Luncheon was announced in the midst, and in the dining-room they found Miss Charteris, a dark, aquiline beauty, of highly-coloured complexion, such as permitted the glowing hues of dress and ornament in which she delighted, and large languid dark eyes of Oriental appearance.
In the scarlet and gold net confining her sable locks, her ponderous earrings, her massive chains and bracelets, and gorgeous silk, she was a splendid ornament at the head of the table; but she looked sleepily out from under her black-fringed eyelids, turned over the carving as a matter of course to Owen, and evidently regarded the two young ladies as bound to take all trouble off her hands in talking, arranging, or settling what she should do with herself or her carriage.
'Lolly shall take you there,' or 'Lolly shall call for that,' passed between the cousins without the smallest reference to Lolly herself (otherwise Eloisa), who looked serenely indifferent through all the plans proposed for her, only once exerting her will sufficiently to say, 'Very well, Rashe, dear, you'll tell the coachman-only don't forget that I must go to Storr and Mortimer's.'
Honora expressed a hope that Lucilla would come with her party to the Exhibition, and was not pleased that Mr. Calthorp exclaimed that there was another plan.
'No, no, Mr. Calthorp, I never said any such thing!'
'Miss Charteris, is not that a little too strong?'
'You told me of the Dorking,' cried Lucilla, 'and you said you would not miss the sight for anything; but I never said you should have it.'
Rashe meanwhile clapped her hands with exultation, and there was a regular chatter of eager voices-'I should like to know how you would get the hackles out of a suburban poultry fancier.'
'Out of him?-no, out of his best Dorking. Priced at 120 pounds last exhibition-two years old-wouldn't take 200 pounds for him now.'
'You don't mean that you've seen him?'
'Hurrah!' Lucilla opened a paper, and waved triumphantly five of the long tippet-plumes of chanticleer.
'You don't mean-'
'Mean! I more than mean! Didn't you tell us that you had been to see the old party on business, and had spied the hackles walking about in his yard?'
'And I had hoped to introduce you.'
'As if we needed that! No, no. Rashe, and I started off at six o'clock this morning, to shake off the remains of the ball, rode down to Brompton, and did our work. No, it was not like the macaw business, I declare. The old gentleman held the bird for us himself, and I promised him a dried salmon.'
'Well, I had flattered myself-it was an unfair advantage, Miss Sandbrook.'
'Not in the least. Had you gone, it would have cast a general clumsiness over the whole transaction, and not left the worthy old owner half so well satisfied. I believe you had so little originality as to expect to engage him in conversation while I captured the bird; but once was enough of that.'
Phoebe could not help asking what was meant; and it was explained that, while a call was being made on a certain old lady with a blue and yellow macaw, Lucilla had contrived to abstract the prime glory of the creature's tail-a blue feather lined with yellow-an irresistible charm to a fisherwoman. But here even the tranquil Eloisa murmured that Cilly must never do so again when she went out with HER.
'No, Lolly, indeed I won't. I prefer honesty, I assure you, except when it is too commonplace. I'll meddle with nothing at Madame Sonnini's this afternoon.'
'Then you cannot come with us?'
'Why, you see, Honor, here have Rashe and I been appointed band-masters, Lord Chamberlains, masters of the ceremonies, major-domos, and I don't know what, to all the Castle Blanch concern; and as Rashe neither knows nor cares about music, I've got all that on my hands; and I must take Lolly to look on while I manage the programme.'
'Are you too busy to find a day to spend with us at St. Wulstan's?'
A discussion of engagements took place, apparently at the rate of five per day; but Mrs. Charteris interposed an invitation to dinner for the next evening, including Robert; and farther it appeared that all the three were expected to take part in the Castle Blanch festivities. Lolly had evidently been told of them as settled certainties among the guests, and Lucilla, Owen, and Rashe vied with each other in declaring that they had imagined Honor to have brought Phoebe to London with no other intent, and that all was fixed for the ladies to sleep at Castle Blanch the night before, and Robert Fulmort to come down in the morning by train.
Nothing could have been farther from Honora's predilections than such gaieties, but Phoebe's eyes were growing round with eagerness, and there would be unkindness in denying her the pleasure, as well as churlishness in disappointing Lucy and Owen, who had reckoned on her in so gratifying a manner. Without decidedly accepting or refusing, she let the talk go on.
'Miss Fulmort,' said Ratia, 'I hope you are not too religious to dance.'
Much surprised, Phoebe made some reply in the negative.
'Oh, I forgot, that's not your sisters' line; but I thought . . . ' and she gave an expressive glance to indicate Miss Charlecote.
'Oh, no,' again said Phoebe, decidedly.
'Yes, I understand. Never mind, I ought to have remembered; but when people are gone in, one is apt to forget whether they think "promiscuous dancing" immoral or praiseworthy. Well, you must know some of my brother's constituents are alarmingly excellent-fat, suburban, and retired; and we have hatched a juvenile hay-making, where they may eat and flirt without detriment to decided piety; and when they go off, we dress for a second instalment for an evening party.'
To Phoebe it sounded like opening Paradise, and she listened anxiously for the decision; but nothing appeared certain except the morrow's dinner, and that Lucilla was to come to spend the Sunday at Miss Charlecote's; and this being fixed, the luncheon party broke up, with such pretty bright affection on Lucilla's part, such merry coaxing of Honor, and such orders to Phoebe to 'catch that Robin to-morrow,' that there was no room left for the sense of disappointment that no rational word had passed.
'Where?' asked Owen, getting into the carriage.
'Henry knows-the Royal Academy.'
'Ha! no alteration in consequence of the invitation? no finery required? you must not carry Hiltonbury philosophy too far.'
'I have not accepted it.'
'That is not required; it is your fate, Phoebe; why don't you speak, or are you under an embargo from any of the wicked enchanters? Even if so, you might be got off among the pious juveniles.'
'Papa was so kind as to say I might go wherever Miss Charlecote liked,' said Phoebe; 'but, indeed, I had rather do exactly what suits her; I dare say the morning party will suit her best-'
'The oily popular preachers!'
'Thank you, Owen,' laughed Honor.
'No, now you must accept the whole. There's room to give the preachers a wide berth, even should they insist on "concluding with prayer," and it will be a pretty sight. They have the Guards' band coming.'
'I never heard a military band,' ejaculated Phoebe.
'And there are to be sports for the village children, I believe,' added Owen; 'besides, you will like to meet some of the lions-the Archdeacon and his wife will be there.'
'But how can I think of filling up Mrs. Charteris's house, without the least acquaintance?'
'Honey-sweet philosopher, Eloisa heeds as little how her house is filled, so it be filled, as Jessica did her father's ring. Five dresses a day, with accoutrements to match, and for the rest she is sublimely indifferent. Fortune played her a cruel trick in preventing her from being born a fair sultana.'
'Not to be a Mahometan?' said Phoebe.
'I don't imagine she is far removed from one;' then, as Phoebe's horror made her look like Maria, he added-'don't mean that she was not bred a Christian, but the Oriental mind never distinctly embraces tenets contrary to its constitution.'