The Triumph of Jill
Page 18
looked dubious, and puckered her brows thoughtfully.
"I don't know," she answered. "I am not sure whether if I knew himbetter I should like him a little, or dislike him a great deal. Why didyou ask him to come and spoil our lunch?"
"I didn't, I asked him to come and drink our health."
"But why?" she protested. "We didn't want any horrid third person.What would you have thought if I had asked a girl?"
"I should have thought it inconsiderate of you from a monetary point ofview, otherwise a charming arrangement."
"You are a brute," cried Mrs St. John pettishly. "I'm not enjoying myhoneymoon a bit."
"People never do," he rejoined; "It isn't fashionable, besides its badtaste. I am afraid that I'm going to prove an exception to the rulethough; for I don't know when I have enjoyed anything so much as to-day.Beastly form on my part to admit it, I know. But to return to Markham,I asked him to join us for several reasons, not the least importantbeing a natural desire to introduce my wife--"
"Yes, dear, I'll excuse the preliminaries," interposed Jill. "I want toknow the real reason."
"You aggravating monkey, I've a good mind not to satisfy you. And Idaresay you will be aggrieved when you hear it because it concernsEvie."
"Oh! Was he in love with _her_?"
St. John laughed at the disparaging tone and teasingly pinched her ear.
"Incredible as it may sound he was," he replied. "I believe she refusedhim a little while ago but he has been out of England since then and Inever heard the rights of the case. He's an old college chum of mine,and an awfully good sort; I don't know why Evie doesn't have him."
"Oh, yes, you do," rejoined Jill sagely. "And so you thought you wouldlet Mr Markham see that you were married and out of the runnings, youconceited old humbug; and that's why he laughed so much, and was so verypolite to me. He'll send us a wedding present, Jack, I feel convincedof that."
"You've always got your eye open for the main chance," observed St.John, "and ought to make a good business woman. You'll be pondering theintrinsic value of that present within half-an-hour. Personally, Ishall be thoroughly satisfied if I hear that he wins Evie."
Jill looked up at him swiftly, and slipped her hand into his with asmile.
"I don't mind who wins Evie now," she said, "but I was horribly anxiousonce. I don't believe that I really felt quite safe until this littlegold band was placed on my finger, and then I knew that not even MissBolton could take you away from me."
"Possession is only nine-tenths of the law," interposed St. John; but hesqueezed the small hand lovingly, lying so confidingly in his, so that,feeling the pressure, and meeting his earnest gaze, Jill was toothoroughly happy even to retort.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
Mr St. John, Senior's, wrath knew no bounds when he received his son'snote and learnt that he had taken the irrevocable step and actuallymarried the art mistress. He passed the letter on to his niece withThompkins and Co.'s card, and turned away from the lunch-table toodisgusted to eat his food. Evie Bolton took things more quietly. Shehad realised her defeat from the first, and accepted it as she did theannouncement of her cousin's marriage with a composure that did morecredit to her head than to her heart. She read the letter throughwithout comment, and studied the card. Then she looked up with a littlelaugh.
"How funny," she said. "I will go and have my photograph taken there."
Mr St. John said nothing. He just wheeled about shortly and left theroom, but when he got outside his language was more forcible thanpolite, and he kicked Miss Bolton's pet pug right across the hall. Forthe first time he saw the heiress with his son's eyes.
"Jack is a fool," mused Miss Bolton complacently, tapping the pasteboardin a meditative fashion. "He will hate it all three months hence, andthen they will quarrel horribly. A photographer indeed! What possessedhim, I wonder?"
When Miss Bolton flippantly observed that she intended having herphotograph taken at Thompkins and Co.'s, she did not mean it seriously;for she had not considered the matter, and only spoke upon impulse.Some months later, however, the idea returning to her mind, shedetermined, after thinking it over for a little while, to act upon it,and judge for herself how Jack adapted himself to his changedcircumstances.
It was characteristic of her that she should don her richest attire forthe occasion, and drive there in style instead of going in the quietestand most unobtrusive manner; and it was also characteristic that onarriving and entering the shop she should haughtily demand to see MrSt. John, entirely ignoring Jill, who, on her entry, had risen from herseat at the desk, and now in her usual philosophic manner walked quietlyout of the shop to call her husband St. John was in the studioendeavouring to snap an infant in its vest, and only succeeding inmaking it howl. He was looking worried and annoyed, and welcomed Jill'sadvent with relief.
"You are better at this kind of thing than I am," he said in an aside toher; "just see if you can pacify the little beast."
"All right," answered Jill shortly. "You can go and do the agreeable toEvie Bolton; she's in the shop waiting to see you."
St. John whistled, and the infant stopped yelling to listen; it wasnoted for its love of music.
"How jolly nice of her," he cried. "Perhaps she'll stay and have teawith us."
"Perhaps she won't," Jill answered rather bitterly; but St. John was notpaying any attention; he was busy adjusting the collar of his coat, andfailed to detect the chagrin in his wife's tone and manner. Jill turnedher back on him quickly to hide her annoyance, and walked over to makefriends with the baby, while St. John, unconscious that anything wasamiss, strode through the studio into the shop where Evie Bolton awaitedhim. She turned at his entry and advanced to greet him, recognisingwith a little pang of envy as she did so, what a fine, manly, handsomefellow this cousin of hers was. St. John, too, realised for the firsttime how very pretty and stylish Evie was. When he had lived withstylish women he had not noticed these things, now that his lot was castamong the working-classes, he perceived and appreciated the difference.His glance rested on Miss Bolton's well groomed prettiness with a kindof tired relief, and the sordidness of his own surroundings became moreapparent.
"It is good of you to look us up," he cried. "I half feared that I wasgoing to get the cold shoulder altogether."
He had taken the girl's outstretched hand in both of his, and now lookedinto her eyes with a smile of pleased gratitude. Evie smiled back.
"You should never have thought that of me," she said. "You might haveknown I would come eventually. If uncle hadn't been so furious about itI should have come sooner, but I had to use my discretion and wait. Thefirst time I suggested a visit he flung out of the room in a temper. Ifear you have done for yourself, dear, so far as your father isconcerned."
St. John looked moody, and seeing his change of countenance, shehastened to turn the subject.
"Jack," she said, "I am awfully low-spirited--I suppose I have missedyou rather. I want you to take me out to tea somewhere and cheer me upif you can."
St. John swallowed the bait. The idea of a diversion was pleasing tohim, and the knowledge that he had been missed gratified his vanity.
"Dear little girl, of course I will," he answered. "I'll just go andput it all right with Thompkins, and then I'll be at your service.Jill's in the studio. You saw her though, didn't you?"
Miss Bolton flushed.
"Ye-es," she answered hesitatingly, "for a minute. Make haste, Jackdear; I am so impatient to be off. While you are gone I will look atthese abominable photographs. I meant to let you take mine to-day, butI object to being caricatured."
"You must let Jill paint you," he said, "She's first class at portraitpainting and would like to get some customers."
"One day," the girl answered vaguely, "perhaps I will."
St. John hurried out, and Miss Bolton turned with languid interest toinspect the portraits round the walls. When her cousin returned hediscovered her intently scrutinising a cabinet photograph of MrM
arkham.
"What a libel," she cried holding it up. "This is your handiwork, Ishould imagine. When did you take it?"
"Oh! I don't know," he answered carelessly, "Jill took it one day. Shehas taken him lots of times; he often calls in."
Evie's eyebrows went up with a show of surprise.
"Is he a friend of--Mrs St. John?" she asked.
"I suppose so; Jill likes him. He and I were always rather chummy, andhe drops in in to talk about--oh!