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"Just to have had this chat with you makes it a charming morning." In saying that Miss Delaires was in her bath, the maid had committed an anachronism. Folly was not in her bath. She had been in her bath over an hour ago; now she was in her bandages. Folly's bath-room was not as large as her bedroom, but it was larger than anything since Rome.
"Where is Miss Delaires?" asked Lewis, his face brightening. "Doin' 'er mile," replied the coachman. Lewis waved his hand toward a path to the right questioningly. The man nodded. Feeling suddenly young again, Lewis hurried along the path with a long and eager stride. He had not gone far when he saw a dainty figure, grotesquely accompanied by a ragamuffin, coming toward him.
Leighton's mind wandered back to the tales of Lewis's little pal Natalie. "Tell me about her again," he said genially. "Again!" cried Lewis. "But you've never heard of her not from me, anyway." "What's her name?" asked Leighton, half aroused. "Her name," said Lewis, smiling absently into the fire, "is Folly Folly Delaires." Leighton was a trained stalker of dangerous game.
"No," he went on, "I don't expect you to acquire prescience all in a moment, nor do I expect myself to acquire the genius of giving to a sudden need in half an hour. Let's let things stand this way. You love Folly Delaires; I don't. I don't want to be converted, and you don't.
He's that troubled he just keeps his eyes on the floor, an' says as he has something private he must tell you. Perhaps Mr. Lewis has broke his leg. I'm sure I don't know." "Come on, Buggins," said Miss Delaires to the masseuse. "Don't you hear? There's a gentleman waiting to see me." Buggins shook her head. "The hour ut is not finish," she said calmly. "Five minutes yet."
"Ah-ha!" said the little man, "you begin to wake up. That, my friend, is Mlle. Folly Delaires. She's been playing in Buenos Aires. When she saw people staring at the Duchess, she stepped up to the purser's office and laid down the cash for a table for four. At first we thought it was just vanity and a challenge, but we know her better now.
From that it was easy for him to guess her address, and one morning, without saying anything to Lewis of his plans, he presented himself at Folly's door. A trim maid opened to his ring. "Is Mlle. Delaires in, my dear?" asked Leighton. The maid stiffened, and peered intently at Leighton, who stood at ease in the half-dusk of the hall.
Then came an evening when Lewis had dressed unusually early and slipped up to the boat-deck to cool off before dinner. He sat down on a bench and half closed his eyes. When he opened them again he saw a woman the woman, Folly Delaires standing with her back to him at the rail. He had not heard or seen her come. Almost without volition he arose and stepped to the rail. He leaned on it beside her.
Surprise never startled him into movement. It stilled him. Old Ivory had once said of him that he could make his heart stop beating at the smell of elephant; which is quite a different thing from having your heart stop beating on its own hook. When Lewis said, "Folly Folly Delaires," Leighton suddenly became intensely still. He remained still for so long that Lewis looked up.
She's just the devil of mischief and several other things in the flesh. We ought all to be grateful for her." Lewis looked curiously at Mlle. Delaires. He watched to see her get up. She passed close to him. She did not have the height that his training had taught him was essential to beauty, but she had certain attributes that made one suddenly class height with other bloodless statistics.
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