Oh, I’ve given up engineering,” said Charlie. It’s a mere trade. The fact is, I have come round at last to your idea that there is nothing like Art. I have turned my attention to literature of late.”
“Poetry, I presume,” said Herbert, drawing the book from beneath his arm and looking at the title.
“I wish I had the least scrap of genius to make me a poet. In any ease I must give up the vagabond life I have been leading, and settle down to some earnest pursuit. I may not ever be able to write a decent book; but I at least can persevere in the study of Art and literature and — and so forth.”
“Persevere in literature:” repeated Mary. “Oh, Charlie! How many novels and tragedies have you begun since we went to live at Beulah? and not one of them ever got to the second chapter.”
“I shewed my good sense in not finishing any of them. What has become of the pictures you used to work so hard at, and of the great compositions that were to have come of your studies with Jack?
“I think,” said Herbert jocularly, “that if we wait here until you and Mary agree on the subject of your perseverance, our dinner will be cold. Mrs. Hoskyn is coming to dine with us this evening, Charlie. Suppose you join us.”
“Thank you,” he said, hastily: “I should like it of all things; but I am not dressed; and—”
“You can hardly propose to dress for dinner on my account at this late stage of our acquaintance: and Mrs. Herbert will excuse you, I think.”
“You shall be the welcome, monsieur,” said Aurélie, who had been gazing abstractedly down the vista at the white h<>rse.
“Thanks, very much indeed,” said Charlie. This decided, it was arranged that they should go by train to High Street, and walk thence to Herbert’s lodging: for he had never fulfilled his intention of taking a house, his wife being only nominally more at home in London than in the other European capitals. They accordingly moved towards the railway station, Adrian going first with Mary, and Charlie following with Aurélie, who seemed unconscious of his presence, although his uneasiness, his frequent glances sidelong at her, and his occasional dumb efforts to hazard some commonplace remark, were much more obvious than he suspected. In this way they came within a hundred yards of the South Kensington station without having exchanged a word, his dismay increasing at every step. He stole another look at her, and this time met her eye, which fixed him as if it had been that of the ancient mariner: and the longer she looked, the redder and more disconcerted he became.
“Well Monsieur Beatty,” she said composedly.
He glanced apprehensively at Adrian, who was within earshot. “I hardly know how to tell you,” he said: “but my name is not Beatty.”
“Is it possible! I beg your pardon, monsieur: I mistook you for a zhentleman of that name, whom I met at Paris. You resemble him very much.”
“No, I assure you,” said Charlie eagerly. “I am not in the least like him. I know the fellow you mean: he was a drunken wretch whom you rescued from being run over or robbed in the street, and who made a most miserable ass of himself in return. He is dead.”
“Jesu Christ!” ejaculated Aurélie with an irrepressible start: “do not say such things. What do you mean?”
“Dead as a doornail,” said Charlie, triumphant at having shaken her composure, but still very earnest. “He was killed, scotched, stamped out of existence by remorse, and by being unable to endure the contrast between his worthlcssness and your — your goodness. If you would only forget him, and not think of him whenever you see me, you would confer a great favor on me — far greater than I deserve. Will you do this please, Mrs Herbert?
“I believe you will make great success as poet,” said Aurélie, looking oddly at him. “You are — what you call clever. Ach! This underground railway is a horror.”
They said nothing more to one another until they left the train at High Street, fromm which they walked in the same order as before. Charlie again at a loss for something to say, but no longer afraid to speak. His first effort was:
“I hope, Madame Sczympliça is quite well.”
“Thank you, she is qute well. You will see her presently.”
“What! Is she staying with you?”
“Yes. You are glad of that?”
“No, I’m not,” he said blunt1y.”How could I be glad? She remembers that vagabond of whom we were speaking. What shall I do?”
Aurélie shook her head gravely. “Truly, I do not know,” she replied. “You had better prepare for the worst.”
“It is very easy for you to make a jest of the affair, Mrs Herbert. If you had as much cause to be ashamed of meeting her as I have, you would not laugh at me. However, since you have forgiven me, I think she may very well do so.”
Madame Sczympliça did, in fact, receive him without betraying the slightest emotion. She did not remember him. All her attention was absorbed by other considerations, which led her to draw her daughter into a private conversation on the stairs whilst their guests supposed her to be fetching the baby.
“My child: have you brought home dinner as well as guests? What are they to eat? Do you think that the proprietress can provide a double dinner at a moment’s notice?”
“She must, maman. It is very simple. Let her go to the shops — to the pastrycooks. Let her go wherever she will, so that the dinner be ready. Perhaps there is enough in the house.”
“And how—”
“There, there. She will manage easily. If not, how can I help it? I know nothing about such things. Go for the bambinotelegraph; and do not fret about the dinner. All will be well, depend upon it.” And she retreated quickly into the drawingroom. Madame Szczympliça raised her hands in protest; let them fall in resignation; and went upstairs, whence she presently returned with a small baby who looked very sad and old.
“Behold it!” said Aurélie, interlacing her fingers behind her back, and nodding from a distance towards her child. “See how solemn he looks! He is a true Englishman.” The baby uttered a plaintive sound and stretched out one fist. “Aha! Knowest thou thy mother’s voice, rogue? Does he not resemble Adrian?”
Mary took the infant gently; kissed it; shook its toes, called it endearing names; and elicited several inarticulate remonstrances from it. Adrian felt ridiculous, and acknowledged his condition by a faint smile. Charlie kept cautiously aloof. Mary was in act of handing the child carefully hack to Madame Sczympliça, when Aurélie interposed swiftly; tossed it up to the ceiling; and caught it dexterously.Adrian stepped forward in alarm; Madame uttered a Polish exclamation; and the baby itself growled angrily. Being sent aloft a second time, it howled with all its might.
“Now you shall see,” said Aurélie, suddenly placing it supine and screaming, on the pianoforte. She began to play the Skater’s Quadrille from Meyerbeer’s opera of The Prophet. The baby immediately ceased to kick, became silent, and lay still with the bland expression of a dog being scratched, or a lady having her hair combed.
“Ït has a vile taste in music,” she said, when the performance was over. “It is old fashioned in everything. Ah Monsieur Sutherland: would you kindly pass the little one to my mother?”
Madam Madame Sczympliça hastily advanced to forestall Charlie’s compliance with this request, made purposely to embarrass him. But he lifted the baby very expertly, and even gave it a kiss before he handed it to the old lady, who watched him as if he were handling a valuable piece of china.
“There. Take it away,” said Aurélie. “You would make a good nurse, monsieur.”
“What