"Good-bye. Please don"t have poor Bob arrested. He didn"t steal the boots--oh, the shoes, at any rate."
"I expect he was in prison already."
Neaera shook her head with an air of bewilderment. "I really don"t understand you. But I"m glad we"re not enemies any longer."
George departed, but Neaera sat down on the rug and gazed into the fire.
Presently Bob came to look after the forgotten milk. He rubbed himself right along Neaera"s elbow, beginning from his nose, down to the end of what he called his tail.
"Ah, Bob," said Neaera, "what do you want? Milk, dear? "Good for evil, milk for----""
Bob purred and capered. Neaera gave him his milk, and stood looking at him.
"How would you like to be drowned, dear?" she asked.
The unconscious Bob lapped on.
Neaera stamped her foot. "He shan"t! He shan"t! He shan"t!" she exclaimed. "Not an inch! Not an inch!"
Bob finished his milk and looked up.
"No, dear, you shan"t be drowned. Don"t be afraid."
As Bob knew nothing about drowning, and only meant that he wanted more milk, he showed no grat.i.tude for his reprieve. Indeed, seeing there was to be no more milk, he pointedly turned his back, and began to wash his face.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE FRACAS AT MRS. POCKLINGTON"S.
"I never heard anything so absurd in all my life," said Mr. Blodwell, with emphasis.
George had just informed him of the treaty between himself and Neaera.
He had told his tale with some embarra.s.sment. It is so difficult to make people who were not present understand how an interview came to take the course it did.
"She seemed to think it all right," George said weakly.
"Do you suppose you can shut people"s mouths in that way?"
"There are other ways," remarked George, grimly, for his temper began to go.
"There are," a.s.sented Mr. Blodwell; "and in these days, if you use them, it"s five pounds or a month, and a vast increase of gossip into the bargain. What does Gerald say?"
"Gerald? Oh, I don"t know. I suppose Mrs. Witt can manage him."
"Do you? I doubt it. Gerald isn"t over easy to manage. Think of the position you leave him in!"
"He believes in her."
"Yes, but he won"t be content unless other people do. Of course they"ll say she squared you."
"Squared me!" exclaimed George, indignantly.
"Upon my soul, I"m not sure she hasn"t."
"Of course you can say what you please, sir. From you I can"t resent it."
"Come, don"t be huffy. Bright eyes have their effect on everybody. By the way, have you seen Isabel Bourne lately?"
"No."
"Heard from her?"
"She sent me a message through Tommy Myles."
"Is he in her confidence?"
"Apparently. The effect of it was, that she didn"t want to see me till I had come to my senses."
"In those words?"
"Those were Tommy"s words."
"Then relations are strained?"
"Miss Bourne is the best judge of whom she wishes to see."
"Quite so," said Mr. Blodwell, cheerfully. "At present she seems to wish to see Myles. Well, well, George, you"ll have to come to your knees at last."
"Mrs. Witt doesn"t require it."
"Gerald will."
"Gerald be---- But I"ve never told you of my fresh evidence."
"Oh, you"re mad! What"s in the wind now?"
Five minutes later, George flung himself angrily out of Mr. Blodwell"s chambers, leaving that gentleman purple and palpitating with laughter, as he gently re-echoed,
"The cat! Go to the jury on the cat, George, my boy!"
To George, in his hour of adversity, Mrs. Pocklington was as a tower of strength. She said that the Nestons might squabble among themselves as much as they liked; it was no business of hers. As for the affair getting into the papers, her visiting-list would suffer considerably if she cut out everybody who was wrongly or, she added significantly, rightly abused in the papers. George Neston might be mistaken, but he was an honest young man, and for her part she thought him an agreeable one--anyhow, a great deal too good for that insipid child, Isabel Bourne. If anybody didn"t like meeting him at her house, they could stay away. Poor Laura Pocklington protested that she hated and despised George, but yet couldn"t stay away.
"Then, my dear," said Mrs. Pocklington, tartly, "you can stay in the nursery."
"It"s too bad!" exclaimed Laura. "A man who says such things isn"t fit----"