"Spells Calmour."
There was a laugh at this.
"He is a holy terror, Monsignor," explained Haldane. "Sort of paints the town red at intervals. The whole lot of them are impossible, yet this girl seems an exception. She"s been away from home a long time, I believe, and, of course, that may account for it."
"Possibly," said the prelate. "I noticed her yesterday, and she seemed very devout. Are these people Catholics?"
"Not they. I don"t suppose they"re anything at all," answered Haldane.
"Old Calmour was very "sky blue" that day I called there," said Wagram.
"He groped right past me, and I was thankful he didn"t know me from Adam. He was certainly "talking" when he couldn"t batter his own gate in."
"They say the girls have to stop their ears tight when he"s "fresh,""
said Haldane; "and yet Damages can do a little "talking" off her own from all accounts."
"You wouldn"t think it to look at her," said Wagram.
"That"s just it. But I believe it"s a fact, all the same."
"Well, then, what about this other one?" pursued Wagram mischievously.
"She may be just as deceptive, and yet you"ve booked her to lunch at your place next week."
"I rather pride myself on being a student of character," said Haldane, "and I don"t, somehow, think this case will prove me wrong."
"No; I don"t think so either," a.s.sented Wagram.
"I formed a favourable impression of her, too--the mere glimpse I had of her when we met," said Monsignor Culham. "She certainly is a very pretty girl, and I should think a good one. It might even be that in the fulness of time she should prove the means of salvaging the rest of the family."
"Her brother Bob would take a great deal of salvaging," said Haldane drily. "Hallo, the child"s late," he added, with a glance at the clock.
"Said she"d be in before this."
"In! Why, I thought she might be sleeping off the effects of her efforts yesterday," said the Squire.
"Not she. She"s adding to them. She"s gone down with Hood to try and capture an early trout."
"Really!" exclaimed Monsignor. "Is she generally successful, Mr Haldane?"
"She"s a very fair hand at throwing a fly. Really, though, Monsignor, I"m afraid you"ll think me a doting sort of a driveller on that subject.
The fact is, we all spoil her shockingly among us. Wagram doesn"t come far behind me in that line, and the Squire too."
"I"m not surprised," answered the prelate. "I think she is without exception the dearest child I have ever seen, and the proof of it is she remains unspoiled through it all. Why, there she is."
On the lawn she was standing, just handing her trout rod to the old head keeper, who could not refrain from turning his head with a smile of admiration as he walked away. Then she danced up to the window, the pink flush of health in her cheeks, the blue eyes alight with a mischievous challenge.
"Well? What luck, Sunbeam?" said Haldane, who was already at the open window.
"Ah--ah! I wasn"t to get any, was I?" she cried ostentatiously, holding down the lid of her creel. "Well--look."
She exhibited a brace of beautiful trout, each something over a pound, but in first-rate condition.
"Did you get them yourself?" said Wagram, who liked to tease her occasionally.
"Mr Wagram! I shall not speak to you for the whole of to-day--no--half of it."
"I thought possibly Hood might have captured them," he explained. "Did you say one or both?"
"Now it will be the whole of the day."
"Well done, little one. Did they fight much?" said Haldane. "You shall tell us about it presently. Cut away now and t.i.tivate, because Wagram was threatening to polish off all the strawberries if you weren"t soon in, and I want you to have some."
"He"d better; that"s all," was the answer as she danced away, knowing perfectly well that the offender designate would get through the intervening time picking out all the largest and most faultless--looking for her especial delectation. Whereby it is manifest that her father had stated no more than bare fact in a.s.serting that they all combined to spoil her. Equally true, it should be added, was Monsignor Culham"s dictum that they had not succeeded.
"Are my censures removed?" said Wagram as Yvonne entered. "Look at all I have been doing for you," holding up the plate of strawberries.
"I don"t know. Perhaps they ought to be. I said I wouldn"t speak to you for the whole day. Well, we"ll make it half the day. I"ll begin at lunch-time."
"Then we"ll say half the strawberries. You shall have the other half at lunch-time."
"Look at that!" she cried. "Claiming pardon by a threat! You can"t do that, can he, Monsignor?"
"Certainly not," answered the prelate, entering thoroughly into the fun of the thing; "not for a moment."
"_Roma locuta--causa finita_," p.r.o.nounced Wagram with mock solemnity, handing her the plate. "Of course, I bow."
"In that case I must treat you with generosity, and will talk to you now, especially as you are dying to know where and how I got my trout.
I got them both, then, within fifty yards of each other; one in the hole below Syndham Bridge, the other at the tail of the hole; one with a Wickham"s Fancy, the other with a small Zulu--"
"Didn"t Hood play them for--?"
"Ssh-h-h! You"ll get into trouble again," interrupted Yvonne. "You"re repeating the offence, mind."
"_Peccavi_."
"I"ll forgive you again on one condition: I"m just spoiling for a bicycle ride. You shall take me for one this afternoon."
"Won"t the whole day be enough for you?"
"Not quite. The afternoon will, though."
"Well, that"ll suit me to a hair. We"ll make a round, and I"ll look in at Pritchett"s farm; I want to see him about something. What do you think, Haldane? Are you on?"
"Very much off, I"m afraid. I sent my machine in to Warren"s to be overhauled. He promised it for yesterday morning, but the traditions of the great British tradesman must be kept up. Wherefore it is not yet here. But you take the child all the same."
At first Yvonne declared she didn"t want to go under the circ.u.mstances, but was overruled.
"I"ve got to go into Fulkston on business, Sunbeam," said her father, "so I shall be out of mischief, anyhow. I"ll borrow one of the Squire"s gees, if I may."
"Why, of course," said the Squire. "You know them all, Haldane. Tell Thompson which you"d rather ride."