第34章 Rose (3)

"Why mamma, if she were a black unbeliever you would be delighted to have her; it is only because she is white that you won't have anything to do with her.You would have been as pleased as possible if I had made friends with any of the ladies in the Zenanas."Mrs.Fane-Smith looked uncomfortable, and murmured that that was a very different question.Rose, seeing her advantage, made haste to follow it up.

"At any rate, mamma, you will write to Uncle Luke now that he is in trouble, and you'll let me send a note to his daughter? Only think, mamma, she has lost her mother so suddenly! Just think how wretched she must be! Oh, mamma, dear, I can't think how she can bear it!" and Rose threw her arms round her mother's neck."Ishould die too if you were to die! I'm sure I should."Rose was very persuasive, Mrs.Fane-Smith's motherly heart was touched; she sat down there and then, and for the first time since the summer day when Luke Raeburn had been turned out of his father's house, she wrote to her brother.Rose in the meantime had taken a piece of paper from her mother's writing desk, and with a fat volume of sermons by way of a desk was scribbling away as fast as she could.This was her letter:

"My dear cousin,--I don't know your name, and have only just heard anything about you, and the first thing I heard was that you were in dreadful trouble.I only write to send you my love, and to say how very sorry I am for you.We only came to England in the autumn.I like it very much.I am going to my first ball tonight, and expect to enjoy it immensely.My dress is to be white tarle--Oh, dear! How horrid of me to be writing like this to you.Please forgive me.I don't like to be so happy when you are unhappy; but, you see, I have only just heard of you, so it is a little difficult.With love, I remain, your affectionate cousin, Rose Fane-Smith."That evening, while Erica, with eyes dim with grief and weariness, was poring over the books in her father's study, Rose was being initiated into all the delights of the ballroom.She was in her glory.Everything was new to her; she enjoyed dancing, she knew that she looked pretty, knew that her dress was charming, knew that she was much admired, and of course she liked it all.But the chaperons shook their heads; it was whispered that Miss Fane-Smith was a terrible flirt, she had danced no less than seven dances with Captain Golightly.If her mother erred by thinking too much of what people said, perhaps Rose erred in exactly the opposite way;at any rate, she managed to call down upon her silly but innocent little head an immense amount of blame from the mothers and elderly ladies.

"A glorious moonlight night," said Captain Golightly."What do you say, Miss Fane-Smith? Shall we take a turn in the garden? Or are you afraid of the cold?""Afraid! Oh, dear no," said Rose; "it's the very thing I should enjoy.I suppose I must get my shawl, though; it is upstairs."They were in the vestibule.

"Have my ulster," said Captain Golightly."Here it is, just handy, and it will keep you much warmer."Rose laughed and blushed, and allowed herself to be put into her partner's coat, rather to the detriment of her billowy tarletan.

After a while they came back again from the dim garden to the brightly lighted vestibule, and as ill luck would have it, chanced to encounter a stream of people going into the supper room.Every one stared at the apparition of Miss Fane-Smith in Captain Golightly's coat.With some difficulty she struggled out of it, and with very hot cheeks sought shelter in the ballroom.

"How dreadfully they looked! Do you think it was wrong of me?" she half whispered to her partner.

"Oh, dear, no! Sensible and plucky, and everything delightful!

You are much too charming to be bound down to silly conventionalities.Come, let us have this dance.I'm sure you are engaged to some one in the supper room who can't deserve such a delightful partner.Let us have this TROIS TEMPS, and hurl defiance at the Greyshot chaperons."Rose laughed, and allowed herself to be borne off.She had been excited before, now she was doubly excited, and Captain Golightly had the most delicious step imaginable.