'What is Giles going to wear tonight?'
I asked, 'or is it a dead secret?'
'No, rather not,' beamed Giles; 'as a matter-of-fact it's a pretty good effort.
I got our local tailor to rig it up.
I'm coming as an Arabian sheik.'
'Good God,' said Maxim.
'It's not at all bad,' said Beatrice warmly.
'He stains his face of course, and leaves off his glasses.
The head-dress is authentic.
We borrowed it off a friend who used to live in the East, and the rest the tailor copied from some paper.
Giles looks very well in it.'
'What are you going to be, Mrs Lacy?' said Frank.
'Oh, I'm afraid I haven't coped much,' said Beatrice,
'I've got some sort of Eastern get-up to go with Giles, but I don't pretend it's genuine.
Strings of beads, you know, and a veil over my face.'
'It sounds very nice,' I said politely.
'Oh, it's not bad. Comfortable to wear, that's one blessing.
I shall take off the veil if I get too hot.
What are you wearing?'
'Don't ask her,' said Maxim. 'She won't tell any of us.
There has never been such a secret.
I believe she even wrote to London for it.'
'My dear,' said Beatrice, rather impressed, 'don't say you have gone a bust and will put us all to shame?
Mine is only home-made, you know.'
'Don't worry,' I said, laughing, 'it's quite simple really.
But Maxim would tease me, and I've promised to give him the surprise of his life.'
'Quite right too,' said Giles. 'Maxim is too superior altogether.
The fact is he's jealous. Wishes he was dressing up like the rest of us, and doesn't like to say so.'
'Heaven forbid,' said Maxim.
'What are you doing, Crawley?' asked Giles.
Frank looked rather apologetic.
I've been so busy I'm afraid I've left things to the last moment.
I hunted up an old pair of trousers last night, and a striped football jersey, and thought of putting a patch over one eye and coming as a pirate.'
'Why on earth didn't you write to us and borrow a costume?' said Beatrice.
"There's one of a Dutchman that Roger had last winter in Switzerland.
It would have suited you excellently.'
'I refuse to allow my agent to walk about as a Dutchman,' said Maxim. 'He'd never get rents out of anybody again.
Let him stick to his pirate.
It might frighten some of them.'
'Anything less like a pirate,' murmured Beatrice in my ear.
I pretended not to hear.
Poor Frank, she was always rather down on him.
'How long will it take me to paint my face?' asked Giles.
'Two hours at least,' said Beatrice.
'I should begin thinking about it if I were you.
How many shall we be at dinner?'
'Sixteen,' said Maxim, 'counting ourselves.
No strangers.
You know them all.'
'I'm beginning to get dress fever already,' said Beatrice.