"By the way don't tell Philip I came" Mary interposed at her most ill assured and nervous.
Mrs Weatherby at once assumed a mantle of tragic calm and decision.
"Then you know everything" she proclaimed in a low voice.
The two women stared at each other in amazement. Suddenly Jane laughed. A good-natured smile spread across her face but there was still a trace of slyness about the eyes. Miss Pomfret looked small, frightened, and bewildered.
"Then what exactly did dear John say?" the elder asked with a casual tone of voice.
"Only that Mummy and you were great friends."
"Darling Julia" Mrs Weatherby assented. "And you are so like her dears. Simply the living spit! I am very fond of John" she added then waited rather out of breath.
"You see I've never had anyone tell me about Mummy" the girl said with an appealing smile.
"But doesn't dear John?"
"Oh you know what Daddy is."
"Yes I see, I see. What was it exactly you wanted to find out?"
"But everything, how she was like, everything."
"Of course. Look my angel" Mrs Weatherby beamed on Mary "I'm such a stupid, so you will forget all I said about idle tongues won't you? I thought" she went on obviously at random "you'd heard something about that absurd houseparty. It was in Essex before you were born. But simply invented, every single word made up! I suppose people had much more time on their hands those days which made them so dangerous. Darling Julia!!" She sighed. "Darling darling Julia and how she would have simply been overjoyed, to be sitting looking at you here this instant minute!"
There was a pause during which Jane gazed earnestly into Miss Pomfret's face.
"Did. you go down to stay in Essex together then in those days?" the gift inquired at last.
"Never once" Mrs Weatherby replied immediately.
"Put all that right out of your sweet mind. Now promise me. You see my dear you were a little sudden, weren't you, so lovely there by the lift! And I was just a tiny bit upset."
"Why, is anything wrong?"
Jane gave the girl a shrewd look.
"These beastly servants" she said. "Half the time they don't know the dish they're serving. But how selfish of me! What was it you wanted about your dear mother?"
"I'm so ashamed" Mary excused herself. "Suddenly turning up like this of course you wouldn't understand at first."
"But where did you learn how to find me? You are really clever and so sweet with it."
"Philip said." At this Mrs Weatherby started. "Why that wasn't anything awful was it?"
"Awful?" Mrs Weatherby echoed, her response to this colder. At that moment Richard Abbot appeared for a minute on the way out behind his bags but Miss Pomfret had her back towards him. "Awful?" Jane repeated. "Good gracious me I should hope not. No it's just that little Penelope is ever such a little bit run down and I always think the wind down here is splendid don't you for all that sort of thing. No we've been like mice" she added "like mice, just breathing the air in! We simply haven't seen a soul."
"She got upset didn't she playing at being married?"
Mrs Weatherby took this with great good humour.
"Well my dear" she said "I can at least tell who you got that from. Oh no I'm not blaming, Philip is so sweet with his sister, only dear Mary I can speak out to you can't I, but sometimes he does rather overdo things don't you think, makes them out to be more than they really are. It's true an old friend came to tea and Penelope dear darling was a wee bit upset after." Mrs Weatherby paused, seemed to reftect. "She's so sensitive and jealous. It was one of my dearest friends, we went to dances together, had all the same partners, I've known her for years. And you know how things are. Soon as you have children of your own you'll come upon this very same problem you sweet soull When they're brought in after tea they expect undivided attention, the wonderful pets, and I suppose Pen thought she was being a trifle neglected."
"Probably mine will be at my skirts all day long if I have any" Miss Pomfret commented shyly. "But did this friend know Mummy too?" she asked.
"We all loved Julia" Mrs Weatherby answered. "Why we loved her!"
"Did you know Daddy too then?"
"Of course you angel! It was almost a double wedding. We were never a moment out of each other's houses at one time. Your beloved mother was my dearest friend!"
"Who did you get to love first?"
There was a pause, then Jane cried "Just listen to you. Isn't that sweet!" And Mrs Weatherby's extraordinary eyes did at this moment fill with tears. So she went on for twenty minutes about Julia's perfections following which, after hardly putting another question, Mary excused herself and left.
Once she was outside the girl hurried back to the station.
Mrs Weatherby had just set her face to rights when she looked up to find her son Philip standing there.
"Good Lord dear boy have you seen Mary?" she cried.
"I had lunch with her yesterday" he said.
"No just now not an instant ago" she insisted.
"My sweet Mamma she's in the office cutting out an article on English cherry blossom for the Japanese."
"What are you down here for then?"
"Oh I thought I'd have a change. To tell the truth I'd something I rather wanted to ask."
"And you came all the way down to Brighton just for that?"
"It wasn't anything I could very well mention over the phone. Look here you won't be annoyed will you but am I Father's son?"
Mrs Weatherby went deep red under the make-up.
"Are you what?" she demanded menacingly.
"All right Mamma forget this" he said in haste.
"What has one done to deserve it?" she claimed in a low voice. She looked closely at his hangdog face. Then she again began to laugh. "Oh God" she said. "Forgive me dearest but what a gowk you are! So you're in love with her isn't that the thing? Or is it more of this damned snobbery? Philip do take your hat off and sit down. You can't stand in a hotel lobby to ask questions like you just have of your very own mother your flesh and blood and remain covered!" He sat at her side. "There" she said "that's better. Are you sure you feel quite all right? Are you contemplating marriage, Philip?"
He mumbled no.
"Quite sure?" she asked. "So this is the reason she wished to see me then" she added.
"Who?"
"Mary."
"No Mamma what can she have wanted? You say she's been here?"
"Why all the hurry though dear boy? Good God but you aren't now proposing to dope? With Mary? Oh my dears." She peered at him with her marvellous soft eyes as though he might be ill. "Please oh please don't do anything sudden darling, always such a mistake" she said. She laid a white fat hand on his forearm to restrain him. "If much happened I'd never be able to look poor John in the face after" she appealed. "Promise me! But you're wet" she cried "you're soaked through." She moved her hand to his forehead. "It's burning!" she announced. "That's how it is then, you're in a high fever, you don't know what you're doing, oh dear and in a hotel too. Did you see little Penelope?"
"Who, Mamma?"
"I'm so worried but this of course explains everything, you've a great temperature. No I've been fussed about the darling if you really want an answer to your stupid question. There are some people here who seemed perfect and I let her run out with their child, the two of them. are just of an age. Now look my dear boy you must change at once and have a good hot bath. No arguments please. Oh you'll be the death of me with your pneumonia and your silly insane ideas. Here's the key to my room. Have a really hot bath and sit in my dressing gown while I see, the manager."
"See the manager?" he echoed.
"To get your clothes dried of course" she told him. "You don't suppose I specially bring a change of suits for you when I come away for the weekend and haven't been told that you're to pay me a visit unannounced. If children only knew the worry and responsibility they were to their parents."