She knew that. But
she realised now the meanness of having used him merely as a weapon
against Fritz, and not only the meanness, but the vulgarity of the
action. There were moments in which she was fully conscious that, despite
her rank, she had not endured unsmirched close contact with the rampant
commonness of London.
One of the last great events of the season was to be a charity concert,
got up by a Royal Princess in connection with a committee of well-known
women to start a club for soldiers and sailors. Various amateurs and
professionals were asked to take part in it, among them Lady Holme and
Miss Schley. The latter had already accepted the invitation when Lady
Holme received the Royal request, which was made /viva voce/ and was
followed by a statement about the composition of the programme, in which
"that clever Miss Schley" was named.
Lady Holme hesitated. She had not met the American for some time and did
not wish to meet her. Since she had bathed her husband's wound she
knew--she could not have told how--that Miss Schley's power over him had
lessened. She did not know what had happened between them. She did not
know that anything had happened. And, as part of this new effort of hers,
she had had the strength to beat down the vehement, the terrible
curiosity--cold steel and fire combined--that is a part of jealousy. That
curiosity, she told herself, belonged to the siren, not to the angel.
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