THE AWKWARD AGE
XXII
The subject of this eulogy had meanwhile returned to her sofa, where she received the homage of her new visitor. "It's not I who am magnificent, a bit—it's dear Mr. Longdon. I've just had from Van the most wonderful piece of news about him—his announcement of his wish to make it worth somebody's while to marry my child."
"'Make it'?"— Mitchy stared. "But isn't it?"
"My dear friend, you must ask Van. Of course you've always thought so. But I must tell you, all the same," Mrs. Brook went on, "that I'm delighted."
Mitchy had seated himself, but Vanderbank remained erect and became perhaps even slightly stiff. He was not angry—none of the inner circle at Buckingham Crescent was ever angry—but he looked grave and rather troubled. "Even if it is decidedly fine"—he addressed his hostess straight—"I can't make out, however, quite why you're doing this. I mean immediately making it known."
"Ah, but what do we keep from Mitchy?" Mrs. Brook asked.
"What can you keep? It comes to the same thing," Mitchy said. "Besides, here we are together, share and share alike—one beautiful intelligence. Mr. Longdon's 'somebody' is of course Van. Don't try to treat me as an outsider."
Vanderbank looked a little foolishly, though it was but the shade of a shade, from one of them to the other. "I think I've been rather an ass!"
"What then, by the terms of our friendship—just as Mitchy says—can he and I have a better right to know and to feel with you about? You will want, Mitchy, won't you?"Mrs. Brook went on, "to hear all about that."
"Oh, I only mean," Vanderbank explained, "in hav-
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