"The fact is," remarks Honor, shaking her head gravely at the brothers Talboys, "Mr. Ned and Mr. Ben have been giving the children too many good things. Bobby already begins to look as if a powder might be desirable sooner or later."
"_Honor!_" exclaims that young gentleman indignantly, while Mr. Ned, much concerned at the charge brought against himself and his brother, says emphatically:
"I _assure_ you, my dear, we have been most judicious in that respect, and I am sure that Daisy at least had nothing richer than apricot-tart and cream. To be sure," he adds after a minute, "I have some slight recollection of my brother Ben and Daisy having finished up the tart between them, but I _don't_ think it was a very large one. Master Bob and I preferred something more substantial--didn't we, young man?"
"Yes," replies Bobby promptly. "We had a roly-poly jam-pudding, Mr. Ned and I. And we had the jam-pot up as well, because we thought Mrs. Edwards had not put enough in--didn't we, Mr. Ned?"
"Hush--sh--sh!" says Mr. Edward, shaking his finger at the boy; "you mustn't tell tales out of school, young Bob, or we shall have Miss Honor after us with the cane!"
When Mrs. Merivale a little later comes out of the drawing-room, leaving Hugh still chatting to Daisy, Molly is just descending the stairs, having been up to her room to take her hat off. She waits for her, therefore, and tenderly folding her daughter in her arms she whispers, "I am so glad, dear child! Now go into the drawing-room and sit with him and Daisy in the cool for a little while. We will call you out when tea is ready. I will tell the others and make it all easy for you, dear. See if Hugh would like anything after his dusty walk. Poor fellow, what a wreck he is indeed!" and opening the door again Mrs. Merivale gently pushes her daughter into the room.
Sitting there in the welcome shade of the darkened room, with one hand in Hugh's strong grasp and the other clasped by Daisy's little sympathetic fingers, Molly listens quietly to all that Hugh is telling her little sister of his experiences and adventures abroad; and presently he turns to her and tells her of the devotion and kindness with which Colonel Danvers tended him while on his bed of sickness, and indeed up to the time he had left Egypt.