‘All three?’
‘Valhubert was with them.’
‘Oh, he was, was he! And did they give a reason?’
‘The excuse was the food – in other words, no excuse at all because I think I may say the food in my house is excellent. I eat it myself. They pretended that poor little Billy last half – you remember the tragedy – threw himself into the weir on purpose because of it. Nothing could be more far-fetched. They said the choice was between a suicide pact and immediate departure.’
‘Naughty!’ I stifled a giggle.
‘I need hardly tell you that I shall be unable to take them back again after this. The drama was played out in public – half the school saw them go. It seems they stopped in Slough for Fabrice to say good-bye to his mistress and three children.’
‘Rubbish,’ I said irritably. ‘I’ve heard about this mistress in Slough all my life – ever since my cousins were at school. And the King of Siam’s seven wives living over the post-office. Typical Eton tales.’
‘That may be. I’m only telling you to show the effect of all this on the other boys and the impossibility of my overlooking their conduct.’
‘Oh yes, I see, and I quite realize. Does M. de Valhubert know?’
‘Not yet. I shall ring him up now.’
‘Just tell me where they’ve gone, will you?’
‘I have no idea.’
‘No idea! Didn’t you ask them?’
‘Certainly I did not.’
My irritation turned to fury. What did we pay the wretched man for? With incredible frivolity he had allowed these children we had put in his care, while we were serving our country overseas, to vanish into the blue. All very well for him to be so light-hearted about it; he had got rid of them for good. My troubles were just beginning, but that evidently left him cold.
‘Then there’s nothing more to say?’
‘Nothing, I’m afraid.’ We rang off.
I told Katie to keep the line clear until Madame de Valhubert should ring up. Presently I asked her, ‘What’s become of Northey? I haven’t seen her this morning.’
‘She was up all night with the kittens. Mélusine doesn’t seem to have any milk – too old probably – so it’s the fountain-pen filler. Poor Northey’s trying to get some sleep; I’ve taken over for her. Every two hours, and one of them isn’t sucking properly. I think this is Madame de Valhubert now – that was her butler’s voice –’
‘Fanny – you are au courant?’
‘Yes, indeed. That idiot rang us up first. I’m simply furious –’
‘Old Tartuffe! Did you ever hear anything so shameful!’
‘It’s a disgrace, Grace. I shall tell Alfred he’s not to pay a penny for this half.’
‘No, don’t let’s. The boys have never cost him much at any time – Sigi lived on mercy parcels I had to send from Hédiard. The wretch! Calmly telephoning to say he let the boys leave without even having taken the trouble to find out where they were going! I expect they are all being murdered by a sex maniac in the fog at this very minute, poor little things –’
‘Oh well, I expect not –’
‘You know what England is, darling. I was wondering if couldn’t porter plainte against the school?’
‘What does Charles-Edouard say?’
‘He’s down in his circonscription for the Armistice – and I suppose Alfred has gone to Compiègne? What ought we to do? So dreadful to think of those children all alone in London.’
‘We aren’t even sure they’ve gone to London.’
‘Knowing Sigi I think they have. Who will feed them?’
‘I’ve a good mind to go over now and see what they are up to,’ I said.
‘You can’t. There’s a fog as usual. Didn’t you notice, no English papers? Look at it here, such a heavenly day –’
‘In any case it wouldn’t be much good for me to wander round London looking for them like Thomas à Becket’s mother, without a clue as to where they are. I suppose we must wait and consult with our husbands when they get back. We’ll keep in touch, but let’s anyhow meet tomorrow and talk it over. I should think we’ll know more by then.’
‘You’re an optimist!’ said Grace. ‘À demain then, unless there’s any news before.’
However, at tea-time she rang up again. ‘Almost too irritating,’ she said, ‘I’ve just telephoned to my father on the chance he might know something and sure enough he gave them all luncheon at Wilton’s. Of course the wicked old man is on their side – he would be. Like all Englishmen he’s a schoolboy himself really. What a race! He says they ate everything within sight. They showed him menus of all the meals they’ve had this half which they kept as pièces justificatives and he says he can’t think how they stuck it as long as they did. Naturally no mention of the mercy parcels. Clever of Sigi, that was, the way to my father’s heart has always been through his stomach.’
‘Little brutes!’ I said. I had transferred some of my rage with the housemaster to the boys, as, I noticed, had Grace.
‘The maddening thing is,’ she went on, ‘he admits he gave them money.’
‘How much?’
‘He pretends he can’t remember – a few pounds he says. If I know Papa, he’ll have had at least £50 on him and if I know Sigi, he’ll have wheedled it all. So now goodness alone knows when we shall hear any more of them. They were still alive at luncheon-time, apart from that the situation is worse than if he hadn’t seen them.’
‘Didn’t you ask where they were staying?’
‘Naturally I did. He only said not with him. Trust him not to make himself uncomfortable in any way!’
At this point Katie cut in, saying, ‘Do we take a reversed charge call from London?’
‘Oh yes,’ I said, ‘that’s always one of the boys. I’ll
