"Oh dear, no, I am not in the least offended!" she retorted contemptuously,--"On the contrary, this has been a most amusing experience!--most amusing, I assure you! and quite unique! Why--" and suddenly stopping short, she turned smartly round and gesticulated with one hand ... "I have interviewed all the favorite actors and actresses in London! The biggest brewers in Great Britain have received me at their country mansions, and have given me all the particulars of their lives from earliest childhood! The author of 'Hugger Mugger's Curse' took the greatest pains to explain to me how he first collected the materials for his design. The author of that most popular story, 'Darling's Twins,' gave me a description of all the houses he has ever lived in,--he even told me where he purchased his writing-paper, pens, and ink! And to think that a POET should be too grand to be interrogated! Oh, the idea is really very funny! ... quite too funny for anything! "She gave a short laugh,--then relapsing into severity, she added ... "You will, I hope, tell Mr. Alwyn I called?"
Villiers bowed. "Assuredly!"
"Thank you! Because it is possible he may have different opinions to yours,--in that case, if he writes me a line, fixing an appointment, I shall be very pleased to call again. I will leave my card,--and if Mr. Alwyn is a sensible man, he will certainly hold broader ideas on the subject of 'interviewing' than YOU appear to entertain. You are QUITE sure I cannot see him?"
"Quite!"--There was no mistake about the firm emphasis of this reply.
"Oh, very well!"--here she opened the door, rattling the handle with rather an unnecessary violence,--"I'm sorry to have taken up any of your time, Mr. Villiers. Good-morning!"
"Good-morning!" ... returned Villiers calmly, touching the bell that his servant might be in readiness to show her out. But the baffled "Tiger-Lily" was not altogether gone. She looked back, her face wrinkling into one of those strangely unbecoming expressions of grim playfulness.
"I've half a mind to make an 'At Home' out of YOU!" she said, nodding at him energetically. "Only you're not important enough!"
Villiers burst out laughing. He was not proof against this touch of humor, and on a sudden good-natured impulse, sprang to the door and shook hands with her.
"No, indeed, I am not!" he said, with a charming smile--"Think of it!--I haven't even invented a new biscuit! Come, let me see you into the hall,--I'm really sorry if I've spoken roughly, but I assure you Alwyn's not at all the sort of man you want for interviewing,--he's far too modest and noble-hearted. Believe me! --I'm not romancing a bit--I'm in earnest. There ARE some few fine, manly, gifted fellows left in the world, who do their work for the love of the work alone, and not for the sake of notoriety, and he is one of them. Now I'm not certain, if you were quite candid with me, you'd admit that you yourself don't think much of the people who actually LIKE to be interviewed?"