he sleep in here if I fix him up a camp bed?’
‘No, he can’t! And I didn’t mean the whisky! You knew that perfectly well. I meant about your bringing him home. And, anyway, if he’s going to stay the night, what’s the matter with the spare room?’
‘I’m not sure if the sheets are aired, and I think mother sent the eiderdown to be cleaned. He won’t want sheets and things on a camp bed, will he, if you let him have your sleeping bag and one of your blankets?’
‘I
want
all my blankets, damn it!’
‘Oh, Bob, don’t be selfish! How many have you got?’
‘Five, and I want ’em all. You brought him home, so you jolly well go and forage for him. Although what the devil it’s all about I can’t imagine.’
‘Oh, Bob! We must give him a bed!’
‘Dump him in the parents’ bedroom, then. What’s the matter with that?’
‘I don’t know whether Ellen has changed the sheets yet.’
‘Good Lord, he won’t look at sheets! Go and get him, and bung him in here to talk to me while you have a look to see that everything’s ship-shape. And then you get into bed, You look as though you’d had enough for one day.’
‘Yes, I think I have,’ said Dorothy, suddenly realizing that she was very tired. ‘And I don’t think I liked it after all. Good night, then. We shan’t be long.’
‘You mind you’re not! I’ll give you twenty minutes.’
Dorothy went to the door. Bob called her back.
‘Er—what do you
think
of Hoskyn, by the way? And what does he think of
you?
I’ll bet he’s thinking long, long thoughts of both of us now we’ve gone and spoiled his holiday.’
Dorothy did not answer. She returned to the bedside and kissed the end of her brother’s firm and pugnacious nose. Bob caught her and pulled her down, wincing as she landed on the bed, but holding her tight.
‘Answer the questions,’ he said, ‘you little fiend.’
‘I can’t. And he’ll be wondering where I am.’
Bob rumpled her hair and kissed her.
Chapter Four
‘My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind,
So flew’d, so sanded, and their heads are hung
With ears that sweep away the morning dew.’
S HAKESPEARE
, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
BREAKFAST NEXT MORNING was taken by the three of them together, for Bob had swung himself downstairs. He sat by the fire, with his injured foot on a cushion placed on top of a small stool, whilst the others sat at the table.
‘What are you going to do now?’ he asked, when, the meal over, both men had lighted their pipes and were occupying armchairs, and Dorothy, seated in the window, was watching the maid clear the table.
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Roger. ‘Have you a dog that wants taking out for a run?’
‘No. Only a sister,’ said Bob, with a lordly grin. ‘But what about your holiday? You can’t spend it here with us.’
‘Can’t I? I’d rather hoped I could. After all, it’syour fault we aren’t walking together, you old mudhead.’
‘Well, damn it,’ said Bob. ‘I can’t help it!’
‘I’ll tell you what,’ said Roger, suddenly addressing Dorothy. ‘Let’s hire a car and take this surly invalid to Whiteledge.’
‘Whiteledge? I’ve never heard of it.’
‘You’ve been there, though. We needn’t stay to dinner this time, of course, but I do want to go there again.’
‘Oh, it’s the name of that house!’
‘It is. I found the County History in your bookcase, and I’ve already had a look at it. The house is quite famous, it seems. Sort of three star Baedeker and all that. I’d rather like Bob to see it.’
‘I could manage all right in a car,’ said Bob cheerfully. ‘I call it a brain-wave, old man. Dorothy can ring up the garage. Will yon drive, or shall she get them to send a man? The parents have taken our car.’
‘What make of car will it be?’
‘A Morris, most likely.’
‘Can do. And I’d much rather be on our own.’
‘Good. So would I. All set? Buzz along, young D. and get contact. Tell them we want
‘No, he can’t! And I didn’t mean the whisky! You knew that perfectly well. I meant about your bringing him home. And, anyway, if he’s going to stay the night, what’s the matter with the spare room?’
‘I’m not sure if the sheets are aired, and I think mother sent the eiderdown to be cleaned. He won’t want sheets and things on a camp bed, will he, if you let him have your sleeping bag and one of your blankets?’
‘I
want
all my blankets, damn it!’
‘Oh, Bob, don’t be selfish! How many have you got?’
‘Five, and I want ’em all. You brought him home, so you jolly well go and forage for him. Although what the devil it’s all about I can’t imagine.’
‘Oh, Bob! We must give him a bed!’
‘Dump him in the parents’ bedroom, then. What’s the matter with that?’
‘I don’t know whether Ellen has changed the sheets yet.’
‘Good Lord, he won’t look at sheets! Go and get him, and bung him in here to talk to me while you have a look to see that everything’s ship-shape. And then you get into bed, You look as though you’d had enough for one day.’
‘Yes, I think I have,’ said Dorothy, suddenly realizing that she was very tired. ‘And I don’t think I liked it after all. Good night, then. We shan’t be long.’
‘You mind you’re not! I’ll give you twenty minutes.’
Dorothy went to the door. Bob called her back.
‘Er—what do you
think
of Hoskyn, by the way? And what does he think of
you?
I’ll bet he’s thinking long, long thoughts of both of us now we’ve gone and spoiled his holiday.’
Dorothy did not answer. She returned to the bedside and kissed the end of her brother’s firm and pugnacious nose. Bob caught her and pulled her down, wincing as she landed on the bed, but holding her tight.
‘Answer the questions,’ he said, ‘you little fiend.’
‘I can’t. And he’ll be wondering where I am.’
Bob rumpled her hair and kissed her.
Chapter Four
‘My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind,
So flew’d, so sanded, and their heads are hung
With ears that sweep away the morning dew.’
S HAKESPEARE
, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
BREAKFAST NEXT MORNING was taken by the three of them together, for Bob had swung himself downstairs. He sat by the fire, with his injured foot on a cushion placed on top of a small stool, whilst the others sat at the table.
‘What are you going to do now?’ he asked, when, the meal over, both men had lighted their pipes and were occupying armchairs, and Dorothy, seated in the window, was watching the maid clear the table.
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Roger. ‘Have you a dog that wants taking out for a run?’
‘No. Only a sister,’ said Bob, with a lordly grin. ‘But what about your holiday? You can’t spend it here with us.’
‘Can’t I? I’d rather hoped I could. After all, it’syour fault we aren’t walking together, you old mudhead.’
‘Well, damn it,’ said Bob. ‘I can’t help it!’
‘I’ll tell you what,’ said Roger, suddenly addressing Dorothy. ‘Let’s hire a car and take this surly invalid to Whiteledge.’
‘Whiteledge? I’ve never heard of it.’
‘You’ve been there, though. We needn’t stay to dinner this time, of course, but I do want to go there again.’
‘Oh, it’s the name of that house!’
‘It is. I found the County History in your bookcase, and I’ve already had a look at it. The house is quite famous, it seems. Sort of three star Baedeker and all that. I’d rather like Bob to see it.’
‘I could manage all right in a car,’ said Bob cheerfully. ‘I call it a brain-wave, old man. Dorothy can ring up the garage. Will yon drive, or shall she get them to send a man? The parents have taken our car.’
‘What make of car will it be?’
‘A Morris, most likely.’
‘Can do. And I’d much rather be on our own.’
‘Good. So would I. All set? Buzz along, young D. and get contact. Tell them we want
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