The believers in the angel naturally welcomed the development in Lady
Holme and the unbelievers laughed at it, especially those who had been at
Arkell House and those who had been influenced by Pimpernel Schley's
clever imitation. One night at the opera, when /Tannhauser/ was being
given, Mr. Bry said of it, "I seem to hear the voice of Venus raised in
the prayer of Elizabeth." Mrs. Wolfstein lifted large eyebrows over it,
and remarked to Henry, in exceptionally guttural German:
"If this goes on Pimpernel's imitation will soon be completely out of
date."
To be out of date--in Mrs. Wolfstein's opinion--was to be irremediably
damned. Lady Cardington, Sir Donald Ulford, and one or two others began
to feel as if their dream took form and stepped out of the mystic realm
towards the light of day. Sir Donald seemed specially moved by the
change. It was almost as if something within him blossomed, warmed by the
breath of spring.
Lady Holme wondered whether he knew of the fight between her husband and
his son. She dared not ask him and he only mentioned Leo once. Then he
said that Leo had gone down to his wife's country place in Hertfordshire.
Lady Holme could not tell by his intonation whether he had guessed that
there was a special reason for this departure. She was glad Leo had gone.
The developing angel did not want to meet the man who had suffered from
the siren's common conduct. Leo was not worth much.
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