'Where are your manners?' said Henry, seizing him by the shoulders, and turning him round. 'Don't you know the rule ladies first? This is Hal, Adeline.
You need a hair-cut, old boy. One of you send the servants to deal with this luggage. We both of us want our tea.'
They turned and went up the steps, the visitor talking briskly to his father. She seemed to know him very well. Hal made a face at Kitty behind his back. More than ever he wished he was having tea in the schoolroom. There was much talk and bustle and argument about the luggage. The visitor pointed to the things that she wanted upstairs.
'The rest can go in the box-room,' she was saying.
'I shan't need the two large trunks, they're full of summer things.'
The housemaid, rather red in the face, was bending over a hold-all packed with walking-sticks and umbrellas.
'I'll show you everything after tea,' said Henry, 'and if there's anything you don't like we'll have it changed. What about you children? Are you having tea upstairs?'
'No,' said Molly swiftly, 'we've got it in the dining-room, with you. The silver tea-set and everything.'
Henry laughed, and glanced across at the visitor.
'Very appropriate welcome,' he said. 'Come and sit down.'
The visitor was glancing at the pictures on the wall in a critical way.
'You didn't tell me you admired the Italian primitives, Henry,' she said. 'Those languid Madonnas. I can't bear 'em. They always look as if they need a plate of roast beef and a jolly good walk, to put some life into them.'
Henry laughed. He seemed to laugh at whatever the visitor said. And to the astonishment of all of them the visitor went and sat in Molly's place at the end of the table, in front of the silver tea-set.
Molly went scarlet, and Hal turned away because it hurt him to see his sister distressed. He knew how she had looked forward to pouring out and playing hostess. He sat down and stared hard at his plate. His father did not seem to notice that anything was wrong, and the visitor began to pour out the tea.
'Well, what have you all been doing?' said Henry. 'French, German, dancing classes, music, all the usual things? You wouldn't believe, Adeline, what I spend on these girls' education.'
'Let's hope they will make use of it,' said the visitor, and turning to Kitty, she asked her a question in French.
Now it was Kitty's turn to be embarrassed.
She flashed a glance of appeal at Molly.
'I'm sorry,' she said, 'but I don't understand.'
The visitor laughed.
'I thought you told me they were fluent,' she said to Henry. 'I'm afraid you were boasting. Are you going to pass me a scone, Hal, or do you want to eat them all yourself?'
Her eyes were bright and blue, and she smiled, showing white teeth. Hal mumbled an apology, and pushed the plate across the table.
'Dreaming as usual,' said his father. 'I tell you what it is, Adeline, the boy is studying your face, in order to paint your portrait. I've told you he was the artistic member of the family.'
Hal felt the colour mount into his face. It was coming, the conversation he dreaded, baiting him with questions.
'I had a brother who painted as a small boy,' said the visitor, 'but he forgot all about it when he went to school. You don't have much time for that sort of thing at Eton, do you, Hal?'
'Yes, he does,' said Kitty impulsively; 'he's done two lovely pictures for Molly and me, and something very special for father.'
'Has he, by gosh?' said Henry. 'Come on, Hal, what is it?'
'It's nothing,' said Hal, 'it's not good enough.
I don't think you'd like it.'
Nervously he jerked his tea-cup, and the tea spilt over the tablecloth, spreading over the white surface.
'Quick, a plate, Molly,' said the visitor, 'or it will stain the mahogany. Call one of the servants for a cloth. What a mess! If you want to be an artist, Hal, you'll have to have a steadier hand than that.'
Hal stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do, hating her and hating his own clumsiness.
'All right, sit down,' said his father impatiently. 'Don't stand gaping, like a dazed sheep. Tell me about Eton. Who are your friends?'
'I haven't any,' said Hal desperately.
'Oh, come,' said Henry, 'you must know some of the fellows in the house.'
At last Hal admitted that there was someone called Brown he rather liked.
'Brown? What Brown? I don't remember anyone of that name in my time. What does he do?
What are his games?'
'I don't think he does anything.'
'Sounds an interesting fellow,' said Henry.
'Come on, tell us some more.'
The visitor was laughing, and winking at his father across the table. Hal dug his nails into his hands. It was no use. He would not answer any more questions.
'I'm afraid my family are not showing off as well as I hoped,' said Henry. 'Molly looks sulky, Kitty can't speak a word of French, and my son and heir spills his tea all over the table-cloth and can give no account of his first half at Eton except that he admires a boy named Brown who possesses no accomplishments.
Adeline, I grovel. I take back all I told you in Nice.'
The children stared at their plates. This jocular, joking manner of their father's was embarrassing. Why did he have to be so in with this person called Adeline, who stared at each one of them with critical blue eyes, and did not like the Italian pictures on the walls?
Then the door opened, and Lizette came into the room, changed into a white frock for the occasion, her hair tied with two white bows. She was shy. She stood by the door, a finger in her mouth.
'Well, baby, what's wrong? I shan't bite you,' said the visitor.
Lizette looked at Kitty. Nobody in the house ever called her baby.
'She generally has a piece of sugar at tea-time,' said Molly. 'Come here, darling.
Molly will give you one.'
The child limped to the table. Hal saw the visitor gaze with curiosity at the heavy foot, in its high boot.
'She ought to do special exercises,' she said to Henry. 'I knew of someone who was lame from birth, and it worked wonders. But you have to keep at it.
Special exercises, for an hour a day, supervised by a trained expert. I'll find out about it.'
Lizette stared at the stranger, as she ate her sugar. She knew her foot was being discussed, and she did not like it.
'Will the lady go soon?' she said to Molly.
Everyone pretended not to hear. Molly bent down and whispered in her ear.
Hal, still staring at his plate, wondered if his father was looking at Lizette in the strange, regretful, half- shamefaced fashion that he sometimes did. Hal knew now that if Lizette had not been born his mother would not have died. But this was something that he did not care to think about. People having children was an uncomfortable subject, especially when it was to do with one's own father, one's own mother…
The visitor was getting up, and pushing back her chair.
'Now what about inspecting the house?' she said briskly.
'Where do you want to start?' smiled Henry.
'The most important place of all, the kitchen,' she answered.
Molly hesitated, and glanced at her father.
'I don't think they will have finished tea,' she said; 'we never do invade the basement at this time of day. I'm afraid Mrs. Lester might not like it.'
'Mrs. Lester will have to put up with it,' said Henry. 'Go ahead, Adeline, you take command from now on. I wash my hands of everything.'
