Lady Underhill wrestled with herself. She was a woman of great will-power and accustomed to triumph over the weaknesses of the flesh. After awhile her eyes opened. She had forced herself, against the evidence of her senses, to recognize that this was a platform on which she stood and not a deck.
There was a pause. Algy, damped, was temporarily out of action, and his friends had for the moment nothing to remark.
“I’m afraid you had a trying journey, mother,” said Derek. “The train was very late.”
“Now, _train_-sickness,” said Algy, coming to the surface again, “is a thing lots of people suffer from. Never could understand it myself.”
“I’ve never had a touch of train-sickness,” said Ronny.
“Oh, I have,” said Freddie. “I’ve often felt rotten on a train. I get floating spots in front of my eyes and a sort of heaving sensation, and everything kind of goes black …”
“I should be greatly obliged if you would keep these confidences for the ear of your medical adviser.”
“Freddie,” intervened Derek hastily, “my mother’s rather tired. Do you think you could be going ahead and getting a taxi?”
“My dear old chap, of course! Get you one in a second. Come along, Algy. Pick up the old waukeesis, Ronny.”
And Freddie, accompanied by his henchmen, ambled off, well pleased with himself. He had, he felt, helped to break the ice for Derek and had seen him safely through those awkward opening stages. Now he could totter off with a light heart and get a bite of lunch.
Lady Underhill’s eyes glittered. They were small, keen, black eyes, unlike Derek’s, which were large and brown. In their other features the two were obviously mother and son. Each had the same long upper lip, the same thin, firm mouth, the prominent chin which was a family characteristic of the Underhills, and the jutting Underhill nose. Most of the Underhills came into the world looking as though they meant to drive their way through life like a wedge.
“A little more,” she said tensely, “and I should have struck those unspeakable young men with my umbrella. One of the things I have never been able to understand, Derek, is why you should have selected that imbecile Rooke as your closest friend.”
“It was more a case of him selecting _me_. But Freddie is quite a good fellow really. He’s a man you’ve got to know.”