“Of course I do, with you. Ring for Madeleine, dear.”
She was uncomfortable. Graham had been very queer lately. He would have long, quiet spells, and then break out in an uncontrollable irritation, generally at the servants. But Graham did not ring for Madeleine. He lighted a cigaret for Natalie, and standing off, surveyed her. She was very pretty. She was prettier than Toots. That pale blue wrapper, or whatever it was, made her rather exquisite. And Natalie, curled up on her pale rose chaise longue, set to work as deliberately to make a conquest of her son as she had ever done to conquer Rodney Page, or the long list of Rodney's predecessors.
“You're growing very handsome, you know, boy,” she said. “Almost too handsome. A man doesn't need good looks. They're almost a handicap. Look at your father.”
“They haven't hurt him any, I should say.”
“I don't know.” She reflected, eyeing her cigaret. “He presumes on them, rather. And a good many men never think a handsome man has any brains.”
“I don't know anything about it yet,” he said bluntly. “And you wouldn't be really interested if I did.”
“No; I'm just trying to talk straight, for once. We--you and I--we always talk around things. I don't know why.”
“You look terribly like your father just now. You are quite savage.”
“That's exactly what I mean, mother. You don't say father is savage. God knows he isn't that. You just say I act like father, and that I am savage.”
Natalie blew a tiny cloud of cigaret smoke, and watched it for a moment.
“You sound fearfully involved. But never mind about that. I daresay I've done something; I don't know what, but of course I am guilty.”
“Why did you bring Marion here to-day, mother?”
“Well, if you want to know exactly, I met her coming out of church, and it occurred to me that we were having rather a nice luncheon, and that it would be a pity not to ask some one to come in. It was a nice luncheon, wasn't it?”
“You have been asking her here a lot lately. And yet the last time we discussed her you said she was fast. That she wanted to marry me for my money. That people would laugh if I fell for it.”
“For heaven's sake, mother,” he cried, exasperated. “Don't quibble. Let's get down to facts. Does your bringing her here mean that you've changed your mind?”