"The custom?" She frowned slightly. Then her tense look relaxed. The red lips quivered apart. "Dieu!--qu'il est drôle!" She laughed aloud. "This?--and this?" She touched the curtains, then the counterpane with her hand.
"You think this is mourning, perhaps?--Au contraire..." She shook with mirth.
"Your Uncle had these made for _me_ ... il avait des idées ... assez bizarres!" She stretched out one perfect arm on the black satin and admired it.
McTaggart felt a swift horror of the old man with his tired eyes. Then he laughed. The Marchesa's face was like an impudent, healthy child's.
"And now, my nephew--au revoir. We meet again at twelve for lunch."
He stooped and kissed her outstretched hand. The dreaded interview was over.
He found his way into the hall and sat down at a writing-table, determined to get his letter off to Cydonia's father before lunch.
He wrote the words on a sheet edged with an inch of black. Then tore it up and started again.
"Suppose I must call him Mr. Cadell!" This done, he stared into space, searching for an opening phrase; faced with the problem of explaining the urgency of his trip abroad.
"If I start by saying my uncle is dead it opens the question of my inheritance--I shall have to explain about my family and it makes the letter long-winded. Besides, I don't want him to know anything about the title. I'd rather, as I said before, go in and win as Peter McTaggart."
He thought for a moment, then covered a page; read it through and crumpled it up.
"Too colloquial--oh, hang! What on earth am I to say?"
Like many men who talk easily, he could not put his thoughts on paper.
For speech is merely to let loose words; writing to draw them close together.
"It's no good!" He rose to his feet. "After all, he's got my wire, and I shall be back within the week. But I wish I could write to Cydonia..." He stood for a moment by the stove. "I do hope they're not worrying her, and that the child understands? I know the letter would never reach her, and I'd rather have it fair and square ... It would make things worse to do anything now the Cadells could call underhand!"
He stretched his arms above his head with a yawn that ended in a sigh. Then started to explore his kingdom, casting dull care aside.