II
However, Mr. Prohack did not succeed in loosing himself from theembraces of the Grand Babylon Hotel for another thirty minutes. Heoffered to abandon the car, to abandon everything to his wife anddaughter, and to reach his next important appointment by the commonmethods of conveyance employed by common people; but the ladies wouldpermit no such thing; they announced their firm intention of personallyescorting him to his destination. The party seemed to be unable to breakup. There was a considerable confabulation between Eve and Lady Massulamat the entrance to the lift.
Mr. Prohack noticed anew that Eve's attitude to Lady Massulam was stilla flattering one. Indeed Eve showed that in her opinion the meeting withso great a personage as Lady Massulam was not quite an ordinary episodein her simple existence. And Lady Massulam was now talking with a freeflow to Eve. As soon as the colloquy had closed and Eve had at lengthjoined her simmering husband in the lift, Charlie must have a privatechat with Lady Massulam, apart, mysterious, concerning their affairs,whatever their affairs might be! In spite of himself, Mr. Prohack wasimpressed by the demeanour of the young man and the mature blossom ofwomanhood to each other. They exhibited a mutual trust; they understoodeach other; they liked each other. She was more than old enough to behis mamma, and yet as she talked to him she somehow became a dignifiedgirl. Mr. Prohack was disturbed in a manner which he would never haveadmitted,--how absurd to fancy that Lady Massulam had in her impressivehead a notion of marrying the boy! Still, such unions had occurred!--buthe was pleasantly touched, too.
Then Oswald Morfey and Sissie made another couple, very different, moreanimated, and equally touching. Ozzie seemed to grow more likeable, andless despicable, under the honest and frankly ardent gaze of MissProhack; and Mr. Prohack was again visited by a doubt whether the fellowwas after all the perfectly silly ass which he was reputed to be.
In the lift, Lady Massulam having offered her final adieux, Ozzie openedup to Mrs. Prohack the subject of an organisation called the UnitedLeague of all the Arts. Mr. Prohack would not listen to this. He hatedleagues, and especially leagues of arts. He knew in the marrow of hisspine that they were preposterous; but Mrs. Prohack and Sissie listenedwith unfeigned eagerness to the wonderful tale of the future of theUnited League of all the Arts. And when, emerging from the lift, Mr.Prohack strolled impatiently on ahead, the three stood calmly movelessto converse, until Mr. Prohack had to stroll impatiently back again. Asfor Charlie, he stood by himself; there was leisure for the desired wordwith his father, but Mr. Prohack had bluntly postponed that, and thusthe leisure was wasted.
Without consulting Mr. Prohack's wishes, Ozzie drew the ladies towardsthe great lounge, and Mr. Prohack at a distance unwillingly after them.In the lounge so abundantly enlarged and enriched since the days of thecelebrated Felix Babylon, the founder of the hotel, post-lunch coffeewas merging into afternoon tea. The number of idle persons in the world,and the number of busy persons who ministered to them, and the number ofartistic persons who played voluptuous music to their idleness, struckMr. Prohack as merely prodigious. He had not dreamed that idleness on sograndiose a scale flourished in the city which to him had always been acity of hard work and limited meal-hours. He saw that he had a greatdeal to learn before he could hope to be as skilled in idleness as thelowest of these experts in the lounge. He tapped his foot warningly. Noeffect on his women. He tapped more loudly, as the hatred of being in ahurry took possession of him. Eve looked round with a delightfulplacatory smile which conjured an answering smile into the face of herhusband.
He tried to be irritated after smiling, and advancing said in a would-befierce tone:
"If this lunch lasts much longer I shall barely have time to dress fordinner."
But the effort was a failure--so complete that Sissie laughed at him.
He had expected that in the car his women would relate to him thesayings and doings of Ozzie Morfey in relation to the United League ofall the Arts. But they said not a syllable on the matter. He knew theywere hiding something formidable from him. He might have put a question,but he was too proud to do so. Further, he despised them because theyessayed to discuss Lady Massulam impartially, as though she was just aplain body, or nobody at all. A nauseating pretence on their part.
Crossing a street, the car was held up by a procession of unemployed,with guardian policemen, a band consisting chiefly of drums, and anumber of collarless powerful young men who shook white boxes of coppersmenacingly in the faces of passers-by.
"Instead of encouraging them, the police ought to forbid theseprocessions of unemployed," said Eve gravely. "They're becoming aperfect nuisance."
"Why!" said Mr. Prohack, "this car of yours is a procession ofunemployed."
This sardonic pleasantry pleased Mr. Prohack as much as it displeasedMrs. Prohack. It seemed to alleviate his various worries, and theprocess of alleviation went further when he remembered that, though hewould be late for his important appointment, he had really lost no timebecause Dr. Veiga had forbidden him to keep this particular appointmentearlier than two full hours after a meal.
"Don't take cold, darling," Eve urged with loving solicitude as he leftthe car to enter the place of rendezvous. Sissie grinned at himmockingly. They both knew that he had never kept such an appointmentbefore.
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