Outbreak of Love by Martin Boyd Page B

a fool of myself—as usual,” she thought, and she went over to the writing table to refuse the invitation when Wolfie came in. She felt a sudden affection for him.
    â€œMr Lockwood has asked us to lunch at Menzies on Friday. You don’t want to go, do you?”
    â€œWho is Mr Lockwood?”
    â€œWe knew him as children. He was at the party.”
    â€œThen we must go.”
    â€œWhy? I don’t particularly want to.”
    â€œThere will be nice food, and it is good for me to eat in public,” said Wolfie.
    They discussed it for a little longer, and Diana wrote accepting the invitation, beginning: “Dear Mr Lockwood”. Then she thought: “Why should I copy his ridiculous formality?” and she took another sheet of paper and began “Dear Russell”. Then she thought that he might think that she was trying to force an intimacy, and she finished her letter on the first piece of paper. She did not know that Russell had also used two sheets.
    The other guests at the luncheon were Sir Dugald and Lady Pringle and Miss Rockingham, who in spite of her exalted associations was only a plain “Miss”, so that Russell put Lady Pringle on his right and Diana on his left, with the result that Miss Rockingham sat opposite him, making it appear that she was the hostess, and presumably his wife. The waiter evidently thought so, which did not disturb her in the least, either because she never allowed herself to show that anything disturbed her, or because she was so used to deference that she did not notice it, or because with that wickedness which had made her deliberately mention her likeness to a horse to embarrass her friends, it amused her to behave as if she were Russell’s wife, but with a subtle air of unconsciousness which would prevent anyone from saying that she was doing so. Also like a hostess, for the first half of the meal she devoted her attention to Sir Dugald on her right, and for the second half to Wolfie on her left.
    Lady Pringle talked all the time in her fluty voice of the cultural future of Australia. “We have the Mediterranean climate,” she said, “and it is that climate which has produced everything of value in Western civilization. Even the culture of the East, in Persiah and Chinah has developed on that latitude. It is certain that Australiah has a great cultural future.” These sounded like Russell’s ideas and Diana wondered if he had been talking to Lady Pringle in the same way that he had talked to herself.
    Russell made efforts to include Diana in the conversation but Lady Pringle, having blossomed overnight into a music critic, thought everything she had to say must be of value, and it was difficult to stem her flow. Diana and Wolfie, who was enjoying his food but was sulky because he was not being admired, were practically ignored, and she wished that they had not come. When Miss Rockingham released Sir Dugald and turned to Wolfie, with whom surprisingly she seemed to be enjoying herself, Diana was no better off, as Sir Dugald talked across her to Russell.
    By the end of the meal she felt that she almost disliked Russell, and was impatient for the moment when they could leave. She wondered why on earth he had asked them, and thought that he must have regretted the promise of close friendship contained in his manner at Elsie’s party, but was obliged to do something about it, as non-committal as possible.
    Miss Rockingham, who naturally assumed that she was the most important guest, at last said: “I have to go to help Lady Eileen lay a foundation stone,” and they rose from the table. When she had gone Sir Dugald went down to the cloakroom. Lady Pringle, to cover his retreat talked energetically to Wolfie. Russell turned to Diana: “I’m so sorry to have let you in for this,” he said. “I hope you didn’t find it too awful.”
    â€œOh no. It was very pleasant,” she said, for the