第72章

"Is it a Lincoln & Bennet， mother？" cried Mr.Moses."One of the shiny ones--twenty-one bob， and twenty-five-and-six if you want a kid lining？""No； it's like some sort of bird."

" 'I heard the owl beneath my eaves complaining，' " chirped Mr.Moses， taking two or three high notes in a delicate tenor voice." 'I looked forth--great Scot！ How it was raining！' Is it an owl， mother？ Ask it to screech to Briskin.""It is no owl，" said Eureka to the Prophet."It is a sparrow--your bird.""Is it upon the housetop， mother， having a spree all on its little alone？""No； it is hovering over the gentleman."

"What does that mean？" said the Prophet， anxiously.

But at this point Eureka suddenly seemed to lose interest in the matter."Oh， you're all right，" she said carelessly."I'm tired.Ishould like a wafer."

"Mother's peckish.Mother， I see an ostrich by your left elbow.That's a sign that you're so peckish you could swallow anything.Waiter！""Sir！"

"This lady's so peckish she could eat anything.Bring her some tin-tacks and a wafer.Stop a sec.Another brandy for Briskin.Your calves'd do for the front row； 'pon my word， they would.Trot， boy， trot！""I must speak to you alone for one moment，" whispered the Prophet to Miss Minerva， under cover of the quips of Mr.Moses."Sir Tiglath's coming！"Miss Minerva started.

"Sir Tig--" she exclaimed and put her finger to her lips just in time to stop the "lath" from coming out."Mr.Moses， I'm going to the buffet for a moment with Mr.Vivian.Eureka， darling， do eat something substantial！ All this second sight takes it out of you."Eureka acquiesced with a heavy sigh， Mr.Moses cried， "Aunt Eureka's so hungry that one would declare she could even eat oats if she found they were there！" and Miss Minerva and the Prophet moved languidly towards the buffet， endeavouring， by the indifference of their movements， to cover the agitation in their hearts.

"Sir Tiglath coming here！" cried Miss Minerva under her breath， as soon as they were out of earshot."But he doesn't know Mrs.Bridgeman！""I know--but he's coming.And not only that， Mr.and Madame Sagittarius are here already！"Miss Minerva looked closely at the Prophet in silence for a moment.

Then she said，--

"I see--I see！"

"What？" cried the Prophet， in great anxiety， "not the sparrow on my head？""No.But I see that you're taking to your double life in real earnest.""I？"

"Yes.Now， Mr.Vivian， that's all very well， and you know I'm the last person to complain of anything of that sort， so long as it doesn't get me into difficulties.""Think of the difficulties you and everyone else have got me into，"ejaculated the poor Prophet， for once in his life stepping， perhaps， a hair's-breadth from the paths of good breeding.

"Well， I'm sure I've done nothing."

"Nothing！" said the Prophet， losing his head under the influence of the guitars， which were now getting under way in a fantasia on "Carmen.""Nothing！ Why， you made me come here， you insisted on my introducing Mr.Sagittarius to Mrs.Bridgeman， you told Sir Tiglath Mrs.Bridgeman and I were old friends and had made investigations together， assisted by Mr.Sagittarius， you--""Oh， well， that's nothing.But Sir Tiglath mustn't see me here as Miss Minerva.Has he arrived yet？""I don't think so.He's got the cab we had yesterday and the horse.""The one that tumbles down so cleverly when it's not too tired？

Capital！ Run to the cloak-room， meet Sir Tiglath there， and persuade him to go home."But here the Prophet struck.

"I regret I can't，" he said， almost firmly.

"But you must."

"I regret sincerely that I am unable."

"Why？ Mr.Vivian， when a lady asks you！"

"I am grieved，" said the Prophet， with a species of intoxicated obstinacy--the guitars seemed to be playing inside his brain and the flute piping in the small of his back，--"to decline， but I cannot contend physically with Sir Tiglath， a man whom I reverence， in the cloak-room of a total stranger.""I don't ask you to contend physically."

"Nothing but personal violence would keep Sir Tiglath from coming in.""Really！ Then what's to be done？"

She pursed up her sensible lips and drew down her sensible eyebrows.

"I know！" she cried， after a moment's thought."I'll masquerade to-night as myself.""As yourself？"

"Yes.All these dear silly people here think that I've got an astral body.""What's that？"

"A sort of floating business--a business that you can set floating.""What--a company？"

"No， no.A replica of yourself.The great Towle--""He's here to-night."

"I knew he was coming.Well， the great Towle detached this astral body once at a s閍nce and， for a joke--a silly joke， you know--""Yes， yes."

"I christened it by my real name， Lady Enid Thistle， and said Lady Enid was an ancestress of mine.""Why did you？"

"Because it was so idiotic."

"I see."

"Well， I've only now to spread a report among these dear creatures that I'm astral to-night， and get Towle to back me up， and I can easily be Lady Enid for an hour or two.In this crowd Sir Tiglath need never find out that I'm generally known in these circles as Miss Partridge.""Do you really think--"

"Yes， I do.But I must find Towle at once."So saying she hastened away from the buffet， followed by the trotting Prophet.As she passed Eureka and Mr.Moses， she said，--"Eureka， darling， do I look odd？ I suddenly began to feel astral just as I was going to eat a sandwich.I can't help thinking that Lady Enid --you know， my astral ancestress， who's always with me--is peculiarly powerful to-night.D'you notice anything？""Watch out for it， mother！" cried Mr.Moses."See if it's got the lump."Eureka fixed her heavy eyes on Miss Minerva and swayed her thin body to and fro in as panther-like a manner as she could manage.