph’s arm! Seems to me there’s something deuced havey-cavey going on between the pair of you. Time I had a word with Dolph! Where the devil is he?’
Enlightenment dawned on Miss Charing. She gave an irrepressible gurgle of mirth. ‘Oh, Freddy, is that what brings you here?’
‘Yes, it is, and it ain’t anything to laugh at!’ said Freddy. ‘Good God, you don’t suppose I’d come to a place like this for no reason, do you? I’d as lief visit Westminster Abbey again!’ He levelled his glass, and swept a condemnatory glance round the room. ‘In fact, liefer!’ he added. ‘I don’t say those effigies weren’t pretty devilish, but they weren’t as devilish as this freak you was staring at when I came in. You know what?—you’ll start having nightmares if you don’t take care! Lord, if it ain’t just like Dolph to choose a place like this for his dashed flirtations! Shows you he’s queer in his attic.’
‘He did not bring me here to flirt with me!’
‘Now, don’t you tell me he wanted to look at curiosities from the South Seas!’ said Freddy warningly. ‘I ain’t a big enough bleater to swallow that one! Just a trifle too loud, Kit!’
‘No, of course he did not. Oh, dear, how awkward this is! I wonder what I should do?’
‘Well, I can tell you that!’ said Freddy. ‘You can stop making a cake of me. What’s more, if you let Dolph go on hanging round you for ever I’ll tell everyone that our betrothal is a hum!’
‘Freddy, you would not!’ exclaimed Miss Charing, turning pale. ‘What can it signify to you, after all?’
‘Does signify. Here’s m’mother wanting to know what I’m about to let you go all over town with Dolph! Never felt such a flat in my life!’
‘Oh, I am so very sorry!’ said Kitty contritely.
‘Yes, I daresay, but I’m dashed if I see what your lay is! If you wanted Dolph, why the deuce didn’t you accept his offer? No need to have dragged me into the business at all.’
Kitty laid an impulsive hand on his arm. ‘Freddy, you could not think that I would ever marry poor Dolph?’
‘Well, no,’ admitted Freddy. ‘In fact, I’ll take dashed good care you don’t!’
‘I don’t want to! Though, I must say, Freddy, it is not in the least your affair!’
‘That’s just what it is,’ said Freddy bitterly. ‘No good saying I ain’t responsible for you, because I am. Mind, I didn’t think I should have to be at the outset—well, stands to reason I didn’t! Wouldn’t have let you talk me into this!—but the more I think of it the more I see that if you go and do something cork-brained there ain’t a soul who won’t say it was my fault for not taking better care of you.’
‘Oh, no, Freddy!’ she cried, shocked. ‘How could people say such a thing?’
‘Well, they would. What’s more, quite true! Daresay I’d say it myself. Can’t bring a girl to town like this, and then let her do something bird-witted. Not the thing!’