“It’s all right,” said Archie. “It’s an invite from your sister for a big shoot at Abbeylands. What does it mean--that’s what I’d like to know? Does it mean that decent people are going to make me the apple of their eye, after all?”
“I don’t think it goes quite so far as that,” said Harold. “I expect it means that my sister has come to the end of her discoveries and she’s forced to fall back on you.”
“Oh, is that all?” Archie looked disappointed. “All? Isn’t it enough?” said Harold. “Why, you’re in luck if you let her discover you. I knew that her atheists couldn’t hold out. She used them up too quickly. One should he economical of one’s genuine atheists nowadays.”
“Great Godfrey! does she take me for an atheist?” shouted Archie.
“Did you ever hear of an atheist shooting pheasants?” said Harold. “Not likely. An atheist is a man that does nothing except talk, and talks about nothing except himself. Now, you’re asked to the shoot, aren’t you?”
“Of course. And that shows that you’re not taken for an atheist.”
“I’m glad of that. I draw the line at atheism,” Archie replied with a smile.
“I hope you’ll have a good time among the pheasants.”
“I’m sure you will. I may have thought you a bit of a fool before I came to know you, Archie--”
“And since you heard that I had taken the Legitimate.”
“Well, yes, even after that masterpiece of astuteness. But I would never think that you’d be fool enough to throw away this chance.”
“Of getting among decent people. I told you that my sister has nothing but decent people when there’s a shoot--there’s no Coming Man in anything among the house-party. Yes, it’s sure to be comfortable. It’s the very thing for you.”
“Is it? I’m not so certain about it. The people there are pretty sure to allude in a friendly spirit to my red hair.”
“Well, yes, I think you may depend upon that. That means that you’ll get on so well among them that they will take an interest in your personality. If you get on particularly well with them they may even allude to the simplicity of your mug. If they do that, you may be certain that you are a great social success.”
It was in this musing spirit that he took in a contemplative way a lump of sugar out of the sugar bowl, turned it over between his fingers as though it was something altogether new to him. Then he threw the lump up to the ceiling, his face became one mouth, and the sugar disappeared.