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He picked up the flimsy wrap and put it about her shoulders, and she turned to him and smiled and said, "Thank you!" and instantly all the anger in him perished. He had admired her before, admired her ardently, but now he knew that he loved her, must love her always.... There was a sound of heavy breathing, and he turned to look at Jimphy. "Wake him up," said Lady Cecily in a whisper.
I should have been the first to spend myself ... like Gilbert and Ninian. I'm the only one of the Improved Tories who hasn't gone! ... Oh, I couldn't offer you myself, dear. I'm too mean ... I'm a failure in fineness.... I used to feel contempt for Jimphy Jayne ... but he didn't hesitate for a moment. It never entered his head not to go.
They stumbled along the passages to the door of the box, and entered as quietly as they could. "We thought you'd got lost," said Lady Cecily, smiling at Henry. "No ... no," he replied, "we didn't get lost!" Gilbert was sitting in the seat where Jimphy had sat earlier in the evening. "Gilbert is going to stay here," said Lady Cecily. "Won't you stay, too, Mr. Quinn!"
"Oh, by the way, Cecily, Quinn says that chap Gilbert Farlow's hanging about Scotland Yard...." "Goodness me, what for?" Cecily demanded in a startled voice. "He hasn't done anything, has he?" "No, of course he hasn't. He's trying to enlist!" "Enlist!" she said. "Yes. Silly ass not to ask for a commission!" said Jimphy. Boltt burbled about the priceless privilege of youth.
She looked very charming as she sat opposite to him, and he wondered how Jimphy could be so careless of her loveliness. The sunlight shining through the window above her head kindled her hair so that the ripples of it shone like gold, and the delicate sunburnt flush of her cheeks deepened in the soft glow. He put out his hand and touched her fingers.
The car turned into Fleet Street and quickly drove up to the Savoy. "Thank God!" said Jimphy. "I shall get some fun out of my birthday now!" "Jimphy loves his food," Lady Cecily exclaimed. "Don't you, Jimphy? Don't you love your little tum-tum?..." They entered the hotel and found the table which had been reserved for them.
When I die, they'll put on my tombstone, 'He was born in debt, he lived in debt, he died in debt, and he didn't care a damn. So be it! He extended his invitation to Jimphy and Lady Cecily. "You didn't come to Jimphy's birthday party," she objected. "Didn't I?" he replied. "Well, both of you come to my party ... that'll make up for it!" Gilbert did not appear to be affected by Cecily's presence.
"I'll come with you, Jimphy!" he said, and then, almost pushing Lord Jasper in front of him, he went out, closing the door of the box behind him. Henry stared at the door for a second or two, nonplussed by the swiftness of Gilbert's action, and then he turned to Lady Cecily. A look of vexation on her face instantly disappeared and she smiled at Henry.
"Of course," he said, "they don't love each other!" but in this mood of self-confession which held him, he admitted that he would have felt no contrition even if Jimphy had been devoted to Cecily. "He's a born cuckold!" he went on. "I might be afraid to take his wife from him, but I wouldn't be ashamed to do it. No one would...."
"She didn't appear to know I'd been away," he said. "She knew all the same!..." "She just said, 'Hilloa, Paddy I' and went on talking to the other people who were there too. I tried to outstay them, but Jimphy came in the first time, and there was a painter there the second time, who wouldn't budge. He's painting her portrait. I've not seen her since...."