but bear its obvious significance. But to doubt that was to doubt her, and for the present, anyhow, he laid it all aside.
"Well, his place will do nicely for me instead," he said. "Otherwise, if he had been here, I should have insisted on another being laid. And you're really off to-morrow? London will be dull, you know."
"Oh, I do hope it will," said she. "I hate going away from a place and feeling that everybody gets on excellently without me. I am glad you will be dull. Mouse said she would be dull, too, which is satisfactory. Oh, 'Tristan' was quite splendid tonight. How big it all is! And how very small most people look—small and mean like kitchen-maids, when they are making love to each other in real life. The sight of Mouse to-night flirting quite abominably with Wolfstein suggested these reflections. And Mouse is bigger than most people in these respects. She didn't go to the back of the box or hide behind the curtain, but sat right in the middle at the front, in a blaze of light, just opposite the royal box."
"Publish a small manual," said Charlie: "'The Child's Primer of Flirting.' It would have a great success. You must tell me how to make love on a big scale."
"Oh, it's the singing," said Lucia. "I feel sure it's the singing—that, anyhow, in conjunction with publicity. We must all learn to sing, and put notices in the paper—'Count Wolfstein will court'—what a beautiful word—'will court the Duchess of Wiltshire from half-past six to a quarter-past seven on Thursday next, by the Achilles statue. The Queen's Hall band will accompany her Grace.' Did you sing to Maud? Edgar never sang to me."
It was by well-calculated design that Lucia was flippant and bubbling with nonsense. She saw that Charlie was excited—shocked, perhaps—at the knowledge that he was in love with her, which had this evening only fully burst upon him, and the situation required delicate handling. It required also that she should not detain him long, should soon dismiss him. Yet she felt very unwilling to do so; he was delightful in this new character, silent rather, and shy, but extraordinarily attractive. For more than a year now they had been the greatest of friends; he was so quick, so ready with laughter, so boisterously high-spirited. But to-night all that was changed. She knew why, and she found the change adorable. How good-looking he was, too! Really Maud was a very lucky person.
