"But I love Daddy."
"You can't."
"I do, so now you know."
"They're wicked darling" he exclaimed. "They've had two frightful wars they've done nothing about except fight in and they're rotten to the core."
"Barring your relations I suppose?"
"Well Mamma's a woman. She's really not to blame. Nevertheless I do include her. Of course she couldn't manage much about the slaughter. And she can be marvellous at times. Oh I don't know though, I think I hate them every one.
"But why on earth?"
"I feel they're against us."
"You and me do you mean?"
"Well yes if you like. They're so beastly selfish they think of no one and nothing but themselves."
"Are you upset about your twenty-firster then?"
"Not really" he answered. "I wouldn't've had one in any case."
"Then what is actually the matter?"
There was a long pause.
"It's because they're like rabbits about sex" he said at last.
"But I don't know the habits of rabbits, do I, except they have delicious noses?"
"You're laughing at me."
"I am a bit."
"But you realize I'm right, Mary darling."
"No I don't" she said. "And I'm mad about Daddy."
"Well then what d'you really think about my mother?"
"To me she's very clever and rather sweet, now at all events."
"Even when she practically broke up your mother's home?"
"Oh no Philip you're not to go on in this way about parents. If you continue like it you'll begin to have them on the brain and then there'll be rows and all sorts of unpleasantnesses."
"But can you stand by and listen to this talk of theirs without putting in a word?"
"Mummy's dead, we'll never know the truth and it's you who're raking a whole lot up or so I think."
"Oh I didn't have that idea at alt" he protested.
"Yet Philip it can only harm Mummy."
"When she was the aggrieved party?" he demanded.
"Of course. You must be discreet you really must."
"I'm sorry. It's natural the whole business should be beastly for you. Forgive me." He sounded genuine and penitent. She smiled rather sadly.
"You' re forgiven" she said.
But it appeared he was unable to keep off the subject.
"I went to see Arthur Morris the other day" he began again.
"So did I."
"You did? Yes I think he said something. I've forgotten. But he made the oddest statement. That when a woman starts to get tired of a man she stops feeding him, having him in for real meals."
"If that's so then I truly love Daddy because I what you call feed the dear one all the time."
"We did discuss him as a matter of fact."
"In what way?" she demanded with signs of irritation.
"As to whether Mamma was still fond of your father."
"No Philip you shan't go on like this and you simply mustn't discuss Daddy with Mr Morris. I won't have it d'you hear? You're just raking the ashes and I tell you it's most frightfully suspect."
"I know" he hastened to explain. "I see your point. But I can't sleep at night now, I'm getting in a regular state."
"Oh darling what's the matter?" she asked nervously, and for the first occasion in the evening looked full at him.
"I hope you'll find this absurd, too ridiculous for words, but I've told you before, we might be half brother and sister."
"So you want to make out whether I'm one of your precious relatives?" she asked with scorn.
"Well yes in a way. Yes I do."
"Then I'm not!" she said in almost a loud voice. "I've been making inquiries on my own and we're quite definitely not what you say."
"We aren't?" he cried and it was obvious that he was deeply excited. "You're sure? Certain?"
"Yes Philip."
"But how? Who can possibly tell?"
"Now I'm not going to have another word about that poor wretched worthy of yours ever again. And you're to promise me before we leave here!"
"You swear it's true Mary?"
"I do" she said. She got out a handkerchief, blew her nose hard. "Now will you promise?"
He showed signs of great nervousness.
"All right. Yes. I will" he said.
She gave him a small smile.
"It's right, what I said. You can trust me" she averred.
"But you went to find out on your own?" he demanded.
"Now you promised yon know" she reminded him.
"Yes" he said.
There was a further pause.
"Have another drink?" he asked with enthusiasm at last. "You don't want to go on with those light ales. Try a short."
"I think I'll stik to beer if yon do feel like one more" she replied, smiling sadly at him. This time she did not offer to pay the round and sighed as she looked at her face in her mirror while he went to fetch their drinks.
"Have you heard about little Penelope?" he inquired when he came back. He laughed in rather a wild manner.
"No."
"She can't let go of her arm now."
"What do you mean?"
"She will persist in hugging her own elbow, Mary. Holds her left arm in the right hand all day, even falls asleep like it at night."
"And how does your mother accept that one?" Miss Pomfret demanded with the first sign of malice she had shown.
"Well I think she's wrong, she takes not the slightest notice Mamma doesn't. But to my mind it might be really serious."
"In what way?" the girl demanded in a bored voice.
"You see I got to the bottom" he replied. "Cheers" he said, raising the glass to his lips. She let her drink stand on the table. "I made Pen come out with it" he went on. "You've no idea the passion for secrecy they have at that age."
"I was one once you know" she reminded him.
"By now you must have forgotten" he said. "Well it seems she saw a war-wounded man with a stump for an arm on the front at Brighton without his coat, escaping out of chains or something. So she thinks unless she keeps hold she'll lose hers."
Miss Pomfret yawned.
"I've told Mamma but she won't catch on" he continued. "Mary what do you think?"
"I expect Penelope's doing this to attract attention. Girls usually like attention you know" Miss Pomfret said.
"But if that's the case she'll go on indefinitely."
"I suppose she may Philip."
"That's a grim thought surely?"
"One day she'll marry and then her husband can take over" Miss Pomfret dryly suggested.
"Well you know what my mother is. I can't understand her ignoring this. Oh aren't one's parents and their friends extraordinary! Imagine what I overheard between Mamma and that old Abbot. He was going endlessly on about his war experiences out in Italy. She'd said how wonderful she found white oxen, I expect someone once said those great eyes of hers were so like. As a matter of fact I distinctly admire her eyes don't you? But anyway he said he'd spent night after night out with them. That made Mamma scream all right. So he came back that a night in a stall with an ox was a damn sight better than one out in the open alone under stars. Then she asked did they snore? Would you believe it? And there's worse coming. Because when he didn't reply Mamma said 'Do they dream Richard?' Honestly I was nearly sick."
"I know" Miss Pomfret agreed. "They can be frightful."
MRS WEATHERBY was giving Mary's father dinner.
"Oh my dear" she said "when are we ever going to see the sun?" He sighed.
"Is there simply never to be spring this year?" she insisted.
"The continual rain is too frightful" Mr Pomfret agreed. "Well Jane was your trip down to Brighton a success?"
"It helped Penelope and me so enormously John."
"Did you see anyone?" he incuriously inquired.
" Richard Abbot came over for the day which was sweet of him wasn't it? Oh yes Philip was kind enough to look in."
"And how's Pen?"
"Ah the gallant angel" Jane cried. "She's my one comfort apart from you. She loved Brighton. Just came back with a little thing, only that she has somehow to keep hold on her elbow, but I know a way to manage the little sweet. I'm going to buy her a bag, John, to carry. Now don't you think that a brilliant notion?"