“Of course, if you like.” “You know, Linnet, I really do envy you. You’ve simply got everything..Here you are at twenty, your own mistress, with any amount of money, looks, superb health. You’ve even got brains! When are you twenty-one?” “Next June. I shall have a grand coming-of-age party in London.” “And then are you going to marry Charles Windlesham? All the dreadful little gossip writers are getting so excited about it. And he really is frightfully devoted.” Linnet shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t know. I don’t really want to marry any one yet.” “Darling, how right you are! It’s never quite the same afterwards, is it?”
The telephone shrilled and Linnet went to it.
“Yes? Yes?” The butler’s voice answered her.
“Miss de Bellefort is on the line. Shall I put her through?” “Bellefort? Oh, of course, yes, put her through.” A click and a voice, an eager, soft, slightly breathless voice.
“Hallo, is that Miss Ridgeway? Linnet.t”
‘Jackie darling.t I haven’t heard anything “I know. It’s awful. Linnet, I want to see “Darling, can’t you come down here? My “That’s just what I want to do.” “Well, jump into a train or a car.” “Right, I will. A frightfully dilapidated of you for ages and ages.t” you terribly.” new toy. I’d love to show it to you.” two-seater. I bought it for fifteen pounds and some days it goes beautifully. But it has moods. If I haven’t arrived by tea-time you’ll know it’s had a mood. So long, my sweet.” Linnet replaced the receiver. She crossed back to Joanna.
“That’s my oldest friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort. We were together at a convent in Paris. She’s had the most terribly bad luck. Her father was a French Count, her mother was American–a Southerner. The father went off with some woman, and her mother lost all her money in the Wall Street crash. Jackie was left absolutely broke. I don’t know how she’s managed to get along the last two years.” Joanna was polishing her deep blood-coloured nails with her friend’s nail pad.
She leant back with her head on one side scrutinising the effect.
“Darling,” she drawled, “won’t that be rather tiresome? If any misfortunes happen to my friends I always drop them at once.t It sounds heartless, but it saves such a lot of trouble later! They always want to borrow money off you, or else they start a dress-making business and you have to get the most terrible clothes from them. Or they paint lampshades, or do Batik scarves.” “So if I lost all my money, you’d drop me tomorrow?” “Yes, darling, I would. You can’t say I’m not honest about it! I only like successful people. And you’ll find that’s true of nearly everybody—only most people won’t admit it. They just say that ‘really they can’t put up with Mary or Emily or Pamela any more! Her troubles have made her so bitter and peculiar, poor dear!'” “How beastly you are, Joanna!” “I’m only on the make, like every one else.” “I’m not on the make!” “For obvious reasons! You don’t have to be sordid when good-looking, middle-aged American trustees pay you over a vast allowance every quarter.” “And you’re wrong about Jacqueline,” said Linnet. “She’s not a sponge. I’ve wanted to help her but she won’t let me. She’s as proud as the devil.” “What’s she in such a hurry to see you for? I’ll bet she wants something! You just wait and see.” “She sounded excited about something,” admitted Linnet. “Jackie always did get frightfully worked up over things. She once stuck a penknife into some one!” “Darling, how thrilling!”
“A boy who was teasing a dog. Jackie tried to get him to stop. He wouldn’t.
She pulled him and shook him but he was much stronger than she was, and at last she whipped out a penknife and plunged it right into him. There was the most awful row!”
“I should think so. It sounds most uncomfortable!”
Linnet’s maid entered the room. With a murmured word of apology, she took down a dress from the wardrobe and went out of the room with it.
“What’s the matter with Marie?” asked Joanna. “She’s been crying.”