"The phaëton is ready, my lady; and Sir Archie says are you going to
drive, or is he? because, if so, he will change his gloves, so as not to
keep your ladyship waiting."
"I don't care--oh, he can drive," said Lady Wolfer. She spoke as if the
message, acting as a kind of reminder, had helped her to recover her
usual half-careless, half-defiant mood. "About this dinner, Nell; will
you ask Lord Wolfer if there is any one he would like asked, and add
them to the list? Where did I leave it? Oh, it's in the library."
Nell went down for it, and, as she opened the door, Sir Archie came
forward with an eager and anxious expression on his handsome face--an
expression which changed to one of slight embarrassment as he saw that
it was Nell.
"The list? Ah, yes; here it is. I'm afraid it's not fully made out; but
there's plenty of time. Is Lady Wolfer nearly ready?"
Nell went away with a vague feeling of uneasiness. Had Lady Wolfer been
telling Sir Archie of her "trouble"? If so, why did she not tell her
husband? But perhaps she had.
Nell had no time to dwell upon Lady Wolfer's incoherent speech, for the
coming dinner party provided her with plenty to think about. She had
hoped that she herself would not be expected to be present, but when on
the following evening she expressed this hope, Lady Wolfer had laughed
at her.
"My dear child," she said, "don't expect that you are going to be let
off. Of course, you don't want to be present; neither do I, nor any of
the guests. Everybody hates and loathes dinner parties; but so they do
the influenza and taxes; but most of us have to have the influenza and
pay the taxes, all the same."
"But I haven't a dress," said Nell.
"Then get one made. Send to Cerise and tell her that I say she is to
build you one immediately. Anyway, dress or no dress, you will have to
be present. Why, I shouldn't be at all surprised if my husband refused
to eat his dinner if you were not."
Nell laughed.
"And I know that Lord Wolfer would not notice my presence or my
absence," she said.
Lady Wolfer looked at her rather curiously, certainly not jealously, but
gravely and wistfully.
"My dear Nell, don't you know that he thinks very highly of you, and
that he considers you a marvel of wisdom and cleverness?"