"You seemed to know more than enough that time you were under cross-examination," jeered the exasperated Bob.
"Yes, I didn"t do badly," acquiesced Clytie, her serenity quite unruffled. "But you know, Bob, you"re an awful juggins--yes, an out and out juggins."
"I suppose so. May I ask why?"
"Certainly. Here you are putting Delia up to a scheme which is like being content with one silver spoon when you could collar the whole swag." (The speaker was in course of typing a detective story.) "Now-- d"you see?"
"Hanged if I do," snorted Bob. "There"s nothing in it either. These Wagrams are rolling in coin, but you mustn"t pitch your claim too high.
There"s such a thing as "excessive" damages, appeal, and so forth.
How"s that, old female Solomon? You see I do know a little about things after all."
"Not anything--not anything," came the reply, sweetly smiling. "Who"s talking about damages? That"s not the plum at all."
"What is, then?"
"Capture the man. See? It"s quite simple. Capture the man. Yes?
Does that make your chin rap the toes of your boots?"
For Bob was standing open-mouthed. The cool audacity of the scheme had struck him dazed, breathless.
"Fudge!" he snorted. "It can"t be done."
"Why not?"
"Why not? Because these Wagrams are tip-top swells--regular high flyers. I don"t mean only that they"ve got pots of money, and just about everything else. But, hang it all, look at them, look at us! No fear. That c.o.c.k won"t fight, I tell you--no, not for half-an-hour."
"Not, eh? Bob, as I said before, you"re a juggins; a juggins of the first water," retorted Clytie, sweetly. "A man is always--a man. No matter how tip-top, and so forth, he may be, there"s no getting away from that."
"Bosh! You"ve been reading too many of these high-falutin" novels they give you to type. That sort of thing doesn"t happen in real life, I tell you."
"Your knowledge and experience of real life being exhaustive," was the unruffled reply. "Let me tell you that sort of thing does happen in real life, happens every day. It only wants working."
"Does it? I say, Clytie, why don"t you take on the job yourself, as Delia doesn"t seem over sweet on it?" said Bob, with a guffaw. "That heavenly expression of yours ought to carry all before it. It only wants working. Ha--ha!"
"I"m scratched for that running," she answered serenely. "It"s not for nothing all the surrounding whelps--of your kidney, Bob, and others-- have labelled me "Damages." But Delia--well she"s, so to say, fresh on the scene, and then, the adventure business gives her a first-rate send off. I think this job might be worked. Now, Delia, let"s have your opinion on it for a change. I"m tired of Bob"s."
"My opinion is that never in my life have I wasted half-an-hour listening to such perfectly unutterable bosh as you two have been talking--no, never," was the reply, short and emphatic; "and I don"t want to hear any more of it."
Clytie pursed up her very pretty lips and whistled meditatively. The while she eyed her sister narrowly and read her like a book. As a matter of fact the latter had not been so indifferent to their conversation as she would have had them believe. Listening, her heart had thrilled to a strange, wild venture of a hope, only to drop it, a dead weight, as she thought of her relatives. Had they but met in a new country far away from all such a.s.sociations--well, who knew. To do her justice, it was of the man she thought, the man entirely, and apart from his circ.u.mstances and surroundings; indeed, she almost hated these, as const.i.tuting an insurmountable barrier.
"As for saying "look at them and look at us,"" pursued Clytie, "why, from all accounts, Mrs Wagram Wagram Number One was no very great shakes."
"All the more reason why the said W.W. isn"t going to be such a fool as to repeat the experiment," said Bob. "By the way, didn"t she shoot herself in mistake for him, or something?"
"No; took too much morphia by mistake, and died. It was the only good thing she ever did for him, for she used to lead him the very devil of a life. She was a holy terror, from all accounts."
"And so you think he"ll be such an a.s.s as to risk it again, do you?"
"Certainly, my dear Bob. As I said before, a man is always--a man-- otherwise an a.s.s. The thing stares you in the face every day."
"P"raps it does. Well, chip in, Delia. Chip in for all you know how.
We"ll help you for all we do. By George, though, you"ll have to begin by turning Papist!"
"Hilversea Court"s worth turning anything for," murmured Clytie.
"Oh, and there"s the ready-made step-son," went on the odious Bob.
"We"re forgetting him. How old is the young "un, Clytie? About twelve, isn"t he?"
The query ended _staccato_. The ways of Siege House were strange and summary, wherefore Delia, exasperated beyond endurance, had picked up a heavy rubber golosh, one of a pair that stood in the hall, and had launched it full and straight at the head of the offending youth, who barely escaped by a prompt dive. In the midst of which sounded a ring of the front gate bell.
"Now, who the very deuce can that be?" remarked Clytie.
"Maybe the old man"s come in "fresh," and can"t fit his key," jeered Bob.
""Tisn"t him. He wouldn"t ring, he"d batter--especially if he"s "full,"" rejoined Clytie, whose knowledge of the paternal habits was exhaustive. "One of us"ll have to go to the door. Emily"s out. Wait; let"s make sure first who it is."
She pa.s.sed into a room whose windows afforded a view of the front gate, only to reappear immediately in a state of suppressed excitement, a very unusual thing for her.
""Talk of the devil,"" she quoted. "Why, it"s him."
"Who? The devil?" said Bob.
"No, you a.s.s; Wagram Wagram himself! Now, Delia, you and I"ll worry out this tangle. Go in there," pushing her through a door. "And you, Bob, make yourself scarce. You"re not to appear, see?"
"Why not? Where do I come in?"
"Nowhere. We don"t want you at all. You"d give away the whole show.
Come, git!"
Grumbling, Bob "got." He could not afford to run direct contrary to his sisters" wishes when decidedly expressed; he was too much dependent on their good offices in more ways than one. In abolishing him on this occasion Clytie"s judgment was sound. The descendants male of the ex-army vet were a great deal less presentable than the descendants female--and this she knew.
CHAPTER FIVE.
A SURPRISE VISIT.
Clytie opened the gate with the little half-startled look of astonishment in her face which she had so quickly yet carefully planned.
The countenance of the visitor, on the other hand, was not free from a reciprocating surprise. He had not bargained on this admission at the hands of one of the daughters of the house--and an uncommonly attractive looking one at that.
"Er--my name is Wagram," he began, raising his hat. "One of your sisters met with something of an accident on our place a few days back, and I thought it would be a satisfaction to know she was none the worse for it. Is Major Calmour at home?"
The semi-puzzled look which had rested on Clytie"s face during this speech gave way to a carefully planned light up at its conclusion.
"Oh, yes, of course. We heard about that, and your part in it, Mr Wagram. But won"t you come in? My father is somewhere at the back, and will be delighted to thank you in person." And having uttered this shocking tarradiddle, she ushered him into the drawing-room.
Delia rose as he entered, having spent the intervening period in making superhuman efforts to recover her wonted composure. A volume of effusive thanks on the subject of the bicycle aided her efforts still further.