Lola patted his hand and gave it back and rewarded him with a smile
which she considered to be matronly. “Nice Simpky,” she said. “Very nice
Simpky,” as though he were a rather faulty terrier a little too keen on
the thrown stick. “I must go now,” she added and rose. “I have some
sewing to do for Lady Feo.”
And as Simpkins watched her go, his whole heart swelled, and something
went to his head that blurred everything for a moment. He would sell his
soul for that girl. For her sake he would even set light to the “Black
Bull” and watch it burn, if that would give her a moment’s amusement.
Mr. Fallaray.—The Savoy——
What Lola did in Lady Feo’s room was not to sew but to seat herself at
the dressing table, do her hair with the greatest care and practise with
the make-up sticks,—rouge, and the brush of water colors with which she
emphasized her eyebrows. Finally, time having flown, she borrowed a pair
of lace stockings, some shoes and gloves, made her way stealthily along
the servants’ corridor to her own room, and packed them, with the new
frock, into a cardboard box. Dressed and hatted for the street, she
carried the magic costume in which she was going to transplant herself
from Cinderella’s kitchen to the palace of the Prince and went down to
the servants’ sitting room through which it was necessary for her to go
in order to escape.
Miss Breezy was there, issuing, as she would have said, orders to one of
the housemaids. That was lucky. It saved Lola from answering an outburst
of questions. As it was, she gave a little bow to her aunt, said “Good
evening, Miss Breezy,” opened the door and nipped up the area steps into
the street. A little involuntary laugh floated behind her like the
petals of a rose. A prowling taxi caught her eye. She nodded and was in
before any one could say Jack Robinson,—if any one now remembers the
name of that mystic early Victorian.
The address she gave was 22 Castleton Terrace, Bayswater.
Mr. Fallaray.—The Savoy!
IX
“My word,” said Mrs. Rumbold, getting up from her knees and taking a pin
out of her mouth. “I never see anything like it before. It’s my opinion
that you could ’old your own in that frock with any of the best, my
dear. It’s so quiet—yet so compelling. The best of taste. If I see you
coming down the steps of the Ritz, I should nudge the person I was with
and say, ‘Duke’s daughter. French mother probably.’”
“Thank you,” said Lola. And that was exactly how she felt. Carried
forward on the current of her impatience, she didn’t stop to ask herself
what was the use of going to the Savoy, of all places, alone,—the
danger, the absurdity. “I wonder if you’ll be so kind as to fold up my
day dress, put it in the box and string it up. You’re sure you’ll be up
as late as half-past eleven? If so, it won’t take me a moment to change
and I’ll leave the evening dress here.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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