Mrs. Walker was one of those American ladies who, while residing abroad, make a point, in their own phrase, of studying European society, and she had on this occasion collected several specimens of her diversely born fellow mortals to serve, as it were, as textbooks.
When Winterbourne arrived, Daisy Miller was not there, but in a few moments he saw her mother come in alone, very shyly and ruefully.
Mrs. Miller's hair above her exposed-looking temples was more frizzled than ever. As she approached Mrs. Walker, Winterbourne also drew near.
"You see, I've come all alone," said poor Mrs. Miller.
"I'm so frightened; I don't know what to do. It's the first time I've ever been to a party alone, especially in this country.
I wanted to bring Randolph or Eugenio, or someone, but Daisy just pushed me off by myself. I ain't used to going round alone.""And does not your daughter intend to favor us with her society?"demanded Mrs. Walker impressively.
"Well, Daisy's all dressed," said Mrs. Miller with that accent of the dispassionate, if not of the philosophic, historian with which she always recorded the current incidents of her daughter's career.
"She got dressed on purpose before dinner. But she's got a friend of hers there; that gentleman--the Italian--that she wanted to bring.
They've got going at the piano; it seems as if they couldn't leave off.
Mr. Giovanelli sings splendidly. But I guess they'll come before very long,"concluded Mrs. Miller hopefully.
"I'm sorry she should come in that way," said Mrs. Walker.
"Well, I told her that there was no use in her getting dressed before dinner if she was going to wait three hours," responded Daisy's mamma.
"I didn't see the use of her putting on such a dress as that to sit round with Mr. Giovanelli.""This is most horrible!" said Mrs. Walker, turning away and addressing herself to Winterbourne. "Elle s'affiche. It's her revenge for my having ventured to remonstrate with her.
When she comes, I shall not speak to her."
Daisy came after eleven o'clock; but she was not, on such an occasion, a young lady to wait to be spoken to.
She rustled forward in radiant loveliness, smiling and chattering, carrying a large bouquet, and attended by Mr. Giovanelli.
Everyone stopped talking and turned and looked at her.
She came straight to Mrs. Walker. "I'm afraid you thought I never was coming, so I sent mother off to tell you.
I wanted to make Mr. Giovanelli practice some things before he came;you know he sings beautifully, and I want you to ask him to sing.
This is Mr. Giovanelli; you know I introduced him to you;he's got the most lovely voice, and he knows the most charming set of songs. I made him go over them this evening on purpose;we had the greatest time at the hotel." Of all this Daisy delivered herself with the sweetest, brightest audibleness, looking now at her hostess and now round the room, while she gave a series of little pats, round her shoulders, to the edges of her dress.
"Is there anyone I know?" she asked.
"I think every one knows you!" said Mrs. Walker pregnantly, and she gave a very cursory greeting to Mr. Giovanelli. This gentleman bore himself gallantly. He smiled and bowed and showed his white teeth;he curled his mustaches and rolled his eyes and performed all the proper functions of a handsome Italian at an evening party.
He sang very prettily half a dozen songs, though Mrs. Walker afterward declared that she had been quite unable to find out who asked him.
It was apparently not Daisy who had given him his orders.
Daisy sat at a distance from the piano, and though she had publicly, as it were, professed a high admiration for his singing, talked, not inaudibly, while it was going on.
"It's a pity these rooms are so small; we can't dance," she said to Winterbourne, as if she had seen him five minutes before.
"I am not sorry we can't dance," Winterbourne answered;"I don't dance."
"Of course you don't dance; you're too stiff," said Miss Daisy.
"I hope you enjoyed your drive with Mrs. Walker!""No. I didn't enjoy it; I preferred walking with you.""We paired off: that was much better," said Daisy.
"But did you ever hear anything so cool as Mrs. Walker's wanting me to get into her carriage and drop poor Mr. Giovanelli, and under the pretext that it was proper?
People have different ideas! It would have been most unkind;he had been talking about that walk for ten days.""He should not have talked about it at all," said Winterbourne;"he would never have proposed to a young lady of this country to walk about the streets with him.""About the streets?" cried Daisy with her pretty stare.
"Where, then, would he have proposed to her to walk?
The Pincio is not the streets, either; and I, thank goodness, am not a young lady of this country. The young ladies of this country have a dreadfully poky time of it, so far as I can learn;I don't see why I should change my habits for THEM.""I am afraid your habits are those of a flirt," said Winterbourne gravely.
"Of course they are," she cried, giving him her little smiling stare again.
"I'm a fearful, frightful flirt! Did you ever hear of a nice girl that was not? But I suppose you will tell me now that I am not a nice girl.""You're a very nice girl; but I wish you would flirt with me, and me only," said Winterbourne.
"Ah! thank you--thank you very much; you are the last man I should think of flirting with. As I have had the pleasure of informing you, you are too stiff.""You say that too often," said Winterbourne.
Daisy gave a delighted laugh. "If I could have the sweet hope of making you angry, I should say it again.""Don't do that; when I am angry I'm stiffer than ever.
But if you won't flirt with me, do cease, at least, to flirt with your friend at the piano; they don't understand that sort of thing here.""I thought they understood nothing else!" exclaimed Daisy.
"Not in young unmarried women."
"It seems to me much more proper in young unmarried women than in old married ones," Daisy declared.