"How kind of you, Lady Dove! This is an unexpected treat; Lord Dashwood tried in vain to get him! He is very proud and very original. I heard the Emperor of Germany could not get him to play last year. The Germans say we have never had such a genius. Quite a poor man was he? Genius plays strange freaks. They say he can make as much money as he likes--Lady Gwen Steward was dying to marry him they say--but he wouldn't look at her. They say he was once jilted and that turned him into a misogamist."
Lady Dove tried to answer appropriately and was all smiles. She kept Mr. Russell near her, he was so clever and so useful, and Sir Evas was neither!
"How kind of you to come this wet evening. Yes, Mr. Frank Weston is really here, he dined with us--such a charming fellow--genius written all over him"--and so on whilst the crowd rustled into seats. Where was Toney?
Directly dinner was over, Toney flew to find Jim, who was always ready to do her bidding. She interviewed him in the housekeeper's room.
"Jim, I want you to see after Mr. Frank Weston. Show him to the waiting-room we have rigged up, and stay at the door, and don't let anyone come in or out unless I tell you. I haven't any ring, that would be the right thing, but look at this glove, Jim, you see it has one green finger, I was getting a nosegay in a hurry--if someone brings this glove, let them in! The people won't be seated for a quarter of an hour yet, and Jim--is your young woman still faithful to you?"
"Yes, miss," said Jim quite gravely, touching his cap.
"But if there wasn't a him, only she just thought you not good enough?"
"Oh, Jim, that isn't at all having fine feeling. You'd have to be true to her, and wait till she thought better of it, and then you'd not be proud, would you?"
"You'd just forgive and forget, wouldn't you? I want you to say so--if you really think it."
"Yes, miss. If you was to tell me I'd forgive and forget."
"Remember my glove with the green finger!"
"Yes, miss," and Jim flew off to obey. If Toney had told him to run twenty miles he would have gone. Next, Toney went to find the Hamiltons; she did not think they would go to the barn at once and she was right. In the little second drawing-room where the lights had been lowered, she was conscious of soft murmuring tones, and rushing in she heard Maud's voice.