The Grim Smile of the Five Towns | Page 4

which, translated like Enoch without dying, become in
their old age 'steam-yachts', with fine names apt to lead to confusion
with the private yacht of the Tsar of Russia. Horace had offered him the
trip, and Horace was also paying his weekly salary as usual.
So Horace, who had always been friendly with Mrs Penkethman, grew
now more than ever friendly with Mrs Penkethman. And Mrs
Penkethman and Ella were inseparable. The few aristocrats left in
Bursley in September remarked that Horace knew what he was about,
as it was notorious that Ella had the most solid expectations. But as a
matter of fact Horace did not know what he was about, and he never
once thought of Ella's expectations. He was simply, as they say in
Bursley, knocked silly by Ella. He honestly imagined her to be the

wonderfullest woman on the earth's surface, with her dark eyes and her
expressive sympathetic gestures, and her alterations of seriousness and
gaiety. It astounded him that a girl of twenty- one could have thought
so deeply upon life as she had. The inexplicable thing was that she
looked up to HIM. She evidently admired HIM. He wanted to tell her
that she was quite wrong about him, much too kind in her estimate of
him--that really he was a very ordinary man indeed. But another
instinct prevented him from thus undeceiving her.
And one Saturday afternoon, the season being late September, Horace
actually got those two women up to tea in his house and garden. He had
not dared to dream of such bliss. He had hesitated long before asking
them to come, and in asking them he had blushed and stammered: the
invitation had seemed to him to savour of audacity. But, bless you! they
had accepted with apparent ecstasy. They gave him to think that they
had genuinely wanted to come. And they came extra-specially
dressed--visions, lilies of the field. And as the day was quite warm, tea
was served in the garden, and everybody admired the view; and there
was no restraint, no awkwardness. In particular Ella talked with an ease
and a distinction that enchanted Horace, and almost made him talk with
ease and distinction too. He said to himself that, seeing he had only
known her a month, he was getting on amazingly. He said to himself
that his good luck passed belief.
Then there was a sound of cab-wheels on the other side of the
garden-wall, and presently Horace heard the housekeeper
complimenting Sidney on his good looks, and Sidney asking the
housekeeper to lend him three shillings to pay the cabman. The golden
youth had returned without the slightest warning from his cruise. The
tea trio, at the lower end of the garden, saw him standing in the porch,
tanned, curly, graceful, and young. Horace half rose, and then sat down
again. Ella stared hard.
'That must be your brother,' she said.
'Yes, that's Sid,' Horace answered; and then, calling out loudly: 'Come
down here, Sid, and tell them to bring another cup and saucer.'
'Right you are, old man,' Sidney shouted. 'You see I'm back. What! Mrs
Penkethman, is that you?' He came down the central path of the garden
like a Narcissus.
'He DOES look delicate,' said Ella under her breath to Horace. Tears

came to her eyes.
Naturally Ella knew all about Sidney. She enjoyed the entire
confidence of Mrs Penkethman, and what Mrs Penkethman didn't know
of the private history of the upper classes in Bursley did not amount to
very much.
These were nearly the last words that Ella spoke to Horace that
afternoon. The introduction was made, and Sidney slipped into the
party as comfortably as he slipped into everything, like a candle
slipping into a socket. But nevertheless Ella talked no more. She just
stared at Sidney, and listened to him. Horace was proud that Sidney had
made such an impression on her; he was glad that she showed no
aversion to Sidney, because, in the event of Horace's marriage, where
would Sidney live, if not with Horace and Horace's wife? Still, he could
have wished that Ella would continue to display her conversational
powers.
Presently, Sidney lighted a cigarette. He was of those young men
whose delicate mouths seem to have been fashioned for the nice
conduct of a cigarette. And he had a way of blowing out the smoke that
secretly ravished every feminine beholder. Horace still held to his
boyhood's principles; but he envied Sidney a little.
At the conclusion of the festivity these two women naturally could not
be permitted to walk home alone. And, naturally, also, the four could
not walk abreast on the narrow pavements. Horace went first with Mrs
Penkethman. He was mad with anxiety to appropriate Ella, but he dared
not.