England -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; Social classes -- England -- Fiction
"Poor Olive," she sighed. "And only last week she lost dear little San
Toy. Yes, she'll miss me, I'm afraid, but she'll be glad I'm going to be
so happy."
"All your friends will be glad."
"And now, Harry, please get me a really nice hansom, because I must
simply tear round hard for frocks and frills."
Dorothy spent most of the money that Hausberg had made for her on old
pieces of family jewelry; she also ordered numerous country tweeds; of
frills she had enough.
A few days later Clarehaven, accompanied by Tufton and the special
license, reached Brighton, where he and Dorothy were quietly married in
the Church of the Ascension. Lady Clarehaven thought, when she drove
back to the rooms to break the news to Olive, how few of the passers-by
would think that she had just been married. She commented upon this to
Tony, who replied with a laugh that Brighton was the last place in
England where passers-by stopped to inquire if people were married.
"Tony," she said, with a pout, "I don't like that sort of joke, you
know."
"Sorry, Doodles."
"And don't call me Doodles any more. Call me Dorothy."
Olive was, of course, tremendously surprised by her friend's
announcement; but she tried not to show how much hurt she was by not
having been taken into her confidence beforehand.
"I wanted it to be a complete secret," Dorothy explained. "And I didn't
want all the papers in London to write a lot of rubbish about me."
"Darling, you can count on me as a pal to help you all I know. You've
only got to tell me what you want."
Dorothy pulled herself together to do something of which she was rather
ashamed, but for which she could perceive no alternative.
"Olive, I hate having to say what I'm going to say, and you must try to
understand my point of view. I never intend to go near the stage-door of
a theater again. I don't want to know any of my friends on the stage any
more. If you want to help me, the best way you can help me is not to see
me any more."
Clarehaven came into the room at this moment, and Dorothy rose to make
her farewells.
"Good-by, Olive," she said. "We're going down to Clare Court to-morrow,
and I don't expect we shall see each other again for a long time."
"I say," Clarehaven protested. "What rot, you know! Of course you'll
meet again. Why, Olive must come down and recover from her next illness
in Devonshire. We shall be pining for news of town by the spring, and--"
Lady Clarehaven looked at her husband, who was silent.
"Have you wired to your mother when we arrive to-morrow?" she asked.
"You're sure you won't drive down?"
"In January?" Dorothy exclaimed.
"Well, I've told the car to meet us at Exeter. That will only mean a
seventy-mile drive--you won't mind that--and we'll get to Clare before
dark."
"Forgive these family discussions in front of you," said Dorothy to her
friend. Then shaking her hand formally, she went out of the room.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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