Page:The Portrait of a Lady (1882).djvu/332

324 324 THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. not probably to the master of the house. There was one com- fort ; even if this gentleman had been placed on his guard by Madame Merle, he would not have extended the warning to Pansy; it would not have been part of his policy to let her know that a prepossessing young man was in love with her. But he ivas in love with her, the prepossessing young man ; and all these restrictions of circumstance had ended by irritating him. What had Gilbert Osmond meant by giving him two fingers of his left hand^ If Osmond was rude, surely he himself might be bold. He felt extremely bold after the dull girl in pink had responded' to the call of her mother, who came in to say, with a significant simper at Eosier, that she must carry her off to other triumphs. The mother and daughter departed together, and now it depended only upon him that he should be virtually alone with Pansy. He had never been alone with her before ; he had never been alone with a jeune fille. It was a great moment ; poor Hosier began to pat his forehead again. There was another room, beyond the one in which they stood - a small roonl which had been thrown open and lighted, but, the company not being numerous, had remained empty all the evening. It was empty yet ; it was upholstered in pale yellow ; there were several lamps ; through the open door it looked very pretty. Rosier stood a moment, gazing through this aperture ; he was afraid that Pansy would run away, and felt almost capable of stretching out a hand to detain her. But she lingered where the young lady in pink had left them, making no motion to join a knot of visitors on the other side of the room. For a moment it occurred to him that she was frightened too frightened perhaps to move ; but a glance assured him that she was not, and then he reflected that she was too innocent, indeed, for that. After a moment's supreme hesitation he asked her whether he might go and look at the yellow room, which seemed so attractive yet so virginal. He had been there already with Osmond, to inspect the furniture, which was of the First French Empire, and especially to admire the clock (which he did not really admire), an immense classic structure of that period. He there- fore felt that he had now begun to manoeuvre. "Certainly, you may go," said Pansy; "and if you like, I will show you." She was not in the least frightened. " That's just what I hoped you would say ; you are so very kind," Rosier murmured. They went in together ; Rosier really thought the room very ugly, and it seemed cold. The same idea appeared to have struck Pansy.