In
the distance Lady Holme caught sight of Miss Schley with Mrs. Wolfstein.
They were surrounded by young men. She looked hard at the American's pale
face, saying to herself, "Is that like me? Is that like me?" Her
conversation with Robin Pierce had made her feel excited. She had not
shown it. She had seemed, indeed, almost oddly indifferent. But something
combative was awake within her. She wondered whether the American was
consciously imitating her. What an impertinence! But Miss Schley was
impertinence personified. Her impertinence was her /raison d'etre/.
Without it she would almost cease to be. She would at any rate be as
nothing.
Followed by Robin, Lady Holme made her way slowly towards the Jewess and
the American.
They were now standing together before the pictures, and had been joined
by Ashley Greaves, who was beginning to look very warm and expressive,
despite his cavalry moustache. Their backs were towards the room, and
Lady Holme and Robin drew near to them without being perceived. Mrs.
Wolfstein had a loud voice and did not control it in a crowd. On the
contrary, she generally raised it, as if she wished to be heard by those
whom she was not addressing.
"Sargent invariably brings out the secret of his sitters," she was saying
to Ashley Greaves as Lady Holme and Robin came near and stood for an
instant wedged in by people, unable to move forward or backward. "You've
brought out the similarities between Pimpernel and Lady Holme.
Pages:
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99