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Mrs Mitchell had taken an immense fancy to Edith and showed it by telling her all about a wonderful little tailor who made coats and skirts better than Lucile for next to nothing, and by introducing to her Lord Rye and the embassy man, and Mr Cricker. Edith was sitting in a becoming corner under a shaded light from which she could watch the door, when Vincy came up to talk to her.
'Awful, you know, Cricker said, in a low voice this girl's mania for me! I get wires and telephones all day long; she hardly gives me time to shave. And she's jolly pretty, so I don't like to chuck it; in fact, I daren't. But her one cry is 'Cold; cold; cold! She says I'm as cold as a stone. What do you thing of that?
'You may be a stone, and a rolling one at that, said Aylmer, 'but there are other pebbles on the beach, I daresay. 'I bet not one of them as stony as I am! cried Cricker. Cricker came a little nearer, lowering his voice again. 'It's a very peculiar case, he said proudly. 'Of course; it always is. 'You see, she's frightfully pretty, on the stage, and married!
It's for your good and my own happiness that we part now, and for ever. Adieu, and may God bless you. How do you sign yourself? 'Oh, Willie. 'Very well then, be more serious this time: Always your faithful friend, William Stacey Cricker. He glanced over the note, his face falling more and more, while Lady Everard looked more and more satisfied.
There are such a tremendous lot of girls and married women nowadays, there are so many more of them. 'Well, perhaps that's why they do it, said Cricker rather stupidly. 'At any rate oh, well, I know if my friend hadn't been so jolly nice to me at first and kept it up so oh, well, you know what I mean kept on keeping on, if I may use the expression, I should have drifted away from her ages ago.
Vincy was there and young Cricker, whose occasional depressed silences were alternated with what he called a certain amount of sparkling chaff. Lady Everard told Edith that she felt quite like a sort of mother to Aylmer. 'Don't you think it's sad, Mrs Ottley, she said, when they were alone, 'to think that the dear fellow has no wife to look after this dear little house?
But never was a religious experience more appropriate than the account which Ralph gave to Bud of his Struggle in the Dark. The confession of his weakness and wicked selfishness was a great comfort to Bud. "Do you think that Jesus Christ would would well, do you think he'd help a poor, unlarnt Flat Cricker like me?"
I hate these interested marriages, don't you? especially when they're international. Sir Charles isn't here; he's such a sweet boy. He's a friend of Mr Cricker; it's through Mr Cricker I know them, really. Lady Everard has taken such a fancy to young Cricker; she won't leave him alone.
It seemed to Bud, as he walked home mortified, disgraced, disappointed, hopeless, that all the world had gone down in a whirlpool of despair. "Might a knowed it," he said to himself. "Of course, a smart gal like Martha a'n't agoin' to take a big, blunderin' fool that can't spell in two syllables. What's the use of tryin'? A Flat Cricker Is a Flat Cricker.
'I saw the Cricker man beginning to dance with hardly anyone looking at him. 'Isn't his imitation of Nijinsky wonderful? asked Vincy. 'Simply marvellous! I thought he was imitating George Grossmith. Do you know, I love the Mitchells, Vincy. It's really great fun there. Fancy, Bruce seems so delighted with Aylmer Ross and Miss Mooney that he insisted on their both dining with us tonight.
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