New Celebrations: The Adventures of Anthony Villiers by Alexei Panshin Page A

actually became her more. The dress had a wholesome look, and she, like it or not, as she might not now, but certainly would later when she had time to appreciate the advantages, did also.
    “Fasten me, please,” Louisa said.
    Alice came to her assistance. It is a perplexing question why women’s garments should invariably be made in such a fashion that either contortion or assistance is required to close them. It is certainly not an insoluble problem to design closures that do not interfere with the lines of the clothes and are still within ready reach. The easiest answer might be that there are advantages in being able to ask to be done or undone.
    Louisa said, “He really isn’t that stiff. At least I don’t remember him that way. I remember him as being very funny.” She began to look through her extra trappings and hangings.
    “Oh, hey, I’ve got an idea,” Alice said. She went to the service, and after studying it for a minute, mastered the controls well enough to place a call. “Oh, hello,” she said. “I have a friend staying here in Star Well—a Mr. Villiers. Can you tell me which room he is in?”
    “Mr. Villiers is not in a room. Mr. Villiers is in the Palatine Suite.”
    “How much does that cost?”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “The suite—how much is it per day?”
    “Oh, come away!” Louisa said, but was ignored.
    “The Palatine Suite is our best,” said the deskman. “One royal a day.”
    “Oh, thank you,” Alice said and rang off.
    “You shouldn’t have done that,” Louisa said. “You don’t ask somebody straight off like that. You ask one man where Mr. Villiers is staying, and then you ask somebody else how much the Palatine Suite costs.”
    “I don’t see why,” Alice said. “I wanted to know.”
    “But this way he knows what you’re interested in. Not just Mr. Villiers, but money. You shouldn’t let him know that much.”
    “I don’t see why. And, oh, my—he is in the royal-a-day room! It’s just like we said. Oh, you’ll have to hide in the closet.”
    The door was tried, and then someone rapped. As Alice crossed to open the door, Louisa said, “I don’t think I need to hide in the closet. After all, he is taking me to dinner.”
    “No, I mean afterwards, when our ship—” Alice stopped abruptly as she saw who was at the door. “Good evening, Mrs. Bogue.”
    Mrs. Bogue swept in. “Good evening, Alice. What’s this about the ship?”
    “Oh, nothing. I was just saying it’s nice to have a large room after the ship.”
    “You’re not dressed, Alice.” She consulted a piece of paper. “We have a table scheduled in the Buff Room in forty minutes. I want you ready to leave in twenty. And no nonsense. Good evening, Louisa. You’re looking very well.”
    “Thank you, Mrs. Bogue.”
    “Turn around. Let me look you over.” Louisa turned obediently.
    “Alice, stop larking and get moving. I think you’ll do, Louisa. Now I want you to mind your manners particularly carefully tonight. Sit straight, mind what you say, don’t eat and talk at the same time, be back by ten hundred, and be sure to thank Mr. Villiers for the evening.”
    “Yes, Mrs. Bogue.”
    “And, Louisa, I do want you to look your best tonight. I brought you this to wear.” She held out a silver brooch.
    “Oh, Mrs. Bogue, how lovely. Thank you.”
    “Here, let me pin it on. I thought silver would go with anything you chose.”
    Alice, coming to look, said, “Oh, it does.”
    Mrs. Bogue turned precisely and said, “Alice, you have just fifteen minutes. You had better use them to good advantage.” And she left.
    When the door had closed behind her, Alice said, “It does look nice, doesn’t it?”
    Louisa said, “And just when I was ready to totally hate her.”
    Alice said, “Oh, I still do. Just concentrate on remembering the way we had to stay in our room on the ship.”
    “Still, I didn’t expect her to do a thing like this.”
    * * *
    Adams let Phibbs out of the room, closed