Whatever it was that rendered it necessary for Duckworth to "see the fellows," that necessity vanished in the presence of Nora.
"Are you going to take in the polo?" he asked.
"Am I? Am I going to continue breathing?" cried Nora. "Come along, Mother, we must go if we are to get a good place.""May I find one for you," said Mr. Duckworth, quite forgetting that he "must see the fellows," and thinking only of his good luck in falling in with such a "stunning-looking girl." He himself had changed into flannels, and with his athletic figure, his brown, healthy face, brown eyes and hair, was a thoroughly presentable young man. He found a place with ease for his party, a dozen people offering to make room for them. As Mr. Duckworth let his eyes rest upon the young lady at his side his sense of good-fortune grew upon him, for Nora in white pique skirt and batiste blouse smartly girdled with a scarlet patent leather belt, in white canvas shoes and sailor hat, made a picture good to look at. Her dark olive brown skin, with rich warm colour showing through the sunburn of her cheeks, her dark eyes, and her hair for once "done up in style" under Kathleen's supervision, against the white of her costume made her indeed what her escort thought, "a stunning-looking girl." Usually careless as to her appearance, she had yielded to Kathleen's persuasion and had "gotten herself up to kill." No wonder her friends of both ***es followed her with eyes of admiration, for no one envied Nora, her frank manner, her generous nature, her open scorn at all attempts to win admiration, made her only friends.
"Bring your mother over here," cried Mrs. Waring-Gaunt, who rejoiced exceedingly in the girl's beauty. "Why, how splendidly you are looking to-day," she continued in a more confidential tone as the party grouped themselves about her. "What have you been doing to yourself? You are looking awfully fine.""Am I?" said Nora, exceedingly pleased with herself. "I am awfully glad. It is all Kathleen's doing. I got me the belt and the hat new for this show.""Very smart, that belt, my dear," said her friend.
"I rather fancy it myself, and Kathleen would do up my hair in this new way," said Nora, removing her hat that the full glory of her coiffure might appear. "Do you like it?""Perfectly spiffing!" ejaculated Mr. Duckworth, who had taken a seat just behind her chair.
Nora threw him a challenging glance that made that young man's heart skip a beat or two as all the excitements of the match had not.
"Are you a judge?" said the girl, tipping her saucy chin at him.
"Am I? With four sisters and dozens of cousins to practise on, Ifancy I might claim to be a regular bench show expert.""Then," cried Nora with sudden animation, "you are the very man Iwant."
"Thank you so much," replied Mr. Duckworth fervently.
"I mean, perhaps you can advise me. Now as you look at me--" The young man's eyes burned into hers so that with all her audacity Nora felt the colour rising in her face. "Which would you suggest as the most suitable style for me, the psyche knot or the neck roll?""I beg your pardon? I rather--"
"Or would you say the French twist?"
"Ah, the French twist--"
"Or simply marcelled and pomped?"
"I am afraid--"
"Or perhaps the pancake or the coronet?"
"Well," said the young man, desperately plunging, "the coronet Ishould say would certainly not be inappropriate. It goes with princesses, duchesses and that sort of thing. Don't you think so, Mrs. Waring-Gaunt?" said Duckworth, hoping to be extricated. That lady, however, gave him no assistance but continued to smile affectionately at the girl beside her. "What style is this that you have now adopted, may I ask?" inquired Mr. Duckworth cautiously.
"Oh, that's a combination of several. It's a creation of Kathleen's which as yet has received no name.""Then it should be named at once," said Duckworth with great emphasis. "May I suggest the Thunderbolt? You see, of course--so stunning.""They are coming on," cried Nora, turning her shoulder in disdain upon the young man. "Look, there's your brother, Mrs. Waring-Gaunt. I think he is perfectly splendid."
"Which is he?" said Mr. Duckworth, acutely interested.
"That tall, fine-looking man on the brown pony.""Oh, yes, I see. Met him this morning. By Jove, he is some looker too," replied Mr. Duckworth with reluctant enthusiasm.
"And there is the High River Captain," said Mrs. Waring-Gaunt, "on the grey.""Oh, yes, Monteith, he played for All Canada last year, didn't he?"said Nora with immense enthusiasm. "He is perfectly splendid.""I hear the High River club has really sent only its second team, or at least two of them," said Mrs. Waring-Gaunt. "Certainly Tremaine is not with them.""I hope they get properly trimmed for it," said Nora, indignantly.
"Such cheek!"
The result of the match quite exceeded Nora's fondest hopes, for the High River team, having made the fatal error of despising the enemy, suffered the penalty of their mistake in a crushing defeat.
It was certainly a memorable day for Wolf Willow, whose inhabitants were exalted to a height of glory as they never experienced in all their history.
"Serves us right," said Monteith, the High River Captain, apologising for his team's poor display to his friend, Hec Ross, who had commanded the Wolf Willow team. "We deserved to be jolly well licked, and we got what was coming to us.""Oh, we're not worrying," replied the Wolf Willow Captain, himself a sturdy horseman and one of the most famous stick handlers in the West. "Of course, we know that if Murray and Knight had been with you the result would have been different.""I am not at all sure about that," replied Monteith. "That new man of yours, Romayne, is a wonder. Army man, isn't he?""Yes, played in India, I believe."
"Oh, no wonder he's such a don at it. You ought to get together a great team here, Ross, and I should like to bring our team down again to give you a real game.""When?"
"Say two weeks. No. That throws it a little late for the harvest.
Say a week from to-day."
