LadyPetchworth
,
"
that
the
work
of
a
National
Theatre
,
instructive
,
stimulating
,
well
regulated
,
and
morally
sustaining
,
would
come
in
.
"
He
would
n't
,
of
course
,
be
compelled
to
go
,
but
there
would
be
his
seat
,
part
of
his
payment
in
kind
,
and
the
public-house
would
be
shut
,
most
other
temptations
would
be
removed
...
.
The
lecture
reached
its
end
at
last
with
only
one
other
interruption
.
Some
would-be
humorist
suddenly
inquired
,
à
propos
of
nothing
:
"
What
's
the
fare
to
America
,
Billy
?
"
and
a
voice
,
presumably
Billy
's
,
answered
him
:
"
Mor'n
you
'll
ev
'
av
in
you
'
pocket
.
"
The
Rev.
Jopling
Baynes
,
before
he
called
upon
Mr.
Pope
for
his
promised
utterance
about
East
Purblow
,
could
not
refrain
from
pointing
out
how
silly
"
in
every
sense
of
the
word
"
these
wanton
interruptions
were
.
What
,
he
asked
,
had
English
social
reform
to
do
with
the
fare
to
America
?
—
and
having
roused
the
meeting
to
an
alert
silence
by
the
length
of
his
pause
,
answered
in
a
voice
of
ringing
contempt
:
"
Nothing
—
whatsoever
.
"
Then
Mr.
Pope
made
his
few
remarks
about
East
Purblow
with
the
ease
and
finish
that
comes
from
long
practice
;
much
,
he
said
,
had
to
be
omitted
"
in
view
of
"
the
restricted
time
at
his
disposal
,
but
he
did
not
grudge
that
,
the
time
had
been
better
filled
.
(
"
No
,
no
,
"
from
Aunt
Plessington
.
)
Yes
,
yes
,
—
by
the
lucid
and
delightful
lecture
they
had
all
enjoyed
,
and
he
not
least
among
them
.
(
Applause
.
)
...
They
came
out
into
a
luminous
blue
night
,
with
a
crescent
young
moon
high
overhead
.
It
was
so
fine
that
the
Popes
and
the
Plessingtons
and
Mr.
Magnet
declined
Lady
Petchworth
's
proffered
car
,
and
walked
back
to
Buryhamstreet
across
the
park
through
a
sleeping
pallid
cornfield
,
and
along
by
the
edge
of
the
pine
woods
.
Mr.
Pope
would
have
liked
to
walk
with
Mr.
Magnet
and
explain
all
that
the
pressure
on
his
time
had
caused
him
to
omit
from
his
speech
,
and
why
it
was
he
had
seen
fit
to
omit
this
part
and
include
that
.
Some
occult
power
,
however
,
baffled
this
intention
,
and
he
found
himself
going
home
in
the
company
of
his
brother-in-law
and
Daffy
,
with
Aunt
Plessington
and
his
wife
like
a
barrier
between
him
and
his
desire
.
Marjorie
,
on
the
other
hand
,
found
Mr.
Magnet
's
proximity
inevitable
.
They
fell
a
little
behind
and
were
together
again
for
the
first
time
since
her
refusal
.
He
behaved
,
she
thought
,
with
very
great
restraint
,
and
indeed
he
left
her
a
little
doubtful
on
that
occasion
whether
he
had
not
decided
to
take
her
decision
as
final
.
He
talked
chiefly
about
the
lecture
,
which
had
impressed
him
very
deeply
.
Mrs.
Plessington
,
he
said
,
was
so
splendid
—
made
him
feel
trivial
.
He
felt
stirred
up
by
her
,
wanted
to
help
in
this
social
work
,
this
picking
up
of
helpless
people
from
the
muddle
in
which
they
wallowed
.
He
seemed
not
only
extraordinarily
modest
but
extraordinarily
gentle
that
night
,
and
the
warm
moonshine
gave
his
face
a
shadowed
earnestness
it
lacked
in
more
emphatic
lights
.
She
felt
the
profound
change
in
her
feelings
towards
him
that
had
followed
her
rejection
of
him
.
It
had
cleared
away
his
effect
of
oppression
upon
her
.
She
had
no
longer
any
sense
of
entanglement
and
pursuit
,
and
all
the
virtues
his
courtship
had
obscured
shone
clear
again
.
He
was
kindly
,
he
was
patient
—
and
she
felt
something
about
him
a
woman
is
said
always
to
respect
,
he
gave
her
an
impression
of
ability
.
After
all
,
he
could
banish
the
trouble
that
crushed
and
overwhelmed
her
with
a
movement
of
his
little
finger
.
Of
all
her
load
of
debt
he
could
earn
the
payment
in
a
day
.
"
Your
aunt
goes
to-morrow
?
"
he
said
.
Marjorie
admitted
it
.
"
I
wish
I
could
talk
to
her
more
.
She
's
so
inspiring
.
"
"
You
know
of
our
little
excursion
for
Friday
?
"
he
asked
after
a
pause
.
She
had
not
heard
.
Friday
was
Theodore
's
birthday
;
she
knew
it
only
too
well
because
she
had
had
to
part
with
her
stamp
collection
—
which
very
luckily
had
chanced
to
get
packed
and
come
to
Buryhamstreet
—
to
meet
its
demand
.
Mr.
Magnet
explained
he
had
thought
it
might
be
fun
to
give
a
picnic
in
honour
of
the
anniversary
.
"
How
jolly
of
you
!
"
said
Marjorie
.
"
There
's
a
pretty
bit
of
river
between
Wamping
and
Friston
Hanger
—
I
've
wanted
you
to
see
it
for
a
long
time
,
and
Friston
Hanger
church
has
the
prettiest
view
.
The
tower
gets
the
bend
of
the
river
.
"
He
told
her
all
he
meant
to
do
as
if
he
submitted
his
plans
for
her
approval
.
They
would
drive
to
Wamping
and
get
a
very
comfortable
little
steam
launch
one
could
hire
there
.
Wintersloan
was
coming
down
again
;
an
idle
day
of
this
kind
just
suited
his
temperament
.
Theodore
would
like
it
,
would
n't
he
?
"
Theodore
will
think
he
is
King
of
Surrey
!
"
"
I
'll
have
a
rod
and
line
if
he
wants
to
fish
.
I
do
n't
want
to
forget
anything
.
I
want
it
to
be
his
day
really
and
truly
.
"
The
slightest
touch
upon
the
pathetic
note
?
She
could
not
tell
.
But
that
evening
brought
Marjorie
nearer
to
loving
Magnet
than
she
had
ever
been
.
Before
she
went
to
sleep
that
night
she
had
decided
he
was
quite
a
tolerable
person
again
;
she
had
been
too
nervous
and
unjust
with
him
.
After
all
,
his
urgency
and
awkwardness
had
been
just
a
part
of
his
sincerity
.
Perhaps
the
faint
doubt
whether
he
would
make
his
request
again
gave
the
zest
of
uncertainty
to
his
devotion
.
Of
course
,
she
told
herself
,
he
would
ask
again
.
And
then
the
blissful
air
of
limitless
means
she
might
breathe
.
The
blessed
release
...
.
She
was
suddenly
fast
asleep
.
Friday
was
after
all
not
so
much
Theodore
's
day
as
Mr.
Magnet
's
.
Until
she
found
herself
committed
there
was
no
shadow
of
doubt
in
Marjorie
's
mind
of
what
she
meant
to
do
.
"
Before
I
see
you
again
,
"
said
Aunt
Plessington
at
the
parting
kiss
,
"
I
hope
you
'll
have
something
to
tell
me
.
"
She
might
have
been
Hymen
thinly
disguised
as
an
aunt
,
waving
from
the
departing
train
.
She
continued
by
vigorous
gestures
and
unstinted
display
of
teeth
and
a
fluttering
handkerchief
to
encourage
Marjorie
to
marry
Mr.
Magnet
,
until
the
curve
of
the
cutting
hid
her
from
view
...
.
Fortune
favoured
Mr.
Magnet
with
a
beautiful
day
,
and
the
excursion
was
bright
and
successful
from
the
outset
.
It
was
done
well
,
and
what
perhaps
was
more
calculated
to
impress
Marjorie
,
it
was
done
with
lavish
generosity
.
From
the
outset
she
turned
a
smiling
countenance
upon
her
host
.
She
did
her
utmost
to
suppress
a
reviving
irrational
qualm
in
her
being
,
to
maintain
clearly
and
simply
her
overnight
decision
,
that
he
should
propose
again
and
that
she
should
accept
him
.
Yet
the
festival
was
just
a
little
dreamlike
in
its
quality
to
her
perceptions
.
She
found
she
could
not
focus
clearly
on
its
details
.
Two
waggonettes
came
from
Wamping
;
there
was
room
for
everybody
and
to
spare
,
and
Wamping
revealed
itself
a
pleasant
small
country
town
with
stocks
under
the
market
hall
,
and
just
that
tint
of
green
paint
and
that
loafing
touch
the
presence
of
a
boating
river
gives
.
The
launch
was
brilliantly
smart
with
abundant
crimson
cushions
and
a
tasselled
awning
,
and
away
to
the
left
was
a
fine
old
bridge
that
dated
in
its
essentials
from
Plantagenet
times
.
They
started
with
much
whistling
and
circling
,
and
went
away
up
river
under
overhanging
trees
that
sometimes
swished
the
funnel
,
splashing
the
meadow
path
and
making
the
reeds
and
bulrushes
dance
with
their
wash.
They
went
through
a
reluctant
lock
,
steamed
up
a
long
reach
,
they
passed
the
queerly
painted
Potwell
Inn
with
its
picturesque
group
of
poplars
and
its
absurd
new
notice-board
of
"
Omlets
.
"
...
Theodore
was
five
stone
of
active
happiness
;
he
and
the
pseudo-twins
,
strictly
under
his
orders
as
the
universal
etiquette
of
birthdays
prescribes
,
clambered
round
and
round
the
boat
,
clutching
the
awning
rail
and
hanging
over
the
water
in
an
entirely
secure
and
perilous
looking
manner
.
No
one
,
unless
his
father
happened
to
be
upset
by
something
,
would
check
him
,
he
knew
,
on
this
auspicious
day
.
Mr.
Magnet
sat
with
the
grey
eye
on
Marjorie
and
listened
a
little
abstractedly
to
Mr.
Pope
,
who
was
telling
very
fully
what
he
would
say
if
the
Liberal
party
were
to
ask
his
advice
at
the
present
juncture
.
Mrs.
Pope
attended
discreetly
,
and
Daffy
and
Marjorie
with
a
less
restrained
interest
,
to
Mr.
Wintersloan
,
who
showed
them
how
to
make
faces
out
of
a
fist
tied
up
in
a
pocket-handkerchief
,
how
to
ventriloquize
,
how
to
conjure
with
halfpence
—
which
he
did
very
amusingly
—
and
what
the
buttons
on
a
man
's
sleeve
were
for
;
Theodore
clambering
at
his
back
discovered
what
he
was
at
,
and
by
right
of
birthday
made
him
do
all
the
faces
and
tricks
over
again
.
Then
Mr.
Wintersloan
told
stories
of
all
the
rivers
along
which
,
he
said
,
he
had
travelled
in
steamboats
;
the
Rhine
,
the
Danube
,
the
Hoogly
and
the
Fall
River
,
and
particularly
how
he
had
been
bitten
by
a
very
young
crocodile
.
"
It
's
the
smell
of
the
oil
brings
it
all
back
to
me
,
"
he
said
.
"
And
the
kind
of
sway
it
gives
you
.
"
He
made
sinuous
movements
of
his
hand
,
and
looked
at
Marjorie
with
that
wooden
yet
expressive
smile
.
Friston
Hanger
proved
to
be
even
better
than
Wamping
.
It
had
a
character
of
its
own
because
it
was
built
very
largely
of
a
warm
buff
coloured
local
rock
instead
of
the
usual
brick
,
and
the
outhouses
at
least
of
the
little
inn
at
which
they
landed
were
thatched
.
Most
of
the
cottages
had
casement
windows
with
diamond
panes
,
and
the
streets
were
cobbled
and
very
up-and-down
hill
.
The
place
ran
to
high
walls
richly
suggestive
of
hidden
gardens
,
overhung
by
big
trees
and
pierced
by
secretive
important
looking
doors
.
And
over
it
all
rose
an
unusually
big
church
,
with
a
tall
buttressed
tower
surmounted
by
a
lantern
of
pierced
stone
.
"
We
'll
go
through
the
town
and
look
at
the
ruins
of
the
old
castle
beyond
the
church
,
"
said
Mr.
Magnet
to
Marjorie
,
"
and
then
I
want
you
to
see
the
view
from
the
church
tower
.
"
And
as
they
went
through
the
street
,
he
called
her
attention
again
to
the
church
tower
in
a
voice
that
seemed
to
her
to
be
inexplicably
charged
with
significance
.
"
I
want
you
to
go
up
there
,
"
he
said
.
"
How
about
something
to
eat
,
Mr.
Magnet
?
"
remarked
Theodore
suddenly
,
and
everybody
felt
a
little
surprised
when
Mr.
Magnet
answered
:
"
Who
wants
things
to
eat
on
your
birthday
,
Theodore
?
"
But
they
saw
the
joke
of
that
when
they
reached
the
castle
ruins
and
found
in
the
old
tilting
yard
,
with
its
ivy-covered
arch
framing
a
view
of
the
town
and
stream
,
a
table
spread
with
a
white
cloth
that
shone
in
the
sunshine
,
glittering
with
glass
and
silver
and
gay
with
a
bowl
of
salad
and
flowers
and
cold
pies
and
a
jug
of
claret-cup
and
an
ice
pail
—
a
silver
pail
!
containing
two
promising
looking
bottles
,
in
the
charge
of
two
real
live
waiters
,
in
evening
dress
as
waiters
should
be
,
but
with
straw
hats
to
protect
them
from
the
sun
and
weather
.
"
Oh
!
"
cried
Mrs.
Pope
,
"
what
a
splendid
idea
,
Mr.
Magnet
,
"
when
the
destination
of
the
feast
was
perfectly
clear
,
and
even
Theodore
seemed
a
little
overawed
—
almost
as
if
he
felt
his
birthday
was
being
carried
too
far
and
might
provoke
a
judgment
later
.
Manifestly
Mr.
Magnet
must
have
ordered
this
in
London
,
and
have
had
it
sent
down
,
waiters
and
all
!
Theodore
knew
he
was
a
very
wonderful
little
boy
in
spite
of
the
acute
criticism
of
four
devoted
sisters
,
and
Mr.
Magnet
had
noticed
him
before
at
times
,
but
this
was
,
well
,
rather
immense
!
"
Look
at
the
pie-crusts
,
old
man
!
"
And
on
the
pie-crusts
,
and
on
the
icing
of
the
cake
,
their
munificent
host
had
caused
to
be
done
in
little
raised
letters
of
dough
and
chocolate
the
word
"
Theodore
.
"
"
Oh
,
Mr.
Magnet
!
"
said
Marjorie
—
his
eye
so
obviously
invited
her
to
say
something
.
Mr.
Pope
tried
a
nebulous
joke
about
"
groaning
boards
of
Frisky
Hanger
,
"
and
only
Mr.
Wintersloan
restrained
his
astonishment
and
admiration
.
"
You
could
have
got
those
chaps
in
livery
,
"
he
said
—
unheeded
.
The
lunch
was
as
a
matter
of
fact
his
idea
;
he
had
refused
to
come
unless
it
was
provided
,
and
he
had
somehow
counted
on
blue
coats
,
brass
buttons
,
and
yellow
waistcoats
—
but
everybody
else
of
course
ascribed
the
whole
invention
to
Mr.
Magnet
.
"
Well
,
"
said
Mr.
Pope
with
a
fine
air
of
epigram
,
"
the
only
thing
I
can
say
is
—
to
eat
it
,
"
and
prepared
to
sit
down
.
"
Melon
,
"
cried
Mr.
Magnet
to
the
waiters
,
"
we
'll
begin
with
the
melon
.
Have
you
ever
tried
melon
with
pepper
and
salt
,
Mrs.
Pope
?
"
"
You
put
salt
in
everything
,
"
admired
Mr.
Pope
.
"
Salt
from
those
attics
of
yours
—
Attic
salt
.
"
"
Or
there
's
ginger
!
"
said
Mr.
Magnet
,
after
a
whisper
from
the
waiter
.
Mr.
Pope
said
something
classical
about
"
ginger
hot
in
the
mouth
.
"
"
Some
of
these
days
,
"
said
Mr.
Wintersloan
,
"
when
I
have
exhausted
all
other
sensations
,
I
mean
to
try
melon
and
mustard
.
"
Rom
made
a
wonderful
face
at
him
.
"
I
can
think
of
worse
things
than
that
,
"
said
Mr.
Wintersloan
with
a
hard
brightness
.
"
Not
till
after
lunch
,
Mr.
Wintersloan
!
"
said
Rom
heartily
.
"
The
claret
cup
's
all
right
for
Theodore
,
Mrs.
Pope
,
"
said
Magnet
.
"
It
's
a
special
twelve
year
old
brand
.
"
(
He
thought
of
everything
!
)
"
Mummy
,
"
said
Mr.
Pope
.
"
You
'd
better
carve
this
pie
,
I
think
.
"
"
I
want
very
much
,
"
said
Mr.
Magnet
in
Marjorie
's
ear
and
very
confidentially
,
"
to
show
you
the
view
from
the
church
tower
.
I
think
—
it
will
appeal
to
you
.
"
"
Rom
!
"
said
Theodore
,
uncontrollably
,
in
a
tremendous
stage
whisper
.
"
There
's
peaches
!
...
There
!
on
the
hamper
!
"
"
Champagne
,
m'am
?
"
said
the
waiter
suddenly
in
Mrs.
Pope
's
ear
,
wiping
ice-water
from
the
bottle
.
(
But
what
could
it
have
cost
him
?
)
Marjorie
would
have
preferred
that
Mr.
Magnet
should
not
have
decided
with
such
relentless
determination
to
make
his
second
proposal
on
the
church
tower
.
His
purpose
was
luminously
clear
to
her
from
the
beginning
of
lunch
onward
,
and
she
could
feel
her
nerves
going
under
the
strain
of
that
long
expectation
.
She
tried
to
pull
herself
together
,
tried
not
to
think
about
it
,
tried
to
be
amused
by
the
high
spirits
and
nonsense
of
Mr.
Wintersloan
and
Syd
and
Rom
and
Theodore
;
but
Mr.
Magnet
was
very
pervasive
,
and
her
mother
did
n't
ever
look
at
her
,
looked
past
her
and
away
from
her
and
all
round
her
,
in
a
profoundly
observant
manner
.
Marjorie
felt
chiefly
anxious
to
get
to
the
top
of
that
predestinate
tower
and
have
the
whole
thing
over
,
and
it
was
with
a
start
that
she
was
just
able
to
prevent
one
of
the
assiduous
waiters
filling
her
glass
with
champagne
for
the
third
time
.
There
was
a
little
awkwardness
in
dispersing
after
lunch
.
Mr.
Pope
,
his
heart
warmed
by
the
champagne
and
mellowed
by
a
subsequent
excellent
cigar
,
wanted
very
much
to
crack
what
he
called
a
"
postprandial
jest
"
or
so
with
the
great
humorist
,
while
Theodore
also
,
deeply
impressed
with
the
discovery
that
there
was
more
in
Mr.
Magnet
than
he
had
supposed
,
displayed
a
strong
disposition
to
attach
himself
more
closely
than
he
had
hitherto
done
to
this
remarkable
person
,
and
study
his
quiet
but
enormous
possibilities
with
greater
attention
.
Mrs.
Pope
with
a
still
alertness
did
her
best
to
get
people
adjusted
,
but
Syd
and
Rom
had
conceived
a
base
and
unnatural
desire
to
subjugate
the
affections
of
the
youngest
waiter
,
and
would
n't
listen
to
her
proposal
that
they
should
take
Theodore
away
into
the
town
;
Mr.
Wintersloan
displayed
extraordinary
cunning
and
resource
in
evading
a
tête-à-tête
with
Mr.
Pope
that
would
have
released
Mr.
Magnet
.
Now
Mrs.
Pope
came
to
think
of
it
,
Mr.
Wintersloan
never
had
had
the
delights
of
a
good
talk
with
Mr.
Pope
,
he
knew
practically
nothing
about
the
East
Purblow
experiment
except
for
what
Mr.
Magnet
might
have
retailed
to
him
,
and
she
was
very
greatly
puzzled
to
account
for
his
almost
manifest
reluctance
to
go
into
things
thoroughly
.
Daffy
remained
on
hand
,
available
but
useless
,
and
Mrs.
Pope
,
smiling
at
the
landscape
and
a
prey
to
Management
within
,
was
suddenly
inspired
to
take
her
eldest
daughter
into
her
confidence
.
"
Daffy
,
"
she
said
,
with
a
guileful
finger
extended
and
pointing
to
the
lower
sky
as
though
she
was
pointing
out
the
less
obvious
and
more
atmospheric
beauties
of
Surrey
,
"
get
Theodore
away
from
Mr.
Magnet
if
you
can
.
He
wants
to
talk
to
Marjorie
.
"
Daffy
looked
round
.
"
Shall
I
call
him
?
"
she
said
.
"
No
,
"
said
Mrs.
Pope
,
"
do
it
—
just
—
quietly
.
"
"
I
'll
try
,
"
said
Daffy
and
stared
at
her
task
,
and
Mrs.
Pope
,
feeling
that
this
might
or
might
not
succeed
but
that
anyhow
she
had
done
what
she
could
,
strolled
across
to
her
husband
and
laid
a
connubial
touch
upon
his
shoulder
.
"
All
the
young
people
,
"
she
said
,
"
are
burning
to
climb
the
church
tower
.
I
never
can
understand
this
activity
after
lunch
.
"
"
Not
me
,
"
said
Mr.
Pope
.
"
Eh
,
Magnet
?
"
"
I
'm
game
,
"
said
Theodore
.
"
Come
along
,
Mr.
Magnet
.
"
"
I
think
,
"
said
Mr.
Magnet
looking
at
Marjorie
,
"
I
shall
go
up
.
I
want
to
show
Marjorie
the
view
.
"
"
We
'll
stay
here
,
Mummy
,
eh
?
"
said
Mr.
Pope
,
with
a
quite
unusual
geniality
,
and
suddenly
put
his
arm
round
Mrs.
Pope
's
waist
.
Her
motherly
eye
sought
Daffy
's
,
and
indicated
her
mission
.
"
I
'll
come
with
you
,
Theodore
,
"
said
Daffy
.
"
There
is
n't
room
for
everyone
at
once
up
that
tower
.
"
"
I
'll
go
with
Mr.
Magnet
,
"
said
Theodore
,
relying
firmly
on
the
privileges
of
the
day
...
.
For
a
time
they
played
for
position
,
with
the
intentions
of
Mr.
Magnet
showing
more
and
more
starkly
through
the
moves
of
the
game
.
At
last
Theodore
was
lured
down
a
side
street
by
the
sight
of
a
huge
dummy
fish
dangling
outside
a
tackle
and
bait
shop
,
and
Mr.
Magnet
and
Marjorie
,
already
with
a
dreadful
feeling
of
complicity
,
made
a
movement
so
rapid
it
seemed
to
her
almost
a
bolt
for
the
church
tower
.
Whatever
Mr.
Magnet
desired
to
say
,
and
whatever
elasticity
his
mind
had
once
possessed
with
regard
to
it
,
there
can
be
no
doubt
that
it
had
now
become
so
rigid
as
to
be
sayable
only
in
that
one
precise
position
,
and
in
the
exact
order
he
had
determined
upon
.
But
when
at
last
they
got
to
that
high
serenity
,
Mr.
Magnet
was
far
too
hot
and
far
too
much
out
of
breath
to
say
anything
at
all
for
a
time
except
an
almost
explosive
gust
or
so
of
approbation
of
the
scenery
.
"
Shor
'
breath
!
"
he
said
,
"
win'ey
stairs
always
—
that
'
fect
on
me
—
buful
sceny
—
Suwy
—
like
it
always
.
"
Marjorie
found
herself
violently
disposed
to
laugh
;
indeed
she
had
never
before
been
so
near
the
verge
of
hysterics
.
"
It
's
a
perfectly
lovely
view
,
"
she
said
.
"
No
wonder
you
wanted
me
to
see
it
.
"
"
Naturally
,
"
said
Mr.
Magnet
,
"
wanted
you
to
see
it
.
"
Marjorie
,
with
a
skill
her
mother
might
have
envied
,
wriggled
into
a
half-sitting
position
in
an
embrasure
and
concentrated
herself
upon
the
broad
wooded
undulations
that
went
about
the
horizon
,
and
Mr.
Magnet
mopped
his
face
with
surreptitious
gestures
,
and
took
deep
restoring
breaths
.
"
I
've
always
wanted
to
bring
you
here
,
"
he
said
,
"
ever
since
I
found
it
in
the
spring
.
"
"
It
was
very
kind
of
you
,
Mr.
Magnet
,
"
said
Marjorie
.
"
You
see
,
"
he
explained
,
"
whenever
I
see
anything
fine
or
rich
or
splendid
or
beautiful
now
,
I
seem
to
want
it
for
you
.
"
His
voice
quickened
as
though
he
were
repeating
something
that
had
been
long
in
his
mind
.
"
I
wish
I
could
give
you
all
this
country
.
I
wish
I
could
put
all
that
is
beautiful
in
the
world
at
your
feet
.
"
He
watched
the
effect
of
this
upon
her
for
a
moment
.
"
Marjorie
,
"
he
said
,
"
did
you
really
mean
what
you
told
me
the
other
day
,
that
there
was
indeed
no
hope
for
me
?
I
have
a
sort
of
feeling
I
bothered
you
that
day
,
that
perhaps
you
did
n't
mean
all
—
—
"
He
stopped
short
.
"
I
do
n't
think
I
knew
what
I
meant
,
"
said
Marjorie
,
and
Magnet
gave
a
queer
sound
of
relief
at
her
words
.
"
I
do
n't
think
I
know
what
I
mean
now
.
I
do
n't
think
I
can
say
I
love
you
,
Mr.
Magnet
.
I
would
if
I
could
.
I
like
you
very
much
indeed
,
I
think
you
are
awfully
kind
,
you
're
more
kind
and
generous
than
anyone
I
have
ever
known
...
.
"
Saying
he
was
kind
and
generous
made
her
through
some
obscure
association
of
ideas
feel
that
he
must
have
understanding
.
She
had
an
impulse
to
put
her
whole
case
before
him
frankly
.
"
I
wonder
,
"
she
said
,
"
if
you
can
understand
what
it
is
to
be
a
girl
.
"
Then
she
saw
the
absurdity
of
her
idea
,
of
any
such
miracle
of
sympathy
.
He
was
entirely
concentrated
upon
the
appeal
he
had
come
prepared
to
make
.
"
Marjorie
,
"
he
said
,
"
I
do
n't
ask
you
to
love
me
yet
.
All
I
ask
is
that
you
should
n't
decide
not
to
love
me
.
"
Marjorie
became
aware
of
Theodore
,
hotly
followed
by
Daffy
,
in
the
churchyard
below
.
"
I
know
he
's
up
there
,
"
Theodore
was
manifestly
saying
.
Marjorie
faced
her
lover
gravely
.
"
Mr.
Magnet
,
"
she
said
,
"
I
will
certainly
promise
you
that
.
"
"
I
would
rather
be
your
servant
,
rather
live
for
your
happiness
,
than
do
anything
else
in
all
the
world
,
"
said
Mr.
Magnet
.
"
If
you
would
trust
your
life
to
me
,
if
you
would
deign
—
.
"
He
paused
to
recover
his
thread
.
"
If
you
would
deign
to
let
me
make
life
what
it
should
be
for
you
,
take
every
care
from
your
shoulders
,
face
every
responsibility
—
—
"
Marjorie
felt
she
had
to
hurry
.
She
could
almost
feel
the
feet
of
Theodore
coming
up
that
tower
.
"
Mr.
Magnet
,
"
she
said
,
"
you
do
n't
understand
.
You
do
n't
realize
what
I
am
.
You
do
n't
know
how
unworthy
I
am
—
what
a
mere
ignorant
child
—
—
"
"
Let
me
be
judge
of
that
!
"
cried
Mr.
Magnet
.
They
paused
almost
like
two
actors
who
listen
for
the
prompter
.
It
was
only
too
obvious
that
both
were
aware
of
a
little
medley
of
imperfectly
subdued
noises
below
.
Theodore
had
got
to
the
ladder
that
made
the
last
part
of
the
ascent
,
and
there
Daffy
had
collared
him
.
"
My
birthday
,
"
said
Theodore
.
"
Come
down
!
You
sha
n't
go
up
there
!
"
said
Daffy
.
"
You
must
n't
,
Theodore
!
"
"
Why
not
?
"
There
was
something
like
a
scuffle
,
and
whispers
.
Then
it
would
seem
Theodore
went
—
reluctantly
and
with
protests
.
But
the
conflict
receded
.
"
Marjorie
!
"
said
Mr.
Magnet
,
as
though
there
had
been
no
pause
,
"
if
you
would
consent
only
to
make
an
experiment
,
if
you
would
try
to
love
me
.
Suppose
you
tried
an
engagement
.
I
do
not
care
how
long
I
waited
...
.
"
He
paused
.
"
Will
you
try
?
"
he
urged
upon
her
distressed
silence
.
She
felt
as
though
she
forced
the
word
.
"
Yes
!
"
she
said
in
a
very
low
voice
.
Then
it
seemed
to
her
that
Mr.
Magnet
leapt
upon
her
.
She
felt
herself
pulled
almost
roughly
from
the
embrasure
,
and
he
had
kissed
her
.
She
struggled
in
his
embrace
.
"
Mr.
Magnet
!
"
she
said
.
He
lifted
her
face
and
kissed
her
lips
.
"
Marjorie
!
"
he
said
,
and
she
had
partly
released
herself
.
"
Oh
do
n't
kiss
me
,
"
she
cried
,
"
do
n't
kiss
me
yet
!
"
"
But
a
kiss
!
"
"
I
do
n't
like
it
.
"
"
I
beg
your
pardon
!
"
he
said
.
"
I
forgot
—
—
.
But
you
...
.
You
...
.
I
could
n't
help
it
.
"
She
was
suddenly
wildly
sorry
for
what
she
had
done
.
She
felt
she
was
going
to
cry
,
to
behave
absurdly
.
"
I
want
to
go
down
,
"
she
said
.
"
Marjorie
,
you
have
made
me
the
happiest
of
men
!
All
my
life
,
all
my
strength
I
will
spend
in
showing
you
that
you
have
made
no
mistake
in
trusting
me
—
—
"
"
Yes
,
"
she
said
,
"
yes
,
"
and
wondered
what
she
could
say
or
do
.
It
seemed
to
him
that
her
shrinking
pose
was
the
most
tenderly
modest
thing
he
had
ever
seen
.
"
Oh
my
dear
!
"
he
said
,
and
restrained
himself
and
took
her
passive
hand
and
kissed
it
.
"
I
want
to
go
down
to
them
!
"
she
insisted
.
He
paused
on
the
topmost
rungs
of
the
ladder
,
looking
unspeakable
things
at
her
.
Then
he
turned
to
go
down
,
and
for
the
second
time
in
her
life
she
saw
that
incipient
thinness
...
.
"
I
am
sure
you
will
never
be
sorry
,
"
he
said
...
.
They
found
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Pope
in
the
churchyard
.
Mr.
Pope
was
reading
with
amusement
for
the
third
time
an
epitaph
that
had
caught
his
fancy
—
"
Lands
ever
bright
,
days
ever
fair
,
And
yet
we
weep
that
he
is
there
.
"
he
read
.
"
You
know
that
's
really
Good
.
That
ought
to
be
printed
somewhere
.
"
Mrs.
Pope
glanced
sharply
at
her
daughter
's
white
face
,
and
found
an
enigma
.
Then
she
looked
at
Mr.
Magnet
.
There
was
no
mistake
about
Mr.
Magnet
.
Marjorie
had
accepted
him
,
whatever
else
she
had
felt
or
done
.
Marjorie
's
feelings
for
the
rest
of
the
day
are
only
to
be
accounted
for
on
the
supposition
that
she
was
overwrought
.
She
had
a
preposterous
reaction
.
She
had
done
this
thing
with
her
eyes
open
after
days
of
deliberation
,
and
now
she
felt
as
though
she
was
caught
in
a
trap
.
The
clearest
thing
in
her
mind
was
that
Mr.
Magnet
had
taken
hold
of
her
and
kissed
her
,
kissed
her
on
the
lips
,
and
that
presently
he
would
do
it
again
.
And
also
she
was
asking
herself
with
futile
reiteration
why
she
had
got
into
debt
at
Oxbridge
?
Why
she
had
got
into
debt
?
For
such
silly
little
things
too
!
Nothing
definite
was
said
in
her
hearing
about
the
engagement
,
but
everybody
seemed
to
understand
.
Mr.
Pope
was
the
most
demonstrative
,
he
took
occasion
to
rap
her
hard
upon
the
back
,
his
face
crinkled
with
a
resolute
kindliness
.
"
Ah
!
"
he
said
,
"
Sly
Maggots
!
"
He
also
administered
several
resounding
blows
to
Magnet
's
shoulder
blades
,
and
irradiated
the
party
with
a
glow
of
benevolent
waggery
.
Marjorie
submitted
without
an
answer
to
these
paternal
intimations
.
Mrs.
Pope
did
no
more
than
watch
her
daughter
.
Invisible
but
overwhelming
forces
were
busy
in
bringing
Marjorie
and
her
glowing
lover
alone
together
again
.
It
happened
at
last
,
as
he
was
departing
;
she
was
almost
to
her
inflamed
imagination
thrust
out
upon
him
,
had
to
take
him
to
the
gate
;
and
there
in
the
shadows
of
the
trees
he
kissed
her
"
good
night
"
with
passionate
effusion
.
"
Madge
,
"
he
said
,
"
Madge
!
"
She
made
no
answer
.
She
submitted
passively
to
his
embrace
,
and
then
suddenly
and
dexterously
disengaged
herself
from
him
,
ran
in
,
and
without
saying
good-night
to
anyone
went
to
her
room
to
bed
.
Mr.
Pope
was
greatly
amused
by
this
departure
from
the
customary
routine
of
life
,
and
noted
it
archly
.
When
Daffy
came
up
Marjorie
was
ostentatiously
going
to
sleep
...
.
As
she
herself
was
dropping
off
Daffy
became
aware
of
an
odd
sound
,
somehow
familiar
,
and
yet
surprising
and
disconcerting
.
Suddenly
wide
awake
again
,
she
started
up
.
Yes
there
was
no
mistake
about
it
!
And
yet
it
was
very
odd
.
"
Madge
,
what
's
up
?
"
No
answer
.
"
I
say
!
you
are
n't
crying
,
Madge
,
are
you
?
"
Then
after
a
long
interval
:
"
Madge
!
"
An
answer
came
in
a
muffled
voice
,
almost
as
if
Marjorie
had
something
in
her
mouth
.
"
Oh
shut
it
,
old
Daffy
.
"
"
But
Madge
?
"
said
Daffy
after
reflection
.
"
Shut
it
.
Do
shut
it
!
Leave
me
alone
,
I
say
!
Ca
n't
you
leave
me
alone
?
Oh
!
"
—
and
for
a
moment
she
let
her
sobs
have
way
with
her
—
"
Daffy
,
do
n't
worry
me
.
Old
Daffy
!
Please
!
"
Daffy
sat
up
for
a
long
time
in
the
stifled
silence
that
ensued
,
and
then
like
a
sensible
sister
gave
it
up
,
and
composed
herself
again
to
slumber
...
.
Outside
watching
the
window
in
a
state
of
nebulous
ecstasy
,
was
Mr.
Magnet
,
moonlit
and
dewy
.
It
was
a
high
serene
night
with
a
growing
moon
and
a
scattered
company
of
major
stars
,
and
if
no
choir
of
nightingales
sang
there
was
at
least
a
very
active
nightjar
.
"
More
than
I
hoped
,
"
whispered
Mr.
Magnet
,
"
more
than
I
dared
to
hope
.
"
He
was
very
sleepy
,
but
it
seemed
to
him
improper
to
go
to
bed
on
such
a
night
—
on
such
an
occasion
.
CHAPTER
THE
THIRD
The
Man
Who
Fell
Out
of
the
Sky
For
the
next
week
Marjorie
became
more
nearly
introspective
than
she
had
ever
been
in
her
life
before
.
She
began
to
doubt
her
hitherto
unshaken
conviction
that
she
was
a
single
,
consistent
human
being
.
She
found
such
discords
and
discrepancies
between
mood
and
mood
,
between
the
conviction
of
this
hour
and
the
feeling
of
that
,
that
it
seemed
to
her
she
was
rather
a
collection
of
samples
of
emotion
and
attitude
than
anything
so
simple
as
an
individual
.
For
example
,
there
can
be
no
denying
there
was
one
Marjorie
in
the
bundle
who
was
immensely
set
up
by
the
fact
that
she
was
engaged
,
and
going
to
be
at
no
very
remote
date
mistress
of
a
London
house
.
She
was
profoundly
Plessingtonian
,
and
quite
the
vulgarest
of
the
lot
.
The
new
status
she
had
attained
and
the
possibly
beautiful
house
and
the
probably
successful
dinner-parties
and
the
arrangements
and
the
importance
of
such
a
life
was
the
substance
of
this
creature
's
thought
.
She
designed
some
queenly
dresses
.
This
was
the
Marjorie
most
in
evidence
when
it
came
to
talking
with
her
mother
and
Daphne
.
I
am
afraid
she
patronized
Daphne
,
and
ignored
the
fact
that
Daphne
,
who
had
begun
with
a
resolute
magnanimity
,
was
becoming
annoyed
and
resentful
.
And
she
thought
of
things
she
might
buy
,
and
the
jolly
feeling
of
putting
them
about
and
making
fine
effects
with
them
.
One
thing
she
told
Daphne
,
she
had
clearly
resolved
upon
;
the
house
should
be
always
full
and
brimming
over
with
beautiful
flowers
.
"
I
've
always
wished
mother
would
have
more
flowers
—
and
not
keep
them
so
long
when
she
has
them
...
.
"
Another
Marjorie
in
the
confusion
of
her
mind
was
doing
her
sincerest
,
narrow
best
to
appreciate
and
feel
grateful
for
and
return
the
devotion
of
Mr.
Magnet
.
This
Marjorie
accepted
and
even
elaborated
his
views
,
laid
stress
on
his
voluntary
subjection
,
harped
upon
his
goodness
,
brought
her
to
kiss
him
.
"
I
do
n't
deserve
all
this
love
,
"
this
side
of
Marjorie
told
Magnet
.
"
But
I
mean
to
learn
to
love
you
—
—
"
"
My
dear
one
!
"
cried
Magnet
,
and
pressed
her
hand
...
.
A
third
Marjorie
among
the
many
was
an
altogether
acuter
and
less
agreeable
person
.
She
was
a
sprite
of
pure
criticism
,
and
in
spite
of
the
utmost
efforts
to
suppress
her
,
she
declared
night
and
day
in
the
inner
confidences
of
Marjorie
's
soul
that
she
did
not
believe
in
Mr.
Magnet
's
old
devotion
at
all
.
She
was
anti-Magnet
,
a
persistent
insurgent
.
She
was
dreadfully
unsettling
.
It
was
surely
this
Marjorie
that
would
n't
let
the
fact
of
his
baldness
alone
,
and
who
discovered
and
insisted
upon
a
curious
unbeautiful
flatness
in
his
voice
whenever
he
was
doing
his
best
to
speak
from
the
heart
.
And
as
for
this
devotion
,
what
did
it
amount
to
?
A
persistent
unimaginative
besetting
of
Marjorie
,
a
growing
air
of
ownership
,
an
expansive
,
indulgent
,
smiling
disposition
to
thwart
and
control
.
And
he
was
always
touching
her
!
Whenever
he
came
near
her
she
would
wince
at
the
freedoms
a
large
,
kind
hand
might
take
with
her
elbow
or
wrist
,
at
a
possible
sudden
,
clumsy
pat
at
some
erring
strand
of
hair
.
Then
there
was
an
appraising
satisfaction
in
his
eye
.
On
the
third
day
of
their
engagement
he
began
,
quite
abruptly
,
to
call
her
"
Magsy
.
"
"
We
'll
end
this
scandal
of
a
Girl
Pope
,
"
he
said
.
"
Magsy
Magnet
,
you
'll
be
—
M.M.
No
women
M.P.
's
for
us
,
Magsy
...
.
"
She
became
acutely
critical
of
his
intellectual
quality
.
She
listened
with
a
new
alertness
to
the
conversations
at
the
dinner-table
,
the
bouts
of
wit
with
her
father
.
She
carried
off
utterances
and
witticism
for
maturer
reflection
.
She
was
amazed
to
find
how
little
they
could
withstand
the
tests
and
acids
of
her
mind
.
So
many
things
,
such
wide
and
interesting
fields
,
he
did
not
so
much
think
about
as
cover
with
a
large
enveloping
shallowness
...
.
He
came
strolling
around
the
vicarage
into
the
garden
one
morning
about
eleven
,
though
she
had
not
expected
him
until
lunch-time
;
and
she
was
sitting
with
her
feet
tucked
up
on
the
aged
but
still
practicable
garden-seat
reading
Shaw
's
"
Common
Sense
of
Municipal
Trading
.
"
He
came
and
leant
over
the
back
of
the
seat
,
and
she
looked
up
,
said
"
Good
morning
.
Is
n't
it
perfectly
lovely
?
"
and
indicated
by
a
book
still
open
that
her
interest
in
it
remained
alive
.
"
What
's
the
book
,
Magsy
?
"
he
asked
,
took
it
out
of
her
slightly
resisting
hand
,
closed
it
and
read
the
title
.
"
Um
,
"
he
said
;
"
Is
n't
this
a
bit
stiff
for
little
women
's
brains
?
"
All
the
rebel
Marjories
were
up
in
arms
at
that
.
"
Dreadful
word
,
'
Municipal
.
'
I
do
n't
like
it
.
"
He
shook
his
head
with
a
grimace
of
humorous
distaste
.
"
I
suppose
women
have
as
good
brains
as
men
,
"
said
Marjorie
,
"
if
it
comes
to
that
.
"
"
Better
,
"
said
Magnet
.
"
That
's
why
they
should
n't
trouble
about
horrid
things
like
Municipal
and
Trading
...
.
On
a
day
like
this
!
"
"
Do
n't
you
think
this
sort
of
thing
is
interesting
?
"
"
Oh
!
"
he
said
,
and
flourished
the
book
.
"
Come
!
And
besides
—
Shaw
!
"
"
He
makes
a
very
good
case
.
"
"
But
he
's
such
a
—
mountebank
.
"
"
Does
that
matter
?
He
is
n't
a
mountebank
there
.
"
"
He
's
not
sincere
.
I
doubt
if
you
had
a
serious
book
on
Municipal
Trading
,
Magsy
,
whether
you
'd
make
head
or
tail
of
it
.
It
's
a
stiff
subject
.
Shaw
just
gets
his
chance
for
a
smart
thing
or
so
...
.
I
'd
rather
you
read
a
good
novel
.
"
He
really
had
the
air
of
taking
her
reading
in
hand
.
"
You
think
I
ought
not
to
read
an
intelligent
book
.
"
"
I
think
we
ought
to
leave
those
things
to
the
people
who
understand
.
"
"
But
we
ought
to
understand
.
"
He
smiled
wisely
.
"
There
's
a
lot
of
things
you
have
to
understand
,
"
he
said
,
"
nearer
home
than
this
.
"
Marjorie
was
ablaze
now
.
"
What
a
silly
thing
to
say
!
"
she
cried
,
with
an
undergraduate
's
freedom
.
"
Really
,
you
are
talking
nonsense
!
I
read
that
book
because
it
interests
me
.
If
I
did
n't
,
I
should
read
something
else
.
Do
you
mean
to
suggest
that
I
'm
reading
like
a
child
,
who
holds
a
book
upside
down
?
"
She
was
so
plainly
angry
that
he
was
taken
aback
.
"
I
do
n't
mean
to
suggest
—
"
he
began
,
and
turned
to
greet
the
welcome
presence
,
the
interrogative
eye
of
Mrs.
Pope
.
"
Here
we
are
!
"
he
said
,
"
having
a
quarrel
!
"
"
Marjorie
!
"
said
Mrs.
Pope
.
"
Oh
,
it
's
serious
!
"
said
Mr.
Magnet
,
and
added
with
a
gleam
:
"
It
's
about
Municipal
Trading
!
"
Mrs.
Pope
knew
the
wicked
little
flicker
in
Marjorie
's
eye
better
than
Mr.
Magnet
.
She
had
known
it
from
the
nursery
,
and
yet
she
had
never
quite
mastered
its
meaning
.
She
had
never
yet
realized
it
was
Marjorie
,
she
had
always
regarded
it
as
something
Marjorie
,
some
other
Marjorie
,
ought
to
keep
under
control
.
So
now
she
adopted
a
pacificatory
tone
.
"
Oh
!
lovers
'
quarrels
,
"
she
said
,
floating
over
the
occasion
.
"
Lovers
'
quarrels
.
You
must
n't
ask
me
to
interfere
!
"
Marjorie
,
already
a
little
ashamed
of
her
heat
,
thought
for
an
instant
she
ought
to
stand
that
,
and
then
decided
abruptly
with
a
return
to
choler
that
she
would
not
do
so
.
She
stood
up
,
and
held
out
her
hand
for
her
book
.
"
Mr.
Magnet
,
"
she
said
to
her
mother
with
remarkable
force
and
freedom
as
she
took
it
,
"
has
been
talking
unutterable
nonsense
.
I
do
n't
call
that
a
lovers
'
quarrel
—
anyhow
.
"
Then
,
confronted
with
a
double
astonishment
,
and
having
no
more
to
say
,
she
picked
up
her
skirt
quite
unnecessarily
,
and
walked
with
a
heavenward
chin
indoors
.
"
I
'm
afraid
,
"
explained
Mr.
Magnet
,
"
I
was
a
little
too
free
with
one
of
Magsy
's
favourite
authors
.
"
"
Which
is
the
favourite
author
now
?
"
asked
Mrs.
Pope
,
after
a
reflective
pause
,
with
a
mother
's
indulgent
smile
.
"
Shaw
.
"
He
raised
amused
eyebrows
.
"
It
's
just
the
age
,
I
suppose
.
"
"
She
's
frightfully
loyal
while
it
lasts
,
"
said
Mrs.
Pope
.
"
No
one
dare
say
a
word
against
them
.
"
"
I
think
it
's
adorable
of
her
,
"
said
Mr.
Magnet
—
with
an
answering
loyalty
and
gusto
.
The
aviation
accident
occurred
while
Mrs.
Pope
,
her
two
eldest
daughters
,
and
Mr.
Magnet
were
playing
golf-croquet
upon
the
vicarage
lawn
.
It
was
a
serene
,
hot
afternoon
,
a
little
too
hot
to
take
a
game
seriously
,
and
the
four
little
figures
moved
slowly
over
the
green
and
grouped
and
dispersed
as
the
game
required
.
Mr.
Magnet
was
very
fond
of
golf-croquet
,
he
displayed
a
whimsical
humour
and
much
invention
at
this
game
,
it
was
not
too
exacting
physically
;
and
he
could
make
his
ball
jump
into
the
air
in
the
absurdest
manner
.
Occasionally
he
won
a
laugh
from
Marjorie
or
Daffy
.
No
one
else
was
in
sight
;
the
pseudo-twins
and
Theodore
and
Toupee
were
in
the
barn
,
and
Mr.
Pope
was
six
miles
away
at
Wamping
,
lying
prone
,
nibbling
grass
blades
and
watching
a
county
cricket
match
,
as
every
good
Englishman
,
who
knows
what
is
expected
of
him
,
loves
to
do
...
.
Click
went
ball
and
mallet
,
and
then
after
a
long
interval
,
click
.
It
seemed
incredible
that
anything
could
possibly
happen
before
tea
.
But
this
is
no
longer
the
world
it
was
.
Suddenly
this
tranquil
scene
was
slashed
and
rent
by
the
sound
and
vision
of
a
monoplane
tearing
across
the
heavens
.
A
purring
and
popping
arrested
Mr.
Magnet
in
mid
jest
,
and
the
monster
came
sliding
up
the
sky
over
the
trees
beside
the
church
to
the
east
,
already
near
enough
to
look
big
,
a
great
stiff
shape
,
big
buff
sails
stayed
with
glittering
wire
,
and
with
two
odd
little
wheels
beneath
its
body
.
It
drove
up
the
sky
,
rising
with
a
sort
of
upward
heaving
,
until
the
croquet
players
could
see
the
driver
and
a
passenger
perched
behind
him
quite
clearly
.
It
passed
a
little
to
the
right
of
the
church
tower
and
only
a
few
yards
above
the
level
of
the
flagstaff
,
there
was
n't
fifty
feet
of
clearance
altogether
,
and
as
it
did
so
Marjorie
could
see
both
driver
and
passenger
making
hasty
movements
.
It
became
immense
and
over-shadowing
,
and
every
one
stood
rigid
as
it
swept
across
the
sun
above
the
vicarage
chimneys
.
Then
it
seemed
to
drop
twenty
feet
or
so
abruptly
,
and
then
both
the
men
cried
out
as
it
drove
straight
for
the
line
of
poplars
between
the
shrubbery
and
the
meadow
.
"
Oh
,
oh
,
OH
!
"
cried
Mrs.
Pope
and
Daffy
.
Evidently
the
aviator
was
trying
to
turn
sharply
;
the
huge
thing
banked
,
but
not
enough
,
and
came
about
and
slipped
away
until
its
wing
was
slashing
into
the
tree
tops
with
a
thrilling
swish
of
leaves
and
the
snapping
of
branches
and
stays
.
"
Run
!
"
cried
Magnet
,
and
danced
about
the
lawn
,
and
the
three
ladies
rushed
sideways
as
the
whole
affair
slouched
down
on
them
.
It
came
on
its
edge
,
hesitated
whether
to
turn
over
as
a
whole
,
then
crumpled
,
and
amidst
a
volley
of
smashing
and
snapping
came
to
rest
amidst
ploughed-up
turf
,
a
clamorous
stench
of
petrol
,
and
a
cloud
of
dust
and
blue
smoke
within
twenty
yards
of
them
.
The
two
men
had
jumped
to
clear
the
engine
,
had
fallen
headlong
,
and
were
now
both
covered
by
the
fabric
of
the
shattered
wing
.
It
was
all
too
spectacular
for
word
or
speech
until
the
thing
lay
still
.
Even
then
the
croquet
players
stood
passive
for
awhile
waiting
for
something
to
happen
.
It
took
some
seconds
to
reconcile
their
minds
to
this
sudden
loss
of
initiative
in
a
monster
that
had
been
so
recently
and
threateningly
full
of
go
.
It
seemed
quite
a
long
time
before
it
came
into
Marjorie
's
head
that
she
ought
perhaps
to
act
in
some
way
.
She
saw
a
tall
young
man
wriggling
on
all
fours
from
underneath
the
wreckage
of
fabric
.
He
stared
at
her
rather
blankly
.
She
went
forward
with
a
vague
idea
of
helping
him
.
He
stood
up
,
swayed
doubtfully
on
his
legs
,
turned
,
and
became
energetic
,
struggling
mysteriously
with
the
edge
of
the
left
wing
.
He
gasped
and
turned
fierce
blue
eyes
over
his
shoulder
.
"
Help
me
to
hold
the
confounded
thing
up
!
"
he
cried
,
with
a
touch
of
irritation
in
his
voice
at
her
attitude
.
Marjorie
at
once
seized
the
edge
of
the
plane
and
pushed
.
The
second
man
,
in
a
peculiar
button-shaped
head-dress
,
was
lying
crumpled
up
underneath
,
his
ear
and
cheek
were
bright
with
blood
,
and
there
was
a
streak
of
blood
on
the
ground
near
his
head
.
"
That
's
right
.
Can
you
hold
it
if
I
use
only
one
hand
?
"
Marjorie
gasped
"
Yes
,
"
with
a
terrific
weight
as
it
seemed
suddenly
on
her
wrists
.
"
Right
O
,
"
and
the
tall
young
man
had
thrust
himself
backwards
under
the
plane
until
it
rested
on
his
back
,
and
collared
the
prostrate
man
.
"
Keep
it
up
!
"
he
said
fiercely
when
Marjorie
threatened
to
give
way
.
He
seemed
to
assume
that
she
was
there
to
obey
orders
,
and
with
much
grunting
and
effort
he
had
dragged
his
companion
clear
of
the
wreckage
.
The
man
's
face
was
a
mass
of
blood
,
and
he
was
sickeningly
inert
to
his
companion
's
lugging
.
"
Let
it
go
,
"
said
the
tall
young
man
,
and
Marjorie
thanked
heaven
as
the
broken
wing
flapped
down
again
.
She
came
helpfully
to
his
side
,
and
became
aware
of
Daffy
and
her
mother
a
few
paces
off
.
Magnet
—
it
astonished
her
—
was
retreating
hastily
.
But
he
had
to
go
away
because
the
sight
of
blood
upset
him
—
so
much
that
it
was
always
wiser
for
him
to
go
away
.
"
Is
he
hurt
?
"
cried
Mrs.
Pope
.
"
We
both
are
,
"
said
the
tall
young
man
,
and
then
as
though
these
other
people
did
n't
matter
and
he
and
Marjorie
were
old
friends
,
he
said
:
"
Can
we
turn
him
over
?
"
"
I
think
so
.
"
Marjorie
grasped
the
damaged
man
's
shoulder
and
got
him
over
skilfully
.
"
Will
you
get
some
water
?
"
said
the
tall
young
man
to
Daffy
and
Mrs.
Pope
,
in
a
way
that
sent
Daffy
off
at
once
for
a
pail
.
"
He
wants
water
,
"
she
said
to
the
parlourmaid
who
was
hurrying
out
of
the
house
.
The
tall
young
man
had
gone
down
on
his
knees
by
his
companion
,
releasing
his
neck
,
and
making
a
hasty
first
examination
of
his
condition
.
"
The
pneumatic
cap
must
have
saved
his
head
,
"
he
said
,
throwing
the
thing
aside
.
"
Lucky
he
had
it
.
He
ca
n't
be
badly
hurt
.
Just
rubbed
his
face
along
the
ground
.
Silly
thing
to
have
come
as
we
did
.
"
He
felt
the
heart
,
and
tried
the
flexibility
of
an
arm
.
"
That
's
all
right
,
"
he
said
.
He
became
judicial
and
absorbed
over
the
problems
of
his
friend
's
side
.
"
Um
,
"
he
remarked
.
He
knelt
back
and
regarded
Marjorie
for
the
first
time
.
"
Thundering
smash
,
"
he
said
.
His
face
relaxed
into
an
agreeable
smile
.
"
He
only
bought
it
last
week
.
"
"
Is
he
hurt
?
"
"
Rib
,
I
think
—
or
two
ribs
perhaps
.
Stunned
rather
.
All
this
—
just
his
nose
.
"
He
regarded
Marjorie
and
Marjorie
him
for
a
brief
space
.
He
became
aware
of
Mrs.
Pope
on
his
right
hand
.
Then
at
a
clank
behind
,
he
turned
round
to
see
Daphne
advancing
with
a
pail
of
water
.
The
two
servants
were
now
on
the
spot
,
and
the
odd-job
man
,
and
the
old
lady
who
did
out
the
church
,
and
Magnet
hovered
doubtfully
in
the
distance
.
Suddenly
with
shouts
and
barks
of
sympathetic
glee
the
pseudo-twins
,
Theodore
and
Toupee
shot
out
of
the
house
.
New
thoughts
were
stirring
in
the
young
aviator
.
He
rose
,
wincing
a
little
as
he
did
so
.
"
I
'm
afraid
I
'm
a
little
rude
,
"
he
said
.
"
I
do
hope
your
friend
is
n't
hurt
,
"
said
Mrs.
Pope
,
feeling
the
duty
of
a
hostess
.
"
He
's
not
hurt
much
—
so
far
as
I
can
see
.
Have
n't
we
made
rather
a
mess
of
your
lawn
?
"
"
Oh
,
not
at
all
!
"
said
Mrs.
Pope
.
"
We
have
.
If
that
is
your
gardener
over
there
,
it
would
be
nice
if
he
kept
back
the
people
who
seem
to
be
hesitating
beyond
those
trees
.
There
will
be
more
presently
.
I
'm
afraid
I
must
throw
myself
on
your
hands
.
"
He
broke
into
a
chuckle
for
a
moment
.
"
I
have
,
you
know
.
Is
it
possible
to
get
a
doctor
?
My
friend
's
not
hurt
so
very
much
,
but
still
he
wants
expert
handling
.
He
's
Sir
Rupert
Solomonson
,
from
"
—
he
jerked
his
head
back
—
"
over
beyond
Tunbridge
Wells
.
My
name
's
Trafford
.
"
"
I
'm
Mrs.
Pope
and
these
are
my
daughters
.
"
Trafford
bowed
.
"
We
just
took
the
thing
out
for
a
lark
,
"
he
said
.
Marjorie
had
been
regarding
the
prostrate
man
.
His
mouth
was
a
little
open
,
and
he
showed
beautiful
teeth
.
Apart
from
the
dry
blood
upon
him
he
was
not
an
ill-looking
man
.
He
was
manifestly
a
Jew
,
a
square-rigged
Jew
(
you
have
remarked
of
course
that
there
are
square-rigged
Jews
,
whose
noses
are
within
bounds
,
and
fore-and-aft
Jews
,
whose
noses
are
n't
)
,
with
not
so
much
a
bullet-head
as
a
round-shot
,
cropped
like
the
head
of
a
Capuchin
monkey
.
Suddenly
she
was
down
and
had
his
head
on
her
knee
,
with
a
quick
movement
that
caught
Trafford
's
eye
.
"
He
's
better
,
"
she
said
.
"
His
eyelids
flickered
.
Daffy
,
bring
the
water
.
"
She
had
felt
a
queer
little
repugnance
at
first
with
this
helpless
man
,
but
now
that
professional
nurse
who
lurks
in
the
composition
of
so
many
women
,
was
uppermost
.
"
Give
me
your
handkerchief
,
"
she
said
to
Trafford
,
and
with
Daffy
kneeling
beside
her
and
also
interested
,
and
Mrs.
Pope
a
belated
but
more
experienced
and
authoritative
third
,
Sir
Rupert
was
soon
getting
the
best
of
attention
.
"
Wathall
...
"
said
Sir
Rupert
suddenly
,
and
tried
again
:
"
Wathall
.
"
A
third
effort
gave
"
Wathall
about
,
eh
?
"
"
If
we
could
get
him
into
the
shade
,
"
said
Marjorie
.
"
Woosh
,
"
cried
Sir
Rupert
.
"
Weeeooo
!
"
"
That
's
all
right
,
"
said
Trafford
.
"
It
's
only
a
rib
or
two
.
"
"
Eeeeeyoooo
!
"
said
Sir
Rupert
.
"
Exactly
.
We
're
going
to
carry
you
out
of
the
glare
.
"
"
Do
n't
touch
me
,
"
said
Sir
Rupert
.
"
Gooo
.
"
It
took
some
little
persuasion
before
Sir
Rupert
would
consent
to
be
moved
,
and
even
then
he
was
for
a
time
—
oh
!
crusty
.
But
presently
Trafford
and
the
two
girls
had
got
him
into
the
shade
of
a
large
bush
close
to
where
in
a
circle
of
rugs
and
cushions
the
tea
things
lay
prepared
.
There
they
camped
.
The
helpful
odd-job
man
was
ordered
to
stave
off
intruders
from
the
village
;
water
,
towels
,
pillows
were
forthcoming
.
Mr.
Magnet
reappeared
as
tentative
assistance
,
and
Solomonson
became
articulate
and
brave
and
said
he
'd
nothing
but
a
stitch
in
his
side
.
In
his
present
position
he
was
n't
at
all
uncomfortable
.
Only
he
did
n't
want
any
one
near
him
.
He
enforced
that
by
an
appealing
smile
.
The
twins
,
invited
to
fetch
the
doctor
,
declined
,
proffering
Theodore
.
They
had
conceived
juvenile
passions
for
the
tall
young
man
,
and
did
not
want
to
leave
him
.
He
certainly
had
a
very
nice
face
.
So
Theodore
after
walking
twice
round
the
wreckage
,
tore
himself
away
and
departed
on
Rom
's
bicycle
.
Enquiry
centred
on
Solomonson
for
a
time
.
His
face
,
hair
and
neck
were
wet
but
no
longer
bloody
,
and
he
professed
perfect
comfort
so
long
as
he
was
n't
moved
,
and
no
one
came
too
near
him
.
He
was
very
clear
about
that
though
perfectly
polite
,
and
scrutinized
their
faces
to
see
if
they
were
equally
clear
.
Satisfied
upon
this
point
he
closed
his
eyes
and
spoke
no
more
.
He
looked
then
like
a
Capuchin
monkey
lost
in
pride
.
There
came
a
pause
.
Every
one
was
conscious
of
having
risen
to
an
emergency
and
behaved
well
under
unusual
circumstances
.
The
young
man
's
eye
rested
on
the
adjacent
tea-things
,
lacking
nothing
but
the
coronation
of
the
teapot
.
"
Why
not
,
"
he
remarked
,
"
have
tea
?
"
"
If
you
think
your
friend
—
—
"
began
Mrs.
Pope
.
"
Oh
!
he
's
all
right
.
Are
n't
you
,
Solomonson
?
There
's
nothing
more
now
until
the
doctor
.
"
"
Only
want
to
be
left
alone
,
"
said
Solomonson
,
and
closed
his
heavy
eyelids
again
.
Mrs.
Pope
told
the
maids
,
with
an
air
of
dismissal
,
to
get
tea
.
"
We
can
keep
an
eye
on
him
,
"
said
Trafford
.
Marjorie
surveyed
her
first
patient
with
a
pretty
unconscious
mixture
of
maternal
gravity
and
girlish
interest
,
and
the
twins
to
avoid
too
openly
gloating
upon
the
good
looks
of
Trafford
,
chose
places
and
secured
cushions
round
the
tea-things
,
calculating
to
the
best
of
their
ability
how
they
might
secure
the
closest
proximity
to
him
.
Mr.
Magnet
and
Toupee
had
gone
to
stare
at
the
monoplane
;
they
were
presently
joined
by
the
odd-job
man
in
an
interrogative
mood
.
"
Pretty
complete
smash
,
sir
!
"
said
the
odd-job
man
,
and
then
perceiving
heads
over
the
hedge
by
the
churchyard
,
turned
back
to
his
duty
of
