Land reclamation (ii.1)
Archibald had grown unaccustomed to noisy evenings during his time of voluntary seclusion. Dinners at the Morrisons' were usually accompanied by leisurely conversation and news of mutual acquaintances, and besides the host, his wife, and Archibald himself, only two or three guests attended. Now, however, about twenty people had gathered in the room, which had previously seemed so spacious and full of air. Mrs. Morrison wore a dark green dress with a strand of white pearls around her neck, while Mr. Morrison, in a black tailcoat, looked ten years older and an era more serious. They were definitely trying to impress.
Apart from the couple, Archibald knew Mr. Andrews, the banker. He was a jolly man and quite pleasant to talk to. Mr. Morrison's cousin, Lady Albright, was also familiar to him. The other guests were not so interesting.
Archibald stood in the alcove by the window and silently watched the guests. He was a little bored, but stronger than the boredom was a feeling of utter disappointment. On the way to the Morrisons', he imagined all sorts of scenes in his head: how he would enter and cast a cold glance at everyone, raise his head, and stride across the room to Baines; how he would tell him everything that he had kept in his soul for months and then leave with a trail of disapproving whispers stretching behind him. He estimated that ten minutes would be enough for his little performance.
However, when he finally arrived at the Morrisons' house, he couldn't accomplish any of his plans. The hostess greeted him with a somewhat motherly air; even Mr. Morrison was pleased, and the servants were far too helpful. Archie decided to abstain from the scandals for a while.
Theodore Baines didn't even notice him. He looked better than he had a year ago, though he got noticeably bald. He nodded a lot and chatted enthusiastically with the other guests. The words "Edinburgh" and "publishing house" were mentioned a couple of times, and Archie immediately connected them: Baines was doing just fine, and it irritated him immensely.
While Baines was talking to a tall man with a red beard, who later revealed himself to be Colonel William Carnegie, Mrs. Morrison approached Archie and began chatting with him about this and that with incredible liveliness.
"Mr. Jones, I'm so glad you came! Have you tried the sandwiches yet? Please, do try them. I've ordered that there be nothing more filling than cucumber in the sandwiches and that nothing stronger than champagne be served. Have you noticed how gloomy Mr. Godwin is today? It's because they don't pour him sherry!"
Archibald laughed.
"That is very cruel, Mrs. Morrison. Aren't you afraid I will reveal your secret?"
"Not at all, Mr. Jones!" she replied, looking around at the guests. "Would you like me to introduce you to Lord Heaton? Lord Heaton, come here for a moment. You haven't met, have you? Lord Heaton, allow me to introduce Archibald Jones—the gentleman I told you about last time. Mr. Jones, tell Lord Heaton what you do in your spare time when not occupied with your poems: I believe you once mentioned... land reclamation?"
Archie glanced at Mrs. Morrison, who, with a polite smile, hurried back to Lady Albright and Miss Barker.
"And how many hectares do you have, Mr. Jones?" the lord asked.
"Not too many, Lord Heaton. I did indeed do some land reclamation a couple of years ago; Mr. Fletcher... Mr. James Fletcher asked me."
The lord nodded slowly.
"And you are just the ones I need!" Mr. Andrews called out. "You are not leaving yet, are you, Lord Heaton? And you, Archibald? Excellent! Now that the lovely ladies have retired to the drawing room, Mr. Morrison invites everyone into the smoking room. Do you smoke, my dear lord?"
"I do."
"Then let us go have a smoke."
Archibald followed them.