“And now,” he remarked, “we come to the sideboard. You’re not like the greedy boy who said, ‘Best first for fear I can’t hold it.’ I kept the best until the last, sure that the spacious residences of those I see around me could hold it, and find it the greatest ornament of their homes.” He put his hand to his head, feeling he was getting muddled. “Ladies – it’s not drink – it’s love! I meant to say this exquisite sideboard in solid mahogany, plate-glass back, will be the chief ornament of some home: for to my regret only one of you can possess it.” He paused. How his head ached! “Now, what shall I say for this magnificent piece of furniture fit for a ducal palace?”
“Five pounds,” said a red-faced man near the door.
“Five pounds! You offer the paltry sum of five pounds for this magnificent sideboard, which contains a cellaret for the wedding champagne and a cupboard for the christening cake! Ladies and gentlemen – ”
He threw himself, as it were, upon their better feelings. And several people who did not want the sideboard began to bid for it as if their happiness in life depended upon their getting it.
“Five pounds ten! Six pounds! Seven pounds ten!”
“Eight!” said Andy, beginning to be awfully excited too.
“Eight ten!” said Mrs. Will Werrit.
“Nine!” said Andy.
“Nine ten!” said a new voice – clear, and yet breathless.
“Ten pounds!” said Andy, glaring in the direction of the voice.
“Ten ten!” and the crowd opened, leaving a little space around a girl who seemed to bloom suddenly upon the dull background of oldish faces like an evening primrose on the twilight. She was pale with the fear of being late and the excitement of arriving just in time, and she waited with parted lips for Andy’s defiant “Eleven!”
The other buyers had all stopped bidding, and her quick “Eleven ten!” rang clear across a silence.
“Twelve!” said Andy, doggedly fixing his chin into his collar.
“Twelve ten!”
“Thirteen!” said Andy, looking at his opponent with extreme distaste.
“Thirteen ten!” responded she, catching her breath.
“Fourteen!” shouted Andy, who had actually forgotten both the sideboard and Mrs. Simpson, and only felt that he would sell his shirt rather than let this girl conquer him.
“Fourteen ten!”
“Fifteen!”
“Fifteen ten!”
“Sixteen!”
Back and forth rang the words like pistol shots.
“Nineteen ten!” They were both pale now, and trembling with excitement. An electric thrill ran through the room, a strange spirit hovered almost visibly about the commonplace group in the farmhouse parlour, and the auctioneer recognised it easily enough and without surprise, for he had grown used to knowing that men and women touch the borders of the Inexplicable at little country sales.
“Twenty!”
Andy had the ‘twenty-one’ ready on his lips, when, instead of the expected retort, there was a moment’s silence that could be felt.
“Going at twenty!”
“Now, won’t any one give another ten shillings for this exceptionally handsome sideboard?”
“Going – going – gone!”
The hammer fell, and with that sound the two young people stared at each other with a sort of odd surprise, as if they had just awakened from a queer dream.
“That’s Miss Elizabeth Atterton,” whispered Mrs. Thorpe to Andy as he began to push his way out, marvelling at his own folly.
Twenty pounds was a ridiculous sum for him to have paid for the thing in any case, and just now when he was so short of money it was sheer lunacy.
“Miss Elizabeth Atterton,” he said vaguely – “oh, the young lady who bid against me? I see.”
Then he made arrangements for the delivery of the sideboard, and went home to find a dapper, middle-aged gentleman walking down the drive.
“How-de-do. Just been to call on you. Sorry to find you out,” said the dapper gentleman.
“Do come in,” said Andy, “and have a cup of tea.”
“Sorry I can’t. But I’ll go back with you for a few minutes, if I may. Fact is, I told my daughter to bring the cart round here for me at four. She’s gone off to a sale or something. Queer taste. But it’s better than developing nerves. If a female of my household developed nerves I should – er – duck her.”
“Sensible plan,” said Andy, wisely shaking his head. “Most women are as full of fancies as an egg is full of meat.”
“Just so, just so,” said the dapper gentleman, sitting very straight. And thus they disposed of the mystery and tragedy of womanhood.
“Miss Elizabeth Atterton is here with the cart, sir,” said the little maid, putting her head in at the door.
“Ha, my daughter’s here early,” said Mr. Atterton, rising.
Andy accompanied him to the cart, where Miss Elizabeth Atterton stood holding the head of a rather restive pony. The light shone full on her face, showing most clearly the gold in her brown hair and in her eyes and in her exquisite skin, which was of a deep cream with a faint red in the cheeks-not at all like milk and roses, but like some perfect fruit grown in the youth of the world. Her features were irregular, the upper lip being rather too long and the nose broad and short, but her forehead and her eyes were very lovely.
“My daughter Elizabeth,” said Mr. Atterton, as Andy took the pony’s head. “Oh, by the way, my gloves,” and he bolted back to fetch them.
“I am afraid I ran the price of your sideboard up,” said Elizabeth stiffly.
“Not at all,” said Andy, with equal stiffness.
Then Mr. Atterton came out, and the little cart clattered away through the lilac-scented afternoon.
CHAPTER III
Nothing could be less like a messenger of Fate than a mahogany sideboard with a plate-glass back.
And yet —
“Here’s Mrs. Simpson’s little girl for the third time since seven!” said Mrs. Jebb, coming hastily into the room, with ribbon-strings all aflutter about her, as usual.
“What does she want?” said Andy, buttering his toast.
“Something about a sideboard,” said Mrs. Jebb, poised, as it were, upon one hand at the table corner. “Three times before breakfast about a sideboard! You really must make a stand, or you will never have a minute to call your own. You are too good-natured.”
And she turned her head slightly, so as to give Andy the benefit of that glance which the late Mr. Jebb found irresistible.
“Nonsense,” said Andy. “It’s what I’m paid for;” and he rustled his letters together, carefully avoiding the amorous eye.
“As your aunt remarked, in engaging my services,” said Mrs. Jebb, “it is a great thing for you to have a lady in the house. I hope you will let me help you in any way that I can.”
“Thank you. I’ll go round to Mrs. Simpson’s at once,” said Andy, leaving an excellent corner of the buttered toast. “By the way, I should like my potatoes soft in the