The Witch's Head. H. Rider Haggard
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are late,” she said; “why did you not come to the lawn-tennis?”
“I thought that our party was sufficiently represented,” he answered lamely, nodding towards Jeremy and his sister. “Why are you not dancing?”
“Because nobody asked me,” she said, sharply; “and besides, I was waiting for you.”
“Jeremy,” said Ernest, “here is Florence saying that you didn't ask her to dance.”
“Don't talk humbug, Ernest; you know I don't dance.”
“No, indeed,” put in Dorothy, “it is easy to see that; I never saw anybody look so miserable as you do.”
“Or so big,” said Florence, consolingly.
Jeremy shrank back into his corner and tried to look smaller. His sister was right, a dance was untold misery to him. The quadrille had ceased by now and presently the band struck up a waltz which Ernest danced with Florence. They both waltzed well, and Ernest kept going as much as possible perhaps in order to give no opportunity for conversation. At any rate no allusion was made to the events of the previous evening.
“Where are your aunt and sister, Florence?” he asked, as he led her back to her seat.
“They are coming presently,” she answered, shortly.
The next dance was a galop, and this he danced with Dorothy, whose slim figure looked, in the white muslin dress she wore, more like that of a child than a grown woman. But child or woman, her general appearance was singularly pleasing and attractive. Ernest thought that he had never seen the quaint, puckered little face, with the two steady blue eyes in it, look so attractive. Not that it was pretty—it was not, but it was a face with a great deal of thought in it; moreover, it was a face through which the goodness of its owner seemed to shine like the light through a lamp.
“You look so nice to-night, Doll,” said Ernest.
She flushed with pleasure, and answered simply, “I am glad you think so.”
“Yes, I do think so; you are really pretty.”
“Nonsense, Ernest! Can't you find some other butt to practise your compliments on? What is the good of wasting them on me? I am going to sit down.”
“Really, Doll, I don't know what has come to you lately, you have grown so cross.”
She sighed as she answered gently:
“No more do I, Ernest. I did not mean to speak crossly, but you should not make fun of me. Ah, here come Miss Ceswick and Eva.”
They had rejoined Florence and Jeremy. The two ladies were seated, while Ernest and Jeremy were standing, the former in front of them, the latter against the wall behind, for they were gathered at the topmost end of the long room. At Dorothy's announcement both the lads bent forward to look down the room, and both the women fixed their eyes on Ernest's face anxiously, expectantly, something as a criminal fixes his eyes on the foreman of a jury who is about to pronounce words that will one way or another affect all his life.
“I don't see them,” said Ernest carelessly. “O, here they come. By George!”
Whatever these two women were looking for in his face, they had found it, and, to all appearance, it pleased them very little. Dorothy turned pale, and leaned back with a faint smile of resignation; she had expected it, that smile seemed to say; but the blood flamed like a danger-flag into Florence's haughty features—there was no resignation there. And meanwhile Ernest was staring down the room, quite unaware of the little comedy that was going on around him; so was Jeremy, and so was every other man who was there to stare.
And this was what they were staring at. Up the centre of the long room walked, or rather swept, Miss Ceswick, for even at her advanced age she moved like a queen, and at any other time her appearance would in itself have been sufficient to excite remark. But people were not looking at Miss Ceswick, but rather at the radiant creature who accompanied her, and whose stature dwarfed her, tall as she was. Eva Ceswick—for it was she—was dressed in white soie de chiné, in the bosom of which was fixed a single rose. The dress was cut low, and her splendid neck and arms were entirely without ornament. In the masses of dark hair, which was coiled like a coronet round her head, their glistened a diamond star. Simple as was her costume, there was a grandeur about it that struck the whole room; but in truth it sprang from the almost perfect beauty of the woman who wore it. Any dress would have looked beautiful upon that noble form, that towered so high, and yet seemed to float up the room with the grace of a swan and sway like a willow in the wind. But her loveliness did not end there. From those dark eyes there shone a light that few men could look upon and forget, and yet there was nothing bold about it. It was like the light of a star.
On she came, her lips half-parted, seemingly unconscious of the admiration she was attracting, eclipsing all other women as she passed, and making their beauty, that before had seemed bright enough, look poor and mean beside her own. It took but a few seconds, ten perhaps, for her to walk up the room, and yet to Ernest it seemed long before her eyes met his own, and something passed from them into his heart that remained there all his life.
His gaze made her blush a little, it was so unmistakable. She guessed who he was, and passed him with a little inclination of her head.
“Well, here we are at last,” she said, addressing her sister in her pure musical voice. “What do you think? something went wrong with the wheel of the fly, and we had to stop to get it mended!”
“Indeed!” answered Florence; “I thought that perhaps you came late in order to make a more effective entry.”
“Florence,” said her aunt, reprovingly, “you should not say such things.”
Florence did not answer, but put her lace handkerchief to her lip. She had bitten it till the blood ran.
By this time Ernest had recovered himself. He saw several young fellows bearing down upon them, and knew what they were seeking.
“Miss Ceswick,” he said, “will you introduce me?”
No sooner said than done, and at that moment the band began to play a waltz. In five seconds more Eva was floating down the room upon his arm, and the advancing young gentlemen were left lamenting, and, if the truth must be told, anathematising “that puppy Kershaw” beneath their breath.
There was a spirit in her feet; she danced divinely. Lightly leaning on his arm, they swept round the room, the incarnation of youthful strength and beauty, and, as they passed, even sour old Lady Astleigh lowered her ancient nose an inch or more, and deigned to ask who was that handsome young man dancing with the “tall girl.” Presently they halted, and Ernest observed a more than usually intrepid man coming towards them, with the design, no doubt, of obtaining an introduction and the promise of dances. But again he was equal to the occasion. “Have you a card?” he asked.
“O yes.”
“Will you allow me to put my name down for another dance? I think that our steps suit.”
“Yes, we get on nicely. Here it is.”
Ernest took it. The young man had arrived now, and was hovering round and glowering. Ernest nodded to him cheerfully, and “put his name” very much down—indeed, for no less than three dances and an extra.
Eva opened her eyes a little, but she said nothing; their steps suited so very well.
“May I ask you, Kershaw——” began his would-be rival.
“O, certainly,” answered Ernest benignly, “I will be with you presently”; and they floated off again on the rising wave of the music.
When the dance ended, they stopped just by the spot where Miss Ceswick was sitting. Florence and Dorothy were both dancing, but Jeremy, who did not dance, was standing by her, looking as sulky as a bear with a sore head. Eva stretched out her hand to him with a smile.
“I hope that you are going to dance with me, Mr. Jones,” she said.
“I