when it came to the actual moment of her followingMrs Lermont and her daughter into the pretty drawing-room where LadyMary was fluttering about among her guests and her children, the girlcould not but be conscious of an exceeding wish that Egypt, or Algeria,or any other of their various haunts, had this winter attracted theBertrams elsewhere.
For control herself as she would, the thought of meeting Mr Greshamagain, without even the support of Evelyn's presence, made her nervous.
"Supposing--just _supposing_" she said to herself, "that he _did_ see meat Wyverston, or that his cousin by some inadvertence had given theleast hint of any secret."
It was a mistake to allow her imagination to dwell on suchpossibilities; but the effect on herself personally was scarcely to beregretted. For there was a certain timidity and wistfulness in hermanner which had not been there before, and which, in the eyes of one ofthose present at least, added greatly to her charm.
"She is even lovelier than I thought," said Bernard Gresham to himself,"and she has lost that touch of the girl-of-the-day self-confidencewhich jarred a little."
For the first time they had met, that autumn afternoon at Dorriford,Philippa in her cheerful inexperience had taken it for granted that thehandsome silent man was probably "rather shy," and had exerted herselfto "draw him out" in consequence.
Two or three other women entered the room almost at the same moment asthe Lermonts and their young cousin. And the names were not clearlyannounced. But Mr Gresham from the farther side of the room "spotted"Miss Raynsworth at once, and managed cleverly to place himself in herway as she turned, with some little uncertainty of bearing, from shakinghands with her hostess. He was far too much a man, not only of theworld, but of drawing-rooms, to run any risk of making her or himselfconspicuous, yet he was resolved at once to take the place which heintended to hold while the fates left Philippa in his vicinity--that ofa former acquaintance. So he would ask for no fresh introduction, butstepped forward with quiet matter-of-fact ease to greet her.
"How do you do, Miss Raynsworth?" he said. "You arrived yesterday? Iknew you were coming, as I had a letter from Mrs Marmaduke Headfort twoor three days ago."
He brought in Evelyn's name purposely, being in his heart slightlydoubtful of the girl's immediate recognition of him, little dreaming ofthe familiarity to her of his whole personality among the guests she hadso often watched from Evelyn's window at Wyverston! But even withoutthat, she would have known him again.
She looked up with her pretty, half-startled eyes, a slight pink risingto her cheeks, as she held out her hand.
"You have heard from Evelyn more recently than I have done, then," shesaid. "Were they all well? Did she give you any `family'"--with asmile--"news?"
Mr Gresham was inwardly triumphant. How well he had managed this firstintroductory move! Nothing could have happened better than the wholecombination of events. Here, at Cannes, a few days would be worth weekselsewhere; the life was so much less formal, the opportunities ofmeeting so much more frequent and less observed. He would have ampletime in which to judge further of this girl, whose strong individuality,whose "uncommonness" had even at first sight so attracted him, _ferre aglace_ though he believed himself, and that not altogether withoutreason, in such matters.
So he at once stepped on to the platform which his own tact, andPhilippa's simplicity, and circumstances, the accidental isolation inwhich she momentarily found herself for one, had erected.
"News," he said, pleasantly; "oh, dear, yes, any amount. The actualreason of my being honoured with a letter just now was that MrsHeadfort thought it would interest me, which it certainly does,extremely, to hear that she and Duke are going up to Wyverston nextweek."
Philippa's eyes sparkled.
"Are they really?" she said. "I had not heard of it. At least I knewthat they were to go some time or other, but I fancied not till I--father and I, I should say--were home again."
She was so interested that all her constraint and self-consciousnessdisappeared. Nothing could have suited Mr Gresham better. Hissuperior information from Greenleaves put him in the position of beingapplied to by Miss Raynsworth, and set her and himself at once onfriendly and almost confidential relations.
He glanced round. They were still both standing, and near Lady Mary,who was eagerly talking to Miss Lermont, and not noticing any one else'smovements. There were no seats close at hand, but some tempting wickerlounges stood just outside on the balcony, on to which opened the longlow windows.
"Won't you come outside?" said Mr Gresham. "It is crowded in here; andthen I can glance through what Mrs Headfort says."
So within five minutes of the dreaded entrance into Lady Mary'sdrawing-room, Philippa found herself seated most comfortably beside thevery man whose presence had been the cause of her nervous misgiving.
No one could have reproached Mr Gresham with "silence." He exertedhimself to the utmost, without seeming to do so in the least; he talked,though not too much; he made the girl forget everything (little as hesuspected that there was anything for her to forget) except the presentpleasant intercourse. For he believed that all the opportunity hewished to obtain for himself depended upon this first _tete-a-tete_,and, however he might hereafter judge it expedient to alter or modifyhis tactics, he had no doubt as to the advisability of his presentexertions.
Maida Lermont, from the couch which was quickly provided for her in acorner of the room, started with surprise when she heard her youngcousin's peculiarly pretty and musical laugh ring out, as some half-houror so later, Philippa, followed by Mr Gresham, made her way back intothe drawing-room, and looking round for her special friend, drew forwarda low chair to Miss Lermont's side.
"She used to laugh like that at Dorriford," thought Maida, "but it isthe first time I have heard it here. And it is Mr Gresham who has madeher look so bright and happy? Yet she has only seen him once before,and I am sure she was rather nervous about meeting him--I cannot make itout."
But if--and this possibility she would doubtless, if taxed with it, haveindignantly denied--_if_ any shadow of misgiving as to Philippa'singenuousness momentarily crossed her mind, it was dispelled the instantthe sweet face approached her own, as the girl said, in a somewhat lowvoice:
"Isn't it nice! Mr Gresham has given me such good news of them all athome, especially about Duke and Evey; they are going--but no, I mustwait to tell you all about it afterwards," and here Mr Gresham, who hadhalf heard, half guessed the drift of her words, interposed with thegentle considerateness which marked his bearing to the invalid MissLermont:
"Shall I get you a cup of tea, or an ice, or whatever you would likebest?" he said. "I can easily bring it here--it is all in the nextroom."
"Thank you, thank you very much," Maida replied. "Yes, I should likesome tea and a sandwich very much.--And you, Philippa, you have hadnothing?"
"I will go and get something for myself when Mr Gresham brings yourtea," said Philippa, and the young man noted her words approvingly.This was not the sort of girl, he thought, to care to have a man--or"_the_ man" would probably have more accurately described his thought--dragging about after her in any conspicuous way. No, there was no doubtof it, she was a type apart. And he smiled to himself, halfapologetically, at the idea that, after all his several years'experience of society, and the caution with which he had steered his wayamidst manoeuvring mammas and scarcely less sophisticated daughters, hemight be about to fall a victim to the common malady--to find himself,if he did not take care, as genuinely in love as any Henry Hawkins ofthe people!
But the very candour with which he realised the possibility, showed thatso far he had himself well in hand. And well in hand he intended tokeep himself. For it would be a complete mistake to suppose that thiswas in any sense a case of "love at first sight." Mr Gresham had longvaguely intended to marry, if--a great "_if_"--he came across the womanwho completely satisfied his fastidious taste, and seemed likely toprove the realisation of his ideal. An ideal, not perhaps of the veryloftiest, but a
dmirable enough so far as it went. "She" must be endowedwith all the orthodox and specially feminine virtues and graces; shemust be refined and "unworldly"--to insure, indeed, the lastqualification, he was prepared to sacrifice some amount of conventional"style" or "fashion;" that indescribable touch of finish which tells ofa certain position in the world of the day. The very words employed todefine it, testifying to its variability and intangible characteristics.
He did not wish for any great preponderance of brains or culture. Therewere times when Miss Raynsworth struck him as having been too severelyeducated for his standard. Femininity was his _sine qua non_. So longas a little Greek and Latin, some notion of
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