April Hopes | Page 7

across the nave toward them, and he
was reminded to ask Mrs. Pasmer, "Will you have something to eat?"
He had himself had a good deal to eat, before he took up his position at
the advantageous point where John Munt had found him.
"Why, yes, thank you," said Mrs. Pasmer. "I ought to say, 'An ice,
please,' but I'm really hungry, and--"
"I'll get you some of the salad," said Mr. Mavering, with the increased
liking a man feels for a woman when she owns to an appetite. "Sit

down here," he added, and he caught a vacant chair toward her. When
he turned about from doing so, he confronted a young gentleman
coming up to Mrs. Pasmer with a young lady on his arm, and making a
very low bow of relinquishment.

II.
The men looked smilingly at each other without saying anything; and
the younger took in due form the introduction which the young lady
gave him.
"My mother, Mr. Mavering."
"Mr. Mavering!" cried Mrs. Pasmer, in a pure astonishment, before she
had time to colour it with a polite variety of more conventional
emotions. She glanced at the two men, and gave a little "Oh?" of
inquiry and resignation, and then said, demurely, "Let me introduce
you to Mr. Mavering, Alice," while the young fellow laughed
nervously, and pulled out his handkerchief, partly to hide the play of
his laughter, and partly to wipe away the perspiration which a great
deal more laughing had already gathered on his forehead. He had a vein
that showed prominently down its centre, and large, mobile, girlish
blue eyes under good brows, an arched nose, and rather a long face and
narrow chin. He had beautiful white teeth; as he laughed these were
seen set in a jaw that contracted very much toward the front. He was
tall and slim, and he wore with elegance the evening dress which Class
Day custom prescribes for the Seniors; in his button-hole he had a club
button.
"I shall not have to ask an introduction to Mr. Mavering; and you've
robbed me of the pleasure of giving him one to you, Mrs. Pasmer," he
said.
She heard the young man in the course of a swift review of what she
had said to his father, and with a formless resentment of the father's not
having told her he had a son there; but she answered with the flattering
sympathy she had the use of, "Oh, but you won't miss one pleasure out
of so many to-day, Mr. Mavering; and think of the little dramatic
surprise!"
"Oh, perfect," he said, with another laugh. "I told Miss Pasmer as we
came up."
"Oh, then you were in the surprise, Alice!" said Mrs. Pasmer, searching

her daughter's eyes for confession or denial of this little community of
interest. The girl smiled slightly upon the young man, but not
disapprovingly, and made no other answer to her mother, who went on:
"Where in the world have you been? Did Mr. Munt find you? Who told
you where I was? Did you see me? How did you know I was here? Was
there ever anything so droll?" She did not mean her questions to be
answered, or at least not then; for, while her daughter continued to
smile rather more absently, and young Mavering broke out
continuously in his nervous laugh, and his father stood regarding him
with visible satisfaction, she hummed on, turning to the young man:
"But I'm quite appalled at Alice's having monopolised even for a few
minutes a whole Senior--and probably an official Senior at that," she
said, with a glance at the pink and white club button in his coat lapel,
"and I can't let you stay another instant, Mr. Mavering. I know very
well how many demands you have upon you and you must go back
directly to your sisters and your cousins and your aunts, and all the rest
of them; you must indeed."
"Oh no! Don't drive me away, Mrs. Pasmer," pleaded the young man,
laughing violently, and then wiping his face. "I assure you that I've no
encumbrances of any kind here except my father, and he seems to have
been taking very good care of himself." They all laughed at this, and
the young fellow hurried on: "Don't be alarmed at my button; it only
means a love of personal decoration, if that's where you got the notion
of my being an official Senior. This isn't my spread; I shall hope to
welcome you at Beck Hall after the Tree; and I wish you'd let me be of
use to you. Wouldn't you like to go round to some of the smaller
spreads? I think it would amuse you. And have you got tickets to the
Tree, to see