Lord Arthur Saviles Crime | Page 3

Mr. Podgers, and
now you must tell Lady Flora's'; and in answer to a nod from the
smiling hostess, a tall girl, with sandy Scotch hair, and high
shoulder-blades, stepped awkwardly from behind the sofa, and held out
a long, bony hand with spatulate fingers.
'Ah, a pianist! I see,' said Mr. Podgers, 'an excellent pianist, but perhaps
hardly a musician. Very reserved, very honest, and with a great love of

animals.'
'Quite true!' exclaimed the Duchess, turning to Lady Windermere,
'absolutely true! Flora keeps two dozen collie dogs at Macloskie, and
would turn our town house into a menagerie if her father would let her.'
'Well, that is just what I do with my house every Thursday evening,'
cried Lady Windermere, laughing, 'only I like lions better than collie
dogs.'
'Your one mistake, Lady Windermere,' said Mr. Podgers, with a
pompous bow.
'If a woman can't make her mistakes charming, she is only a female,'
was the answer. 'But you must read some more hands for us. Come, Sir
Thomas, show Mr. Podgers yours'; and a genial-looking old gentleman,
in a white waistcoat, came forward, and held out a thick rugged hand,
with a very long third finger.
'An adventurous nature; four long voyages in the past, and one to come.
Been ship-wrecked three times. No, only twice, but in danger of a
shipwreck your next journey. A strong Conservative, very punctual,
and with a passion for collecting curiosities. Had a severe illness
between the ages sixteen and eighteen. Was left a fortune when about
thirty. Great aversion to cats and Radicals.'
'Extraordinary!' exclaimed Sir Thomas; 'you must really tell my wife's
hand, too.'
'Your second wife's,' said Mr. Podgers quietly, still keeping Sir
Thomas's hand in his. 'Your second wife's. I shall be charmed'; but
Lady Marvel, a melancholy-looking woman, with brown hair and
sentimental eyelashes, entirely declined to have her past or her future
exposed; and nothing that Lady Windermere could do would induce
Monsieur de Koloff, the Russian Ambassador, even to take his gloves
off. In fact, many people seemed afraid to face the odd little man with
his stereotyped smile, his gold spectacles, and his bright, beady eyes;
and when he told poor Lady Fermor, right out before every one, that

she did not care a bit for music, but was extremely fond of musicians, it
was generally felt that cheiromancy was a most dangerous science, and
one that ought not to be encouraged, except in a tete-a-tete.
Lord Arthur Savile, however, who did not know anything about Lady
Fermor's unfortunate story, and who had been watching Mr. Podgers
with a great deal of interest, was filled with an immense curiosity to
have his own hand read, and feeling somewhat shy about putting
himself forward, crossed over the room to where Lady Windermere
was sitting, and, with a charming blush, asked her if she thought Mr.
Podgers would mind.
'Of course, he won't mind,' said Lady Windermere, 'that is what he is
here for. All my lions, Lord Arthur, are performing lions, and jump
through hoops whenever I ask them. But I must warn you beforehand
that I shall tell Sybil everything. She is coming to lunch with me
to-morrow, to talk about bonnets, and if Mr. Podgers finds out that you
have a bad temper, or a tendency to gout, or a wife living in Bayswater,
I shall certainly let her know all about it.'
Lord Arthur smiled, and shook his head. 'I am not afraid,' he answered.
'Sybil knows me as well as I know her.'
'Ah! I am a little sorry to hear you say that. The proper basis for
marriage is a mutual misunderstanding. No, I am not at all cynical, I
have merely got experience, which, however, is very much the same
thing. Mr. Podgers, Lord Arthur Savile is dying to have his hand read.
Don't tell him that he is engaged to one of the most beautiful girls in
London, because that appeared in the Morning Post a month ago.
'Dear Lady Windermere,' cried the Marchioness of Jedburgh, 'do let Mr.
Podgers stay here a little longer. He has just told me I should go on the
stage, and I am so interested.'
'If he has told you that, Lady Jedburgh, I shall certainly take him away.
Come over at once, Mr. Podgers, and read Lord Arthur's hand.'
'Well,' said Lady Jedburgh, making a little moue as she rose from the

sofa, 'if I am not to be allowed to go on the stage, I must be allowed to
be part of the audience at any rate.'
'Of course; we are all going to be part of the audience,' said Lady
Windermere; 'and now, Mr. Podgers, be sure and tell us something nice.
Lord Arthur is one of my special favourites.'
But