Lalage's Lovers Part 22

"I quite agree; and if you'd do as I suggest and cart her off to Vittie----"

"Look here," said t.i.therington. "It's all very well you're talking like that, but this is serious. The whole election's becoming a farce. Miss Beresford----"

"It's a well-known fact that there is nothing so uncontrollable as a tiger once it has got the taste of human blood, and Miss Beresford, having found out how nice it is to call you and Vittie and O'Donoghue liars, isn't likely to be persuaded----"

"What are you going to do?" said t.i.therington truculently.

"I? I'm going back to bed as soon as I can, and when once back I'm going to stay there."

t.i.therington looked so angry that I began to feel afraid. I was quite helpless and I did not want him to revenge himself on me by carrying off the champagne or sending for a second nurse.

"There's just one idea which occurs to me," I said. "I doubt whether it will be much use, but you might try it if you're regularly stuck. Write to Hilda's mother."

"Who the devil's Hilda's mother?"

"I don't know, but you might find out. She strongly disapproves of Hilda's making speeches, and if she knew what is going on here I expect she'd stop it. She'd stop Hilda anyhow."

"Is Hilda the other one."

"Yes," I said. "The minor one."

t.i.therington got out a note book and a pencil.

"What's her address?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Never mind. I'll hunt all the directories till I find her. What's her name?"

"I don't know."

"Well, what's the girl's name? I suppose the mother's is the same unless she's married again."

"Hilda," I said. "I've told you that three or four times."

"Hilda what?"

"I don't know. I never heard her called anything but Hilda."

t.i.therington shut his note book and swore. Then he dropped his pencil on the floor. I felt quite sorry for him. If I had known Hilda's surname I should have told it to him at once.

"It's just possible," I said, "that Selby-Harrison's father might know.

He lives down in these parts somewhere. Perhaps you've met him."

"There's only one Selby-Harrison here. He's on your committee, a warm supporter of yours."

"That's the man. Selby-Harrison, the son I mean, said he'd write to the old gentleman and tell him to vote for me. I expect he went on my committee after that."

"And you think he can get at this young woman's mother?"

"No. I don't think anything of the sort. All I say is that he may possibly know the name of Hilda's mother."

"Can't I get at Miss Beresford's mother?"

"No, you can't. She's been dead for twenty years."

"A good job for her," said t.i.therington.

"The Archdeacon would agree with you there."

"What Archdeacon?"

I saw that I had made an unfortunate admission. t.i.therington, in his present mood, would be quite capable of bringing the Archdeacon down on us here. I would almost rather have a second nurse. I hastened to cover my mistake.

"Any Archdeacon," I said. "You know what Archdeacons are. There isn't one of them belonging to any church who wouldn't disapprove strongly of Miss Beresford."

t.i.therington grunted.

"If I thought an Archdeacon would be any use," he said, "I'd get a dozen if I had to pay them fifty pounds apiece."

"They wouldn't help in the slightest. Miss Beresford and Hilda have libelled twenty-three bishops in their day. They'd simply laugh at your Archdeacons."

"Well," said t.i.therington, "I suppose that's all I am to get out of you."

"That's all. If there was anything else I could suggest----"

t.i.therington picked up his pencil again.

"I'll try Selby-Harrison," he said, "and if he knows the name----"

"If he doesn't, get him to wire to his son for it. He certainly knows."

"I will."

"I needn't tell you," I added, "that the telegram must be cautiously worded."

"What do you mean?"

"Merely that if Selby-Harrison, the son, suspects that you and the father want to worry Hilda or Miss Beresford in any way he'll lie low and not answer the telegram. He's on the committee of the A.S.P.L., so of course he won't want the work of the society to be interfered with."

"If he doesn't answer, I'll go up to Dublin to-night and drag it out of the young pup by force. It'll be a comfort anyhow to be dealing with somebody I can kick. These girls are the very devil."

"No. 175 Trinity College is the address," I said. "J is the initial. If he's not in his rooms when you call just ask where the 3rd A. happens to be playing."

"The what?"

"It's a hockey eleven and it's called the 3rd A. Miss Beresford told me so and I think we may rely on it that she, at least, speaks the truth.

Selby-Harrison sometimes plays halfback and sometimes inside left, but anybody would point him out to you."