"I
was in two before I was thirty, one off Hayti and one off Java, and I
enjoyed them both thoroughly. They wake folks up and make them show their
mettle."
"It's always dangerous to speak figuratively if she's anywhere about,"
murmured Mrs. Wolfstein to Lady Holme. "She'll talk about lowering boats
and life-preservers now till the end of lunch."
Lady Holme started. She had not been listening to the conversation but
had been looking at Miss Schley. She had noticed instantly the effect
created in the room by the actress's presence in it. The magic of a name
flits, like a migratory bird, across the Atlantic. Numbers of the
youthful loungers of London had been waiting impatiently during the last
weeks for the arrival of this pale and demure star. Now that she had come
their interest in her was keen. Her peculiar reputation for ingeniously
tricking Mrs. Bowdler, secretary to Mrs. Grundy, rendered her very
piquant, and this piquancy was increased by her ostentatiously vestal
appearance.
Lady Holme was sometimes clairvoyante. At this moment every nerve in her
body seemed telling her that the silent girl, who sat there nibbling her
lunch composedly, was going to be the rage in London. It did not matter
at all whether she had talent or not. Lady Holme saw that directly, as
she glanced from one little table to another at the observant, whispering
men.
She felt angry with Miss Schley for resembling her in colouring, for
resembling her in another respect--capacity for remaining calmly silent
in the midst of fashionable chatterboxes.
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