London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction
She was hopelessly careless and had no memory at all.
Suddenly she glanced at the watch on her wrist, compared it with the
splendid Empire clock on the mantelpiece, and went with a bewildered
look to the telephone on her writing-desk. Having gone through a
considerable amount of torture by calling up the wrong number and
absently ringing off as soon as she had got the right one, she at last
found herself talking to Edith.
'Oh, is that you, dear? How lucky to catch you! Yes.... Yes.... I came
back yesterday. Dying to see you. Can't you come round and see me? Oh,
you've got on your hat; you were just coming? Of course, I forgot! I
knew I had an appointment with someone! How soon will you be here?...
In a quarter of an hour? Good! Could you tell me the time, dear?...
Four o'clock, thanks. My watch is wrong, and they've never wound the
clock up all the time I've been away. Good-bye. Don't be long.... How
soon did you say you could come?... Oh, about a quarter of an hour! Do
hurry!... I say, I've something very particular to tell you. It's about...
Oh, I'm detaining you. Very well. I see. Au revoir.'
As she waited for her visitor, Lady Conroy walked round the room. Nearly
everything on which she cast her eye reminded her of a different train
of thought, so that by the time Edith was announced by the footman she
had forgotten what she wanted to tell her.
'How sweet you look, dear!' cried Lady Conroy, welcoming her most
affectionately. 'How dear of you to come. You can't think how I was
longing to see you. Can you tell me what day it is?'
'Why, it's Thursday,' Edith said, laughing. 'Don't you remember? You
wired to me to come and see you today.'
'Of course; so I did. But, surely, I didn't ask you to come on
Thursday?'
'I assure you that you did.'
'Fancy! How stupid of me! Thursday is my day at home. Dear, dear, dear.
I forgot to tell Standing; there will be no proper tea. Oh, I've brought
such a nice French maid--a perfect wonder. She knows everything. She
always knows what I want. One moment, dear; I'll ring for her and give
her orders. Wait a minute, though.' She took Edith's hand and patted it
affectionately. 'Nobody knows I've come back; it'll be all right. We
shan't have any visitors. I'm bursting with news to tell you.'
'And I'm longing to hear what it is.'
Lady Conroy's charming, animated face became blank. She frowned
slightly, and a vague look came into her eyes--the pathetic look of
someone who is trying to remember.
'Wait a minute--what is it? Oh yes. You know that woman you introduced
me to at Dieppe?'
'What woman?'
'Don't you know, dear? Good heavens, it was you who introduced her--you
ought to know.'
'Do you mean Madame Frabelle?' asked Edith, who was accustomed to Lady
Conroy, and could follow the drift of her mind.
'Capital! That's it. How wonderful of you! Yes, Madame Frabelle. How do
you like her?'
'Very much. But I didn't introduce her to you. You sent her to me.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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