Uneasy Money

d in order to prevent this edifice from falling into his patrons' soup the proprietor had been obliged to shore up his ceiling with massive pillars. One of these protruded itself betw

e had not seen her when he left his seat and began to dance was that he was no

had not been there. When you have travelled three thousand miles to enjoy the hospitality of a friend who does near-Greek dances at a popular restaurant, the least you can do is to go to the resta

he entered Reigelheimer's Restaurant it is not necessary to give a detailed record. She had had the usual experiences of the oce

dley Pickering. The papers spoke well of him, Bradstreet spoke well of him, and he spoke well of himself. On board the liner he had poured the saga of his life i

m. She had not mentioned Lord Dawlish to Mr Pickering, and-doubtless lest the sight of it might pain him-she had abstained from wearing her engagement ring during the voyage. But she had not completely lost sight of the fact that she was engage

was something to dissect, something with an interior both interesting to explore and fascinating to talk about. Claire listened with a radiant display of interest, but she had her doubts as to whether any amount of money would make it worth while to undergo this sort of thing for life. She was still in this hesitant frame of min

unity, she was certain,

had been seated at their table a short time the lights of the restaurant were suddenly lowered, a coloured li

were leaning back and chewing gum; and in New York restaura

r of applause, and

y stunt. Watch it. I invented the steps myself. C

-members of the Number Two company of The Heavenly Waltz, Polly had been remarkable chiefly for a fund of humorous anecdote and a gift, amounting almost to

ching the bag. Diminuendo-Psyche using the medicine ball. Presto-Psyche doing road work. Forte-The night of the fight. And then things began to move to a climax. With the fiddles working themselves to the bone and the piano bounding

been staring spellbound, awoke to the realization that Dudley Pickering was proposing to her. It required a woman's intuition to divine this fact, for Mr Pickering was not coherent. He did not go straight to the point. He ram

ay, the music stopped, the applause broke out again, and Lady Wetherby returned to the table like a

hat!' she observed, geni

end's remarks, was able to bend her mind to the task of finding out how she stood on this important Pickering issue. That he would

out of her system, and replaced it with a glas

p on the phone thi

es

face was dull, but certainly not stupid. There was nothing in his outer man which his millions would not offset. As regarded his other qualities, his conversation was certainly not exhilarating. But that also was not, under certain conditions, an unforgivable thing. No, looking at the matter all round

he's we

es

nion of herself. And in order to achieve that end it was essential that

es

pproached

icker

ver came to lif

E

s to speak to you

nce call, Lady Wetherby, and left word

hed him as he bust

u think of

? I think he'

he would. That's why I wanted you to

notion you were

'He may not be what you might call a genius, but he's a darned good sort; and all

ke Mr Pi

ked me if you

ha

onestly, you've only got to lift your litt

had a red, weather-beaten face with a suspicion of side-whiskers, small, pink-rimmed eyes with sandy eyebrows, the smoothest of sandy hair, and a chin so cleanly shaven that it was difficult to believe th

he said,

le, but I want to begin by saying that I will not be called Pauline. My name's Polly. You've got a way of saying Pauline, as if it were a gentlemanly cuss

enwick. Of course, I r

to see yo

at is it? Why have

ully at Claire. 'Oh, t

aire knows all abo

t a man of my temperament, a nervous, highly-strung artist, to welcome the presence of snakes at the breakfast-table. I trust

ght to strike

moment his head rose above the edge of the table. I was not entirely myself that morning.

ing a

as-a pi

rby turned

ought him the artistic temperament on a plate with a bit of watercress round it, he wouldn't have recognized it. And now, just because he's got a studio, h

quarrel? If it will help to pave the way to a renewed understanding between us, I am pr

er

nsiders my attit

admitted Lady We

ley Pickering had left behind him, and seemed to dr

ntrol, I cannot recede from the position I have taken up as reg

looked despair

anging over the rail, yelling like an Indian, and what he was yelling was, "Come on, you blighter, come on! By the living jing

present occasion in order to prevent the possibility of f

ked if you knew wh

ing to the best

how soon I may hit you with a chair if you don't come to earth quick an

I'll come home if you

ev

ot much to ask

won

therby

fully, 'you promised to love, honour, and obey m

nner thawed. She b

borrow half-a-crown to put on a horse! Listen, now that at last you seem to be getting more reasonable; I wish I could make you understand that

to publicity have, I believe, been tested and found valuable by other

t object to E

y, but I conc

in the same ho

o. But not in the same hou

was a

'm so stuck on Clare

rby,

darl

ve not said I woul

you w

tion lasted but a mome

m to the Zoo

ecious

the table, enveloped Cl

upposed that he was under the delusion that

lting completely, 'when you get that yearning note

the-girl's-bally-name dance just now, it was all I could d

lg

ol

Wetherby?' said Claire, on whom these saccharine

pulling himself together, he covered his embarrassment wit

ubt discover some day, must always be a series of mutual

den, sharp confusion. They jumped up with one accord. Lady Wetherby spilled her iced coffee; Lord Wetherby dropped the lamp of love. Claire, who wa

of his tray. The various actors in the drama were now engaged in sorting themselves out from the ruins. The man had his back towar

ame Bill to be in America? Then other feelings blended with her surpris

glance her large, exuberant blondeness. There is no denying that, seen with a somew

erby continued to talk, but she allowed them to

quiet, Claire

think

it myself. Algie, darling, he was a bad boy to leave his ni