“What are your plans for the afternoon?” asked the rector. “You know that even the ordinary decencies of civilization have to be shunted in a parson’s life, I must be off in five minutes. Are you on for a walk, Waring?”
“I!—Oh, thank you, but, we—I—we—” he caught nervously on to his wife’s eyes, “we—we are very much engaged just now. We just called concerning this matter of quinine, and we have already absorbed too much of your time; untimely visitors are a keen trial—my wife and I have suffered much from this form of affliction.”
“Visitors are a brutal bane, ninety per cent. of them, but you two are most marked exceptions. We can go as far as the Park, anyway, for that is on my way, and I know my wife has designs on yours—you won’t get her back much before dinner time.”
“I would like to stay,” said Mrs. Waring softly, but she hung her head and did not look at her husband.
He looked at her, however, and his brows lifted themselves. He turned with solemnity to Mrs. Fellowes.
“Pray consider this question of quinine,” he said, “and let us know the result—our experience is quite insufficient to go on.”
“You are quite welcome to all mine,” said Mrs. Fellowes laughing.
He turned to his wife again. “Good-bye, my love. I hope I shall be able to get on with my work, but—ahem—this upsets one sadly.”
Mrs. Fellowes went to her husband in the hall just then and they were alone.
“This is quite unusual, love—are you wise to remain?” he said.
Mrs. Waring’s eyes wandered to Gwen’s picture.
“I would like to stay,” she said, then suddenly she bent towards him and the pink deepened on her cheeks, “but I will go if you like.”
“I wish you to do just as you like yourself, love.”
He loosed his hand gently from her clasp and followed Mrs. Fellowes into the hall, his fingers twitching.
In an instant she was after him and making for her hat when Mrs. Fellowes caught her.
“Come to the door and see them off,” she remarked innocently, drawing her arm through her own.
When she had seen them off the premises, Mrs. Fellowes shut her guest up with the picture and went to dress, then she scurried her off to the village, where they spent a rather remarkable two hours.
Mrs. Fellowes’ companion was first discovered by an urchin who was making mud pies in a gutter. At the first shock of his find, he gave a whoop and turned a summersault back into the dust, then he uplifted himself and fled with the news, despatching scouts to right and left on his progress.