CHAPTER V
Philippa's breakdown was only momentary. With a few brusque wordsshe brought the other two down to the level of her newly recoveredequanimity.
"To be practical," she began, "we have no time to lose. I will goand get a suit of Dick's clothes, and, Helen, you had better take Mr.Lessingham into the gun room. Afterwards, perhaps you will have time toring up the hotel."
Lessingham took a quick step towards her,--almost as though he wereabout to make some impetuous withdrawal. Philippa turned and methis almost pleading gaze. Perhaps she read there his instinct ofself-abnegation.
"I am in command of the situation," she continued, a little morelightly. "Every one must please obey me. I shan't be more than fiveminutes."
She left the room, waving back Lessingham's attempt to open the door forher. He stood for a moment looking at the place where she had vanished.Then he turned round.
"Major Felstead's description," he said quietly, "did not do his sisterjustice."
"Philippa is a dear," Helen declared enthusiastically. "Just for amoment, though, I was terrified. She has a wonderful will."
"How long has she been married?"
"About six years."
"Are there--any children?"
Helen shook her head.
"Sir Henry had a daughter by his first wife, who lives with us."
"Six years!" Lessingham repeated. "Why, she seems no more than a child.Sir Henry must be a great deal her senior."
"Sixteen years," Helen told him. "Philippa is twenty-nine. And now,don't be inquisitive any more, please, and come with me. I want to showyou where to change your clothes."
She opened a door on the other side of the room, and pointed to a smallapartment across the passage.
"If you'll wait in there," she begged, "I'll bring the clothes to youdirectly they come. I am going to telephone now."
"So many thanks," he answered. "I should like a pleasant bedroom andsitting room, and a bathroom if possible. My luggage you will findalready there. A friend in London has seen to that."
She looked at him curiously.
"You are very thorough, aren't you?" she remarked.
"The people of the country whom it is my destiny to serve all are," hereplied. "One weak link, you know, may sometimes spoil the mightiestchain."
She closed the door and took up the telephone.
"Number three, please," she began. "Are you the hotel? The manager?Good! I am speaking for Lady Cranston. She wishes a sitting-room,bedroom and bath-room reserved for a friend of ours who is arrivingto-day--a Mr. Hamar Lessingham. You have his luggage already, I believe.Please do the best you can for him.--Certainly.--Thank you very much."
She set down the receiver. The door was quickly opened and shut.Philippa reappeared, carrying an armful of clothes.
"Why, you've brought his grey suit," Helen cried in dismay, "the one helooks so well in!"
"Don't be an idiot," Philippa scoffed. "I had to bring the first I couldfind. Take them in to Mr. Lessingham, and for heaven's sake see that hehurries! Henry's train is due, and he may be here at any moment."
"I'll tell him," Helen promised. "I'll smuggle him out of the back way,if you like."
Philippa laughed a little drearily.
"A nice start that would be, if any one ever traced his arrival!" sheobserved. "No, we must try and get him away before Henry comes, but, ifthe worst comes to the worst, we'll have him in and introduce him. Henryisn't likely to notice anything," she added, a little bitterly.
Helen disappeared with the clothes and returned almost immediately,Philippa was sitting in her old position by the fire.
"You're not worrying about this, dear, are you?" the former askedanxiously.
"I don't know," Philippa replied, without turning her head. "I don'tknow what may come of it, Helen. I have a queer sort of feeling aboutthat man."
Helen sighed. "I suppose," she confessed, "I am the narrowest person onearth. I can think of one thing, and one thing only. If Mr. Lessinghamkeeps his word, Dick will be here perhaps in a month, perhaps sixweeks--certainly soon!"
"He will keep his word," Philippa said quietly. "He is that sort ofman."
The door on the other side of the room was softly opened. Lessingham'shead appeared.
"Could I have a necktie?" he asked diffidently. Philippa stretched outher hand and took one from the basket by her side.
"Better give him this," she said, handing it over to Helen. "It is oneof Henry's which I was mending.--Stop!"
She put up her finger. They all listened.
"The car!" Philippa exclaimed, rising hastily to her feet. "That isHenry! Go out with Mr. Lessingham, Helen," she continued, "and waituntil he is ready. Don't forget that he is an ordinary caller, and bringhim in presently."
Helen nodded understandingly and hurried out.
Philippa moved a few steps towards the other door. In a moment it wasthrown open. Nora appeared, with her arm through her father's.
"I went to meet him, Mummy," she explained. "No uniform--isn't it ashame!"
Sir Henry patted her cheek and turned to greet his wife. There wasa shadow upon his bronzed, handsome face as he watched her ratherhesitating approach.
"Sorry I couldn't catch your train, Phil," he told her. "I had to make acall in the city so I came down from Liverpool Street. Any luck?"
She held his hands, resisting for the moment his proffered embrace.
"Henry," she said earnestly, "do you know I am so much more anxious tohear your news."
"Mine will keep," he replied. "What about Richard?"
She shook her head.
"I spent the whole of my time making enquiries," she sighed, "and everyone was fruitless. I failed to get the least satisfaction from any oneat the War Office. They know nothing, have heard nothing."
"I'm ever so sorry to hear it," Sir Henry declared sympathetically. "Youmustn't worry too much, though, dear. Where's Helen?"
"She is in the gun room with a caller."
"With a caller?" Nora exclaimed. "Is it any one from the Depot? I mustgo and see."
"You needn't trouble," her stepmother replied. "Here they are, comingin."
The door on the opposite side of the room was suddenly opened, and HamarLessingham and Helen entered together. Lessingham was entirely at hisease,--their conversation, indeed, seemed almost engrossing. He came atonce across the room on realising Sir Henry's presence.
"This is Mr. Hamar Lessingham--my husband," Philippa said. "Mr.Lessingham was at college with Dick, Henry, so of course Helen and hehave been indulging in all sorts of reminiscences."
The two men shook hands.
"I found time also to examine your Leech prints," Lessingham remarked."You have some very admirable examples."
"Quite a hobby of mine in my younger days," Sir Henry admitted. "Oneor two of them are very good, I believe. Are you staying in these partslong, Mr. Lessingham?"
"Perhaps for a week or two," was the somewhat indifferent reply. "I amtold that this is the most wonderful air in the world, so I have comedown here to pull up again after a slight illness."
"A dreary spot just now," Sir Henry observed, "but the air's all right.Are you a sea-fisherman, by any chance, Mr. Lessingham?"
"I have done a little of it," the visitor confessed. Sir Henry's facelit up. He drew from his pocket a small, brown paper parcel.
"I don't mind telling you," he confided as he cut the string, "that Idon't think there's another sport like it in the world. I have triedmost of them, too. When I was a boy I was all for shooting, perhapsbecause I could never get enough. Then I had a season or two at Melton,though I was never much of a horseman. But for real, unadulteratedexcitement, for sport that licks everything else into a cocked hat, giveme a strong sea rod, a couple of traces, just enough sea to keep on thebottom all the time, and the codling biting. Look here, did you ever seea mackerel spinner like that?" he added, drawing one out of the parcelwhich he had untied. "Look at it, all of you."
Lessingham took
it gingerly in his fingers. Philippa, a littleostentatiously, turned her back upon the two men and took up anewspaper.
"Lady Cranston does not sympathize with my interest in any sort of sportjust now," Sir Henry explained good-humouredly. "All the same I arguethat one must keep one's mind occupied somehow or other."
"Quite right, Dad!" Nora agreed. "We must carry on, as the Colonel says.All the same, I did hope you'd come down in a new naval uniform, withlots of gold braid on your sleeve. I think they might have made you anadmiral, Daddy, you'd look so nice on the bridge."
"I am afraid," her father replied, with his eyes glued upon the spinnerwhich Lessingham was holding, "that that is a consideration which didn'tseem to weigh with them much. Look at the glitter of it," he went on,taking up another of the spinners. "You see, it's got a double swivel,and they guarantee six hundred revolutions a minute."
"I must plead ignorance," Lessingham regretted, "of everything connectedwith mackerel spinning."
"It's fine sport for a change," Sir Henry declared. "The only thing isthat if you strike a shoal one gets tired of hauling the beggars in.By-the-by, has Jimmy been up for me, Philippa? Have you heard whetherthere are any mackerel in?"
Philippa raised her eyebrows.
"Mackerel!" she repeated sarcastically.
"Have you any objection to the fish, dear?" Sir Henry enquired blandly.
Philippa made no reply. Her husband frowned and turned towardsLessingham.
"You see," he complained a little irritably, "my wife doesn't approve ofmy taking an interest even in fishing while the war's on, but, hang itall, what are you to do when you reach my age? Thinks I ought to be aspecial constable, don't you, Philippa?"
"Need we discuss this before Mr. Lessingham?" she asked, without lookingup from her paper.
Lessingham promptly prepared to take his departure.
"See something more of you, I hope," Sir Henry remarked hospitably, ashe conducted his guest to the door. "Where are you staying here?"
"At the hotel."
"Which?"
"I did not understand that there was more than one," Lessingham replied."I simply wrote to The Hotel, Dreymarsh."
"There is only one hotel open, of course, Mr. Lessingham," Philippaobserved, turning towards him. "Why do you ask such an absurd question,Henry? The 'Grand' is full of soldiers. Come and see us whenever youfeel inclined, Mr. Lessingham."
"I shall certainly take advantage of your permission, Lady Cranston,"were the farewell words of this unusual visitor as he bowed himself out.
Sir Henry moved to the sideboard and helped himself to a whisky andsoda. Philippa laid down her newspaper and watched him as though waitingpatiently for his return. Helen and Nora had already obeyed the summonsof the dressing bell.
"Henry, I want to hear your news," she insisted. He threw himself intoan easy-chair and turned over the contents of Philippa's workbasket.
"Where's that tie of mine you were mending?" he asked. "Is it finishedyet?"
"It is upstairs somewhere," she replied. "No, I have not finished it.Why do you ask? You have plenty, haven't you?"
"Drawers full," he admitted cheerfully. "Half of them I can never wear,though. I like that black and white fellow. Your friend Lessingham waswearing one exactly like it."
"It isn't exactly an uncommon pattern," Philippa reminded him.
"Seems to have the family taste in clothes," Sir Henry continued,stroking his chin. "That grey tweed suit of his was exactly the samepattern as the suit Richard was wearing, the last time I saw him inmufti."
"They probably go to the same tailor," Philippa remarked equably.
Sir Henry abandoned the subject. He was once more engrossed in anexamination of the mackerel spinners.
"You didn't answer my question about Jimmy Dumble," he venturedpresently.
Philippa turned and looked at him. Her eyes were usually very sweet andsoft and her mouth delightful. Just at that moment, however, there werenew and very firm lines in her face.
"Henry," she said sternly, "you are purposely fencing with me. Mr.Lessingham's taste in clothes, or Jimmy Dumble's comings and goings, arenot what I want to hear or talk about. You went to London, unwillinglyenough, to keep your promise to me. I want to know whether you havesucceeded in getting anything from the Admiralty?"
"Nothing but the cold shoulder, my dear," he answered with a littlechuckle.
"Do you mean to say that they offered you nothing at all?" shepersisted. "You may have been out of the service too long for them tostart you with a modern ship, but surely they could have given you anauxiliary cruiser, or a secondary command of some sort?"
"They didn't even offer me a washtub, dear," he confessed. "My name's ona list, they said--"
"Oh, that list!" Philippa interrupted angrily. "Henry, I really can'tbear it. Couldn't they find you anything on land?"
"My dear girl," he replied a little testily, "what sort of a figureshould I cut in an office! No one can read my writing, and I couldn'tadd up a column of figures to save my life. What is it?" he added, asthe door opened, and Mills made his appearance.
"Dumble is here to see you, sir."
"Show him in at once," his master directed with alacrity. "Come in,Jimmy," he went on, raising his voice. "I've got something to show youhere."
Philippa's lips were drawn a little closer together. She swept past herhusband on her way to the door.
"I hope you will be so good," she said, looking back, "as to spare mehalf an hour of your valuable time this evening. This is a subject whichI must discuss with you further at once."
"As urgent as all that, eh?" Sir Henry replied, stopping to light acigarette. "Righto! You can have the whole of my evening, dear, with thegreatest of pleasure.--Now then, Jimmy!"
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