feeling for me.
47
We reached the house at about five o’clock. It was already dark and we went in as quietly as we could. Like a company of conspirators.
Ellen looked at the empty basket.
“So you finished off every crumb?” she said.
“It was the finest mutton pie you ever made, Ellen,” said Carl.
“Then it was wasted on you,” she retorted. “It wasn’t mutton, it was pigeon.”
A small thing, but it was an indication of how careful we must be.
Sally Nullens was fussing round Carl.
“And I hope you didn’t hang about on the beach, Master Carl. If that wind gets down in your chest…”
“Oh, we didn’t go on the beach.”
“So you didn’t go on the beach, then?”
“Only just to look at it as we went along the way.”
“And you didn’t sit on the shingle? Then what’s this seaweed stain on your jacket, eh?”
Carl was embarrassed. “Well, perhaps we did sit a little bit.”
He was looking at me appealingly.
I said: “You’re always dreaming, Carl. Of course we were on the beach for a while.”
Then there was old Jasper.
“Someone’s been trampling on those new trees I put in. Well nigh broke them saplings in halves. Godless lot.”
I was thankful that Jocelyn was safely away from the house.
I went up to my room and I didn’t have to wait there long before there was a tap on the door. Leigh came in.
He grinned at me. “I shouldn’t come into a lady’s bedroom, should I? Oh, but this is only my little sister, so all would be forgiven, even by old Philpots, I reckon.”
“Don’t be foolish,” I said. “What do you want?”
He was serious immediately. “I thought I’d talk it over with you first.”
The waves of inexplicable anger which his reference to me as his little sister had aroused were swept away because I was bis chosen confidante.
“After all,” he said, “you know her better than any of us really … even better than I do.”
“Who?”
“Harriet. My mother.”
“Harriet! But where does she come into this?”
“I thought she might help us. She’s the only one I can think of 48
who would snap her fingers at the risk. And we are taking a great risk, Priscilla.
What we have done could bring trouble on the whole of the family.”
“What else could we have done?” I thought of Jocelyn Frinton, so handsome he had been, and his warm looks had been rather specially for me. I would have risked a great deal for him. But I saw what Leigh meant. We had to think of the family.
“I’ve been turning it over in my mind but I didn’t want to say anything until I had talked it over with you. I thought of going over to Harriet and asking her if she would help. If she will, this is what I plan. Jocelyn calls on her. He will be an actor whom she knew in London … or somewhere. He will be John … Fellows …
or something like that. We’ll keep the initials. That is always wise. She does have a lot of odd people calling on her from time to time and no one would take very much notice of a new one. Nor would they think it strange that he turned up like that.
She could keep him there for a while. She might make him act a bit in one of those plays she is always arranging. He would be more safely hidden in the open as it were than in some cave where he has to be fed from our end. Besides, it would be desperately uncomfortable for him if the weather turned cold. Now what do you think of this?”
“Oh, Leigh, I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
“Do you think she would agree?”
“I’m sure she would. She loves intrigue and she hates intolerance. I am sure Titus Gates is just the sort of person she would dislike most.”
“I’m glad you agree. What I propose is this. I ride over to see my mother. I shall have to be gone a week. It takes two days at least to get there … and two days back. You can be sure that I shall not stay longer than necessary. In the meantime the rest of you must keep Frinton hidden and get food to him somehow. You’ll have to be
47
We reached the house at about five o’clock. It was already dark and we went in as quietly as we could. Like a company of conspirators.
Ellen looked at the empty basket.
“So you finished off every crumb?” she said.
“It was the finest mutton pie you ever made, Ellen,” said Carl.
“Then it was wasted on you,” she retorted. “It wasn’t mutton, it was pigeon.”
A small thing, but it was an indication of how careful we must be.
Sally Nullens was fussing round Carl.
“And I hope you didn’t hang about on the beach, Master Carl. If that wind gets down in your chest…”
“Oh, we didn’t go on the beach.”
“So you didn’t go on the beach, then?”
“Only just to look at it as we went along the way.”
“And you didn’t sit on the shingle? Then what’s this seaweed stain on your jacket, eh?”
Carl was embarrassed. “Well, perhaps we did sit a little bit.”
He was looking at me appealingly.
I said: “You’re always dreaming, Carl. Of course we were on the beach for a while.”
Then there was old Jasper.
“Someone’s been trampling on those new trees I put in. Well nigh broke them saplings in halves. Godless lot.”
I was thankful that Jocelyn was safely away from the house.
I went up to my room and I didn’t have to wait there long before there was a tap on the door. Leigh came in.
He grinned at me. “I shouldn’t come into a lady’s bedroom, should I? Oh, but this is only my little sister, so all would be forgiven, even by old Philpots, I reckon.”
“Don’t be foolish,” I said. “What do you want?”
He was serious immediately. “I thought I’d talk it over with you first.”
The waves of inexplicable anger which his reference to me as his little sister had aroused were swept away because I was bis chosen confidante.
“After all,” he said, “you know her better than any of us really … even better than I do.”
“Who?”
“Harriet. My mother.”
“Harriet! But where does she come into this?”
“I thought she might help us. She’s the only one I can think of 48
who would snap her fingers at the risk. And we are taking a great risk, Priscilla.
What we have done could bring trouble on the whole of the family.”
“What else could we have done?” I thought of Jocelyn Frinton, so handsome he had been, and his warm looks had been rather specially for me. I would have risked a great deal for him. But I saw what Leigh meant. We had to think of the family.
“I’ve been turning it over in my mind but I didn’t want to say anything until I had talked it over with you. I thought of going over to Harriet and asking her if she would help. If she will, this is what I plan. Jocelyn calls on her. He will be an actor whom she knew in London … or somewhere. He will be John … Fellows …
or something like that. We’ll keep the initials. That is always wise. She does have a lot of odd people calling on her from time to time and no one would take very much notice of a new one. Nor would they think it strange that he turned up like that.
She could keep him there for a while. She might make him act a bit in one of those plays she is always arranging. He would be more safely hidden in the open as it were than in some cave where he has to be fed from our end. Besides, it would be desperately uncomfortable for him if the weather turned cold. Now what do you think of this?”
“Oh, Leigh, I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
“Do you think she would agree?”
“I’m sure she would. She loves intrigue and she hates intolerance. I am sure Titus Gates is just the sort of person she would dislike most.”
“I’m glad you agree. What I propose is this. I ride over to see my mother. I shall have to be gone a week. It takes two days at least to get there … and two days back. You can be sure that I shall not stay longer than necessary. In the meantime the rest of you must keep Frinton hidden and get food to him somehow. You’ll have to be
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