The Essential W. Somerset Maugham Collection. W. Somerset Maugham

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СКАЧАТЬ are under the delusion that New York society is free and easy, and that American women have no restraint, I can kick over the traces, and no one will think it even odd.'

      'But, my dear, it's a mere matter of common decency.'

      'There are times when common decency is out of place,' she replied.

      'Alec will never forgive you.'

      'I don't care. I think he ought to see Lucy, and since he'd refuse if I asked him, I'm not going to give him the chance.'

      'What will you do if he just bows and walks off?'

      'I have his assurance that he'll behave like a civilised man,' she answered.

      'I wash my hands of it,' said Dick. 'I think it's perfectly indefensible.'

      'I never said it wasn't,' she agreed. 'But you see, I'm only a poor, weak woman, and I'm not supposed to have any sense of honour or propriety. You must let me take what advantage I can of the disabilities of the weaker sex.'

      Dick smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

      'Your blood be upon your own head,' he answered.

      'If I perish, I perish.'

      And so it came about that when Alec had been ten minutes in Julia's cosy sitting-room, Lucy was announced. Julia went up to her, greeting her effusively to cover the awkwardness of the moment. Alec grew very pale, but made no sign that he was disconcerted. Only Dick was troubled. He was obviously at a loss for words, and it was plain to see that he was out of temper.

      'I'm so glad you were able to come,' said Julia, in order to show Alec that she had been expecting Lucy.

      Lucy gave him a rapid glance, and the colour flew to her cheeks. He was standing up and came forward with outstretched hand.

      'How do you do?' he said. 'How is Lady Kelsey?'

      'She's much better, thanks. We've been to Spa, you know, for her health.'

      Julia's heart beat quickly. She was much excited at this meeting; and it seemed to her strangely romantic, a sign of the civilisation of the times, that these two people with raging passions afire in their hearts, should exchange the commonplaces of polite society, Alec, having recovered from his momentary confusion was extremely urbane.

      'Somebody told me you'd gone abroad,' he said. 'Was it you, Dick? Dick is an admirable person, a sort of gazetteer for the world of fashion.'

      Dick fussily brought forward a chair for Lucy to sit in, and offered to disembarrass her of the jacket she was wearing.

      'You must make my excuses for not leaving a card on Lady Kelsey before going away,' said Alec. 'I've been excessively busy.'

      'It doesn't matter at all,' Lucy answered.

      Julia glanced at him. She saw that he was determined to keep the conversation on the indifferent level which it might have occupied if Lucy had been nothing more than an acquaintance. There was a bantering tone in his voice which was an effective barrier to all feeling. For a moment she was nonplussed.

      'London is an excellent place for showing one of how little importance one is in the world. One makes a certain figure, and perhaps is tempted to think oneself of some consequence. Then one goes away, and on returning is surprised to discover that nobody has ever noticed one's absence.'

      Lucy smiled faintly. Dick, recovering his good-humour, came at once to the rescue.

      'You're overmodest, Alec. If you weren't, you might be a great man. Now, I make a point of telling my friends that I'm indispensable, and they take me at my word.'

      'You are a leaven of flippancy in the heavy dough of British righteousness,' smiled Alec.

      'It is true that the wise man only takes the unimportant quite seriously.'

      'For it is obvious that one needs more brains to do nothing with elegance than to be a cabinet minister,' said Alec.

      'You pay me a great compliment, Alec,' cried Dick. 'You repeat to my very face one of my favourite observations.'

      Julia looked at him steadily.

      'Haven't I heard you say that only the impossible is worth doing?'

      'Good heavens,' he cried. 'I must have been quoting the headings of a copy-book.'

      Lucy felt that she must say something. She had been watching Alec, and her heart was nearly breaking. She turned to Dick.

      'Are you going down to Southampton?' she asked.

      'I am, indeed,' he answered. 'I shall hide my face on Alec's shoulder and weep salt tears. It will be most affecting, because in moments of emotion I always burst into epigram.'

      Alec sprang to his feet. There was a bitterness in his face which was in odd contrast with Dick's light words.

      'I loathe all solemn leave-takings,' he said. 'I prefer to part from people with a nod or a smile, whether I'm going for ever or for a day to Brighton.'

      'I've always assured you that you're a monster of inhumanity,' said Mrs. Lomas, laughing difficultly.

      He turned to her with a grim smile.

      'Dick has been imploring me for twenty years to take life flippantly. I have learnt at last that things are only grave if you take them gravely, and that is desperately stupid. It's so hard to be serious without being absurd. That is the chief power of women, that life and death for them are merely occasions for a change of costume, marriage a creation in white, and the worship of God an opportunity for a Paris bonnet.'

      Julia saw that he was determined to keep the conversation on a level of amiable persiflage, and with her lively sense of the ridiculous she could hardly repress a smile at the heaviness of his hand. Through all that he said pierced the bitterness of his heart, and his every word was contradicted by the vehemence of his tortured voice. She was determined, too, that the interview which she had brought about, uncomfortable as it had been to all of them, should not be brought to nothing; characteristically she went straight to the point. She stood up.

      'I'm sure you two have things to say to one another that you would like to say alone.'

      She saw Alec's eyes grow darker as he saw himself cornered, but she was implacable.

      'I have some letters to send off by the American mail, and I want Dick to look over them to see that I've spelt _honour_ with a u and _traveller_ with a double l.'

      Neither Alec nor Lucy answered, and the determined little woman took her husband firmly away. When they were left alone, neither spoke for a while.

      'I've just realised that you didn't know I was coming to-day,' said Lucy at last. 'I had no idea that you were being entrapped. I would never have consented to that.'

      'I'm СКАЧАТЬ