it was sixteen years since the night of the ball in india when mrs. greaves had twisted her ankle, and had sat on the dais with the wife of a senior civilian discussing the unfortunate domestic affairs of captain and mrs. coventry.
now mrs. greaves's husband was a retired colonel, and they were living comfortably, if dully, within their means in a convenient suburb of london, engrossed in the careers of their boys, content with their surroundings, with their well-built villa, their well-trained maids, their patch of garden and their neighbours--mostly staunch old indian friends.
until lately mrs. munro, now for years a widow, had been one of these neighbours, living quietly with trixie her daughter at the end of the greaves's road in a little house called "almorah." hereabouts many of the houses bore names reminiscent of india--rather pathetic links with a past that some of the occupants frequently glorified into "happier days," forgetting as frequently how
[pg 96]
they had pined for an english home while living in exile. more or less unconsciously the little colony of "old indians" preserved among themselves various propensities acquired during their service abroad. for example, they bought each others' furniture, borrowed and loaned belongings with ready good nature, paid informal visits chiefly in the mornings, quarrelled sometimes about nothing, and were inclined to be exclusive outside their own circle.
they were all very happy and comfortable in spite of past glories, whether real or imagined, and when trixie munro grew up and clamoured for change, her godmother, marion greaves ("gommie," as trixie had called her ever since she could talk), urged ellen munro to let well alone and stay where she was--to pay no attention to trixie's ridiculous hankerings after a london flat.
"you can't afford the move, my dear," she had said with truth, "and the sooner trixie learns that other things matter besides her own whims the better." trixie and gommie were more often at war than on terms of peace.
however, persuasions and warnings failed, the obstacle being that the mother's whole life was bound up in the child, and for trixie to be disappointed meant double distress for mrs. munro. therefore the removal from "almorah" to the flat
[pg 97]
in west kensington, which was all mrs. munro could achieve on her income, had been accomplished in direct opposition to mrs. greaves's concerned and strenuous advice.
now, on a wet afternoon in january mrs. greaves was starting from her suburban home to have tea in "mulberry mansions, west kensington, w.," with ellen munro. though her once crisp chestnut hair was faded and grey, and her sharp little face had lost its freshness and its freckles--no longer could she claim to be called "the plover's egg"--she had kept her health and her trimness of figure, and had lost none of her practical, vigorous grip on existence.
she selected an umbrella--not her best--from the stand in the hall, and opened the front door. a cold, wet wind blew into her face; the outlook was not encouraging, and the walk to the station would hardly be pleasant in such horrible weather. but with her usual determination she closed the door firmly behind her, giving it a pull to make sure it was shut, and set off in the wind and the rain undaunted. she trudged down the hill, traversed a long stretch of road bounded chiefly by boards that advertised plots of "desirable" land for building, and arrived at the tram-riddled town. on the way to the station, she entered a flower shop and purchased a large bunch of violets.
[pg 98]
when she emerged from the underground railway station into the muddy london street, she had to wrestle with the second-best umbrella that endeavoured to turn inside out. it was a ten minutes' walk to the munros' little flat, and that she was carrying the large bunch of violets in a paper cone added to her difficulties in the wind and the rain; but she was wearing an old coat and skirt, and she felt it would be an unnecessary extravagance to take a cab. ellen munro would provide shoes and stockings while her own were being dried in the kitchen. she knew that ellen was at home only to herself on the periodical occasions when she came up from the suburb for tea and a talk over old times.
the cold and the wet and the gloom of this january day had not deterred her from the expedition, for ellen munro had written to say she had an important communication to impart to her old friend, and, as a human being as well as an old friend, marion greaves was agog to know the news. she speculated as to what it could possibly be as she paddled along the slippery pavement; in all probability it was something connected with trixie, and she wondered what the tiresome girl had been doing now. seeing that trixie was her goddaughter, mrs. greaves felt she was entitled to interfere when the child behaved more outrageously
[pg 99]
than usual. she had always considered that ellen munro was not sufficiently strict with the girl, allowing trixie to be capricious and extravagant and to do just as she chose! the result some day must certainly be disastrous. what else could be expected when the mother was so weak and indulgent, and the daughter so selfish and irresponsible? the modern girl seemed to be a terrible problem, and mrs. greaves felt glad she had only to think of two sons, who were shaping well and would soon be supporting themselves.
she was thankful, presently, to find herself in the warm, though shabby, little drawing-room that was pathetically embellished with indian relics--embroideries that were dulled with the london atmosphere, bits of brass and cashmere silverwork that the cook-general had no time to clean, intricate carvings of scented wood, warped and dusty. she laid her offering of violets on a chair, where it lay neglected in the little bustle of greeting and the shedding of her wet shoes. she had bought the flowers for ellen, who had plenty of vases, though she could seldom fill them, she could not afford niceties; every extra penny was needed for trixie, so that trixie need not go ill-dressed among her young friends--friends of whom mrs. munro inwardly disapproved, yet could not refuse to acknowledge without unpleasantness with trixie.
[pg 100]
silly, irresponsible boys and girls, who practically ignored mrs. munro when they came to the flat, and made up parties with trixie for second-rate subscription dances, afternoons and evenings at skating rinks, tango teas, river picnics, and so on. trixie's mother strove to give her daughter adequate pocket-money, so that taxi fares, gloves, sweets, cigarettes should not become too acceptable from young men friends.
soon the visitor's feet were dry and warm, the cook-general had at last ceased to come in and out of the room, and the tea-kettle was boiling.
"now," said mrs. greaves, "what is it?"
"trixie is going to be married." trixie's mother did not look at her old friend as she spoke. she gazed into the fire, and there was a certain defensiveness in her voice.
"good gracious, my dear ellen, why didn't you tell me in your letter?"
"you are the first person i have told," said mrs. munro evasively.
"well, are you pleased? who is he? has he any money?"
"i suppose i am pleased, but he is so much older than trixie." there was a pause.
"really, ellen, considering we have known each other since we were girls, i think you might be a little more anxious to tell me all about it."
[pg 101]
"i know i must seem horrid, but it has been worrying me rather, and i hardly know yet what to feel or say."
"at any rate, tell me the man's name?" mrs. greaves regarded the worn, white face of her friend with impatient anxiety. incidentally, she wished ellen would leave off her mourning; she had been a widow for so many years, and black had never suited her.
"it is colonel coventry," said ellen, with an effort.
"coventry? surely not the man we knew in india--in the barchesters?"
mrs. munro nodded, and there was silence between the two women, who were both thinking of trixie, aged nineteen, pretty, pleasure-loving, wilful, as the wife of a man nearly thirty years her senior; a man, moreover, who had been noted for his intolerance of feminine frailty, for his almost puritanical views where the conduct of women was concerned. how could such a marriage prove a success on either side?
"but, ellen----" began mrs. greaves, and hesitated. then she added quickly: "does trixie know that he was married before, and that he divorced his wife?"
"yes; she doesn't seem to mind. she says it was all such a long time ago. you know what
[pg 102]
trixie is when she has made up her mind and wants to do a thing."
"i know what girls are nowadays, and trixie in particular," said mrs. greaves rather tartly. "i suppose colonel coventry's first marriage must seem prehistoric to her, but sixteen years to us is not so long ago. at any rate, let us hope it will steady her to be married to a man old enough to be her father."
mrs. munro's soft eyes filled with tears. she said in plaintive protest: "you are always so hard on trixie, marion. there is no real harm in the child. she only likes to enjoy herself in her own way."
"she will not be permitted to enjoy herself in her own way as mrs. coventry, unless he has altered very much since i knew him. it will have to be his way or nothing. ellen, i should not like to see a girl of mine, however well balanced, married to that man. i believe him to be hard and unsympathetic. remember how he behaved to his first wife, even as a comparatively young man. the whole station blamed him."
"i was at home that year; it was after i took trixie home; but i remember hearing about the case. surely mrs. coventry only got what she deserved? how could he have done anything but divorce her when he found out what she was?"
[pg 103]
"my dear, i always doubted if there was anything to find out beyond extreme foolishness, though appearances were certainly against her. i knew her fairly well, and i never for one moment thought she had been really bad. george coventry was one of those men who are ready to believe the worst about women, and who pose as saints themselves. does trixie profess to be in love with him, may i ask?"
"she seems happy. he's very good-looking, and she admires him." mrs. munro spoke helplessly. then she reached behind her and took from a small table a silver-framed photograph of a man in uniform--just the head and shoulders--a stern, handsome face, with close-cropped grey hair and grave, keen eyes.
mrs. greaves regarded it intently. "he has grown better-looking with age," she remarked. "he looks like an elderly hero in a play. i dare say he might take a young girl's fancy." as she handed the photograph back to ellen munro she espied another photograph on the table, that of a young man, cheerful, impudent, boyish.
"what will guy say when he hears of trixie's engagement, i wonder?"
"what should he say? there was nothing between him and trixie, and never could have been. they both knew that quite well."
[pg 104]
"all the same, it is fortunate, perhaps, that she is not going to india."
"but she is going to india," said mrs. munro desperately. "george takes up command of that battalion next month, and he wants trixie to be ready to go with him. she is quite willing."
"ah!" exclaimed mrs. greaves significantly; and trixie's mother sat silent, in rueful understanding.
guy greaves, colonel greaves's nephew, was a subaltern in the battalion of the barchesters now serving in india, and it was through him, indirectly, that trixie had met the man she had promised to marry. some people might have imagined that she was more likely to marry the subaltern than the colonel, until that youth left england, glum and miserable; and there was one young man the less to go with trixie and her friends to teas and dances and theatres--outings he could ill afford, "broke," as he had always declared himself, "to the world."
presently mrs. munro said: "what could i do, except refuse my consent until trixie was of age? of course, i had to consent. i felt i had no right to raise objections that could only be indefinite. as you know, we have nothing but our pensions, and it is a galling life to a girl of trixie's temperament. colonel coventry has
[pg 105]
private means, and his character is unimpeachable. there are no drawbacks beyond his age and his sad story."
mrs. munro's voice trembled; she was almost at the end of her endurance, and she began to cry in the silent, helpless manner peculiar to women of her down-trodden type. all her life she had been sacrificed to somebody; first to her brother, who had been considered in every way before herself; then to her husband's mother and sisters, since the greater part of mr. munro's pay had gone home towards their support, and he had died before he could save anything for his wife and child; and then to trixie, who had always had what she wanted as far as the widow's slender means would permit, and of late had been "such a handful," to quote mrs. greaves and various other of the mother's old friends.
the heart of marion greaves smote her. she had a genuine affection for ellen munro--the affection that is born of custom and propinquity. they had known each other for so many years, and had been through so much together, and having no daughter of her own marion was deeply, if tiresomely, interested in ellen's only girl. as trixie's godmother she felt doubly entitled to speak her mind on the subject of trixie's faults. she never hesitated to tell the girl she was
[pg 106]
vain and selfish and rebellious; that, though it might be true she dusted the drawing-room and darned her own stockings, she ought also to darn her mother's, and help in the kitchen and bedrooms as well, not to speak of making some sort of attempt to keep down current expenses, instead of straining her mother's income to breaking point with her gaieties and her clothes.
unknown to trixie, mrs. greaves had more than once helped ellen through a difficulty with a so-called loan, which was afterwards transformed into a christmas or a birthday present, despite mrs. munro's grateful protests; and if, in return, marion claimed the right to say what she thought, mrs. munro felt that the least she could do was to submit amiably to the raps of home truths. trixie, however, was not so accommodating, and when mrs. greaves was expected to tea she generally contrived to have a pressing engagement elsewhere. even the miserable weather to-day had not inclined her to listen to her mother's supplications that she should stay at home for once to see "gommie."
"i have some regard for my nose," she had declared, "and i should certainly get it bitten off altogether if i gave gommie the chance this afternoon."
now, while ellen munro wept, marion greaves
[pg 107]
put more coal on the fire and stirred up a cheerful blaze. she also pulled down the blinds and drew the curtains.
"there," she said, "that's better. have some more tea, ellen," she added remorsefully, "and don't mind what i say. i know as well as you do that there's no real harm in the child. it's only a question if george coventry will realise it when she is his wife, and make allowances for her youth and high spirits. if he manages her judiciously, i don't doubt that she will respond, for i must own that, with all her faults, the child has an honest nature. after all, you have done what seems to you best, and nobody can do more. they must take their chance of understanding each other. only you ought to give trixie a good talking to before she goes out to india." mrs. greaves felt torn between sympathy for ellen and apprehension for trixie's future. "now, what about the trousseau? of course, she gets a sum down for that from the fund, which is a comfort, and i will give her a cheque to get what she likes as my wedding present."
mrs. munro's affectionate expressions of gratitude were muffled by her pocket handkerchief, but she soon allowed herself to be drawn into an interesting discussion concerning trixie's outfit for india, though both ladies were well aware that
[pg 108]
they were not likely to be allowed much say in the matter.
covertly mrs. greaves glanced at the clock. if she left at once she would be home in good time for dinner; if she stayed a little longer she would miss the next train, but she might see trixie. mrs. munro was oblivious of the time; she was looking happier, more alive, and she described the engagement ring which george had brought in his pocket yesterday. such lovely diamonds; and he was going to give trixie a pendant, and all sorts of other delightful things.
mrs. greaves very nearly said: "i wonder what became of his presents to the first mrs. coventry?" but she refrained, and the next moment the door was opened and trixie came in, followed by colonel coventry.
even "gommie" was struck silent by the girl's beauty. she looked so vivid, so radiant, fresh from the cold and the wet outside, though her hat was crammed on to her neck, which raised the ire of mrs. greaves.
"such shocking style!" she commented inwardly. then she looked beyond trixie to the man who was to be the girl's husband, and found herself forced to admit that, despite the difference in their ages, they made a handsome and unusual pair. colonel coventry was obviously devoted,
[pg 109]
and trixie looked elated. she introduced "george" to "gommie" with scarcely concealed pride and triumph.
a shadow crossed the man's face when mrs. greaves claimed him as an old acquaintance.
"i remember you very well," she said, "years ago in india. you have not been back there since those days, have you?"
"no," he answered shortly.
mrs. munro fluttered to the rescue. "mrs. greaves's nephew, guy greaves, is in your regiment, you know, george. it was through him, somehow, that you came across trixie, wasn't it?"
"i believe i owe him that debt," he said, smiling; "and no doubt i shall be expected to remember it when he wants leave out of his turn."
they all laughed rather artificially, and mrs. greaves remarked how curious it was that most people who had been in india found themselves linked up in some way or another.
"your future mother-in-law and i are such very old friends, and now you are going to marry my goddaughter, and there is guy in your regiment. it all goes round in a circle."
then she looked at the clock. "well, i must be going, or i shall miss my train. trixie, my dear, i hope you will be very happy and that you will try to be a good wife."
[pg 110]
"oh, gommie, don't be so depressing. do say for a change that you hope george will make a good husband. that is much more to the point. how could i be happy if he should turn out to be a tyrant, and beat and ill-use me? you know, they say it doesn't matter who you marry, because you are sure to find out afterwards that you have married somebody else."
mrs. greaves, regarding her with godmotherly affection, as well as with disapproval, thought of the night at the railway station in india, such years ago, when trixie had laughed and chattered and danced up and down at the window of the compartment, grabbing her toy, while her parents were breaking their hearts in farewell. then she was only a baby and could not be blamed for her callousness; yet now at nineteen she seemed almost as heartless!
"i am sure," said mrs. greaves dryly, "that it will be your own fault if he does beat you, and that you will richly deserve it."
"help!" cried trixie.
mrs. greaves addressed herself to mrs. munro. "now, ellen, may i go into the kitchen and put on my own shoes and stockings? they must have been dry long ago. i only trust your maid has not allowed them to scorch."
the two ladies left the room, and trixie looked
[pg 111]
at herself appreciatively in the mirror over the mantelpiece and hummed a gay tune.
"gommie is a cat," she said carelessly. "she thinks i am a sort of she-devil, and i am sure she was longing to tell you dreadful things about my frivolity, and want of heart, and my general wickedness."
there was no response, and she turned to see george coventry regarding her with serious eyes.
"perhaps she would also tell you that i was hard, and cold, and intolerant," he said brusquely.
"well, if you are i shall come home again, and enjoy myself as a grass widow," she laughed.
"trixie!" he protested; and her youth, her sweetness, her bright eyes overcame him, rendered him weak and fatuous. he caught her in his arms and kissed her passionately; she submitted with a sort of gracious triumph. he released her reluctantly. "i wonder," he said, "if i am doing wrong in taking you? my life is half over, yours is only just beginning. you have no experience, and mine has been a hard one. do you know, child, that i swore i would never believe in a woman again? and then you came and conquered, and made me feel i had everything left to live for if you would be my wife. trixie"--his voice held an agony of doubt--"you won't fail
[pg 112]
me? you will keep alive my new-found faith? you will be a true and loving wife?"
she quailed a little at his vehemence, as though she had a sudden glimpse of something far more deep and serious than had yet come within her knowledge.
"i will try," she faltered, half-frightened. then her gay spirit reasserted itself. "but you are not going to expect me to stay at home and mend your socks and sew on your buttons the whole time, are you? i may go to dances, and join in theatricals, and ride, and play tennis, and enjoy myself now and then, mayn't i?" she looked at him mischievously.
he sighed rather hopelessly. "i'm too old for you, trixie. i don't dance, and i can't act, though i certainly can ride and play tennis. i must confess i prefer staying at home to going out in the evening, though it will be a different matter now, altogether, going out with you."
"oh, you shan't be dragged forth when you don't want to go," she said, with mock encouragement. "guy greaves can always take me if you don't feel inclined to turn out. i've known guy since we were both children. he's a dear boy, and he does dance so well. he had tango lessons when he was at home last summer, and he picked it up at once."
[pg 113]
george coventry's face darkened. "no other man will take you out while i am your husband!" he said violently.
"oh, george, are you going to be jealous?" she cried in genuine consternation.
"i shall not be jealous unless you give me cause," he said heatedly. "but i have no intention of playing the rôle of the complaisant husband, if that is what you mean."
"oh, don't look so horrid and ogreish. if you can't trust me, you had better say so at once. if you imagine i am capable of doing anything that isn't cricket, we'd better agree to end our engagement. but i thought"--her voice broke and tears rose in her eyes--"i thought you really cared for me, and wanted me to be your wife and not your slave." she turned from him to conceal her tearful annoyance and agitation.
instantly he was all remorse and repentance. "what a brute i am! trixie, darling, do try to understand. it's only because i love you so deeply, so truly, that i can't bear to think of your having even a pleasure that i can't share with you. i want all of you, trixie, all your confidence and your thoughts, and your moods and your companionship. my life would be impossible now without you."
she responded generously. "i know you didn't
[pg 114]
mean to be beastly," she said, smiling her forgiveness at him. "you must take me as i am or leave me. and don't forget that i am taking you as you are, too, cross old patch." she gave him a flippant little kiss on his chin.
then, with an exclamation of surprise and pleasure, she noticed the paper cone filled with violets that had been left on a chair and forgotten by her mother and mrs. greaves in the engrossment of their converse.
"oh, delicious things!" she took them up and smelt them, then held them out to colonel coventry. "how sweet they are! don't you love violets? do violets grow in india, george?"
he recoiled from the fragrance as though it were some poisonous odour.
"i can't endure them," he said shortly.
meanwhile, mrs. greaves was on her way, in the rain and the wind, to the station. "if history doesn't repeat itself," she was reflecting in anxious forebodement, "i shall be very thankful, but very much surprised."
when she got home she informed her husband that ellen munro was even a greater fool than she had always believed her to be.
"what has she been doing now?" he inquired, without particular interest.
[pg 115]
"she has allowed trixie to get engaged to that coventry man we knew a hundred years ago in india. he is old enough to be her father, and he divorced his wife for nothing, and never bothered himself afterwards as to what became of her when the other man didn't marry her."
"coventry? but he wasn't at all a bad sort of fellow!" said colonel greaves. "as straight as they make 'em, and such a good shot, if that is the man you mean. i remember his wife. now she was a fool, if you like; he was far too good for her."
"you men always stick up for each other," protested his wife. "no doubt you are as ready to praise that horrible man who ruined poor mrs. coventry's life. i can't remember his name at this moment."
colonel greaves wisely made no reply.
