"And I go and invite myself to luncheon! Lady John." He pushed back the armchair like one who clears the field for action. He stood before her with his legs wide apart, and a look of enterprise on his face. "You can buy me off! I"ll promise to remove myself in five minutes if you"ll put in a word for me."
"Ah!" Lady John shook her head. "Mr. Stonor inspires a similar enthusiasm in so many young----"
"They haven"t studied the situation as I have." He sat down to explain his own excellence. "They don"t know what"s at stake. They don"t go to that hole Dutfield, as I did, just to hear his Friday speech."
"But you were rewarded. My niece, Jean, wrote me it was "glorious.""
"Well, you know, I was disappointed," he said judicially. "Stonor"s too content just to criticize, just to make his delicate pungent fun of the men who are grappling--very inadequately of course--still _grappling_ with the big questions. There"s a carrying power"--he jumped to his feet again and faced an imaginary audience--"some of Stonor"s friends ought to point it out--there"s a driving power in the poorest constructive policy that makes the most brilliant criticism look barren."
She regarded the budding politician with good-humoured malice.
"Who told you that?"
"You think there"s nothing in it because _I_ say it. But now that he"s coming into the family, Lord John or somebody really ought to point out--Stonor"s overdoing his role of magnificent security."
The lady sat very straight. "I don"t see even Lord John offering to instruct Mr. Stonor," she said, with dignity.
"Believe me, that"s just Stonor"s danger! n.o.body saying a word, everybody hoping he"s on the point of adopting some definite line, something strong and original, that"s going to fire the public imagination and bring the Tories back into power----"
"So he will."
"Not if he disappoints meetings," said Farnborough, hotly; "not if he goes calmly up to town, and leaves the field to the Liberals."
"When did he do anything like that?"
"Yesterday!" Farnborough flung out the accusation as he strode up and down before the divan. "And now he"s got this other preoccupation----"
"You mean----?"
"Yes, your niece--the spoilt child of fortune." Farnborough stopped suddenly and smacked his forehead. "Of _course_!"--he wheeled round upon Lady John with accusing face--"I understand it now. _She_ kept him from the meeting last night! _Well!_"--he collapsed in the nearest chair--"if that"s the effect she"s going to have, it"s pretty serious!"
"You are," said his hostess.
"I can a.s.sure you the election agent"s more so. He"s simply tearing his hair."
She had risen. "How do you know?" she asked more gravely.
"He told me so himself, yesterday. I sc.r.a.ped acquaintance with the agent, just to see if--if----"
"I see," she smiled. "It"s not only here that you manoeuvre for that secretaryship!"
As Lady John moved towards the staircase she looked at the clock.
Farnborough jumped up and followed her, saying confidentially--
"You see, you can never tell when your chance might come. The election chap"s promised to keep me posted. Why, I"ve even taken the trouble to arrange with the people at the station to receive any message that might come over from Dutfield."
"For you?" She smiled at his self-importance.
Breathlessly he hurried on: "Immense unexpected pressure of work, you know--now that we"ve forced the Liberals to appeal to the country----"
He stopped as the sound of light steps came flying through the lobby, and a young girl rushed into the hall calling out gaily--
"Aunt Ellen! Here I----"
She stopped precipitately, and her outstretched arms fell to her sides.
A radiant, gracious figure, she stood poised an instant, the light of gladness in her eyes only partially dimmed by the horrid spectacle of an interloper in the person of a strange young man.
"My darling Jean!"
Lady John went forward and kissed her at the moment that the master of the house came hurrying in from the garden with a cheerful--
"I _thought_ that was you running up the avenue!"
"Uncle, dear!"
The pretty vision greeted him with the air of a privileged child of the house, interrupting only for an instant the babel of cross-purpose explanation about carriages and trains.
Lord John had shaken hands with d.i.c.k Farnborough and walked him towards the window, saying through the torrent--
"Now they"ll tell each other for the next ten minutes that she"s an hour earlier than we expected."
Although young Farnborough had looked upon the blooming addition to the party with an undisguised interest, he readily fell in with Lord John"s diplomatic move to get him out of the way. He even helped towards his own effacement, looking out through the window with--
"The Freddy Tunbridges said they were coming to you this week."
"Yes, they"re dawdling through the park with the Church Brigade."
"Oh, I"ll go and meet them;" and Farnborough disappeared.
As Lord John turned back to his two ladies he offered it as his opinion--
"That discreet young man will get on."
"But _how_ did you get here?" Lady John was still wondering.
Breathless, the girl answered, "He motored me down."
"Geoffrey Stonor?"
She nodded, beaming.
"Why, where is he then?"
"He dropped me at the end of the avenue, and went on to see a supporter about something."
"You let him go off like that!" Lord John reproached her.
"Without ever----" Lady John interrupted herself to take Jean"s two hands in hers. "Just tell me, my child, is it all right?"