The question as to the dress was settled for her very soon. Lady Albury's maid came into the room -- not a chit of a girl without a thought of her own except as to her own grandness in being two steps higher than the kitchen-maid -- but a well-grown, buxom, powerful woman, who had no idea of letting such a young lady as Ayala do anything in the matter of dress but what she told her. When Ayala suggested something as to the next evening in reference to the pale-pearl silk the buxom powerful woman pooh-poohed her down in a moment. What -- after Sir Harry had taken so much trouble about having it made; having actually inquired about it with his own mouth. "Tonight, Miss; you must wear it tonight!
My lady would be quite angry!" "My lady not know what you wear!
My lady knows what all the ladies wear -- morning, noon, and night." That little plan of letting the dress lie by till she should know how she should be received after Colonel Stubbs's change of mind had been declared, fell to the ground altogether under the hands of the buxom powerful woman.
When she went into the drawing-room some of the guests were assembled.
Sir Harry and Lady Albury were there, and so was Colonel Stubbs.
As she walked in Sir Harry was standing well in front of the fire, in advance of the rug, so as to be almost in the middle of the room. Captain Glomax was there also, and the discussion about the foxes was going on. It had occurred to Ayala that as the dress was a present from Sir Harry she must thank him. So she walked up to him and made a little curtsey just before him.
"Am I nice, Sir Harry?" she said.
"Upon my word", said Sir Harry, "that is the best spent ten-pound note I ever laid out in my life." Then he took her by the hand and gently turned her round, so as to look at her and her dress.
"I don't know whether I am nice, but you are," she said, curtseying again. Everybody felt that she had had quite a little triumph as she subsided into a seat close by Lady Albury, who called her. As she seated herself she caught the Colonel's eye, who was looking at her. She fancied that there was a tear in it.
Then he turned himself and looked away into the fire.
"You have won his heart for ever," said Lady Albury.
"Whose heart?" asked Ayala, in her confusion.
"Sir Harry's heart. As for the other, cela va sans dire. You must go on wearing it every night for a week or Sir Harry will want to know why you have left it off. If the woman had made it on you it couldn't have fitted better. Baker' -- Baker was the buxom female -- "said that she knew it was right.You did that very prettily to Sir Harry. Now go up and ask Colonel Stubbs what he thinks of it.""Indeed, I won't," said Ayala. Lady Albury, a few minutes afterwards, when she saw Ayala walking away towards the drawing-room leaning on the Colonel's arm, acknowledged to herself that she did at last understand it. The Colonel had been able to see it all, even without the dress, and she confessed in her mind that the Colonel had eyes with which to see, and ears with which to hear, and a judgment with which to appreciate. "Don't you think that girl very lovely?" she said to Lord Rufford, on whose arm she was leaning.
"Something almost more than lovely," said Lord Rufford, with unwonted enthusiasm.
It was acknowledged now by everybody. "Is it true about Colonel Stubbs and Miss Dormer?" whispered Lady Rufford to her hostess in the drawing-room.
"Upon my word, I never inquire into those things," said Lady Albury. "I suppose he does admire her. Everybody must admire her.""Oh yes;" said Lady Rufford. "She is certainly very pretty. Who is she, Lady Albury?" Lady Rufford had been a Miss Penge, and the Penges were supposed to be direct descendants from Boadicea.
"She is Miss Ayala Dormer. Her father was an artist, and her mother was a very handsome woman. When a girl is as beautiful as Miss Dormer, and as clever, it doesn't much signify who she is." Then the direct descendant from Boadicea withdrew holding an opinion much at variance with that expressed by her hostess.
"Who is that young lady who sat next to you?" asked Captain Glomax of Colonel Stubbs, after the ladies had gone.
"She is a Miss Ayala Dormer."
