eats.'
'I hope you don't think that is to his credit, my poor child,' her uncle returned.
But what Mrs Bradley said they should have was what they got. When Elliott later told me the outcome of the excursion he shrugged his shoulders in a very French way.
'I told them it would be a failure. I begged Louisa to put in a bottle of the Montrachet I sent her just before the war, but she wouldn't listen to me. They took a thermos of hot coffee and nothing else. What would you expect?'
It appeared that Louisa Bradley and Elliott were sitting by themselves in the living-room when they heard the car stop at the door and Isabel came into the house. It was just after dark and the curtains were drawn. Elliott was lounging in an armchair by the fireside reading a novel and Mrs Bradley was at work on a piece of tapestry that was to be made into a firescreen. Isabel did not come in, but went on up to her room.
Elliott looked over his spectacles at his sister.
'I expect she's gone to take off her hat. She'll be down in a minute,' she said.
But Isabel did not come. Several minutes passed.
'Perhaps she's tired. She may be lying down.'
'Wouldn't you have expected Larry to have come in?'
'Don't be exasperating, Elliott.'
'Well, it's your business, not mine.'
He returned to his book. Mrs Bradley went on working. But when half an hour had gone by she got up suddenly.
'I think perhaps I'd better go up and see that she's all right. If she's resting I won't disturb her.'
She left the room, but in a very short while came down again.
'She's been crying. Larry's going to Paris. He's going to be away for two years. She's promised to wait for him.'
'Why does he want to go to Paris?'
'It's no good asking me questions, Elliott. I don't know. She won't tell me anything. She says she understands and she isn't going to stand in his way. I said to her, "If he's prepared to leave you for two years he can't love you very much." "I can't help that," she said, "the thing that matters is that I love him very much." "Even after what's happened today?" I said "Today's made me love him more than ever I did," she said, "and he does love me, Mamma. I'm sure of that."'
Elliott reflected for a while.
'And what's to happen at the end of two years?'
'I tell you I don't know, Elliott.'
'Don't you think it's very unsatisfactory?'
'Very.'
'There's only one thing to be said and that is that they're both very young. It won't hurt them to wait two years and in that time a lot may happen.'
They agreed that it would be better to leave Isabel in peace. They were going out to dinner that night.
'I don't want to upset her,' said Mrs Bradley. 'People would only wonder if her eyes were all swollen.'
But next day after luncheon, which they had by themselves, Mrs Bradley brought the subject up again. But she got little out of Isabel.
'There's really nothing more to tell you than I've told you already, Mamma,' she said.
'But what does he want to do in Paris?'
Isabel smiled, for she knew how preposterous her answer would seem to her mother.
'Loaf.'
'Loaf? What on earth do you mean?'
'That's what he told me.'
'Really I have no patience with you. If you had any spirit you'd have broken off your engagement there and then. He's just playing with you.'
Isabel looked at the ring she wore on her left hand.
'What can I do? I love him.'
Then Elliott entered the conversation. He approached the matter with his famous tact, 'Not as if I was her uncle, my dear fellow, but as a man of the world speaking to an inexperienced girl,' but he did no better than her mother had done. I received the impression that she had told him, no doubt politely but quite unmistakably, to mind his own business. Elliott told me all this later on in the day in the little sitting-room I had at the Blackstone.
'Of course Louisa is quite right,' he added. 'It's all very unsatisfactory, but that's the sort of thing you run up against when young people are left to arrange their marriages on no
'I hope you don't think that is to his credit, my poor child,' her uncle returned.
But what Mrs Bradley said they should have was what they got. When Elliott later told me the outcome of the excursion he shrugged his shoulders in a very French way.
'I told them it would be a failure. I begged Louisa to put in a bottle of the Montrachet I sent her just before the war, but she wouldn't listen to me. They took a thermos of hot coffee and nothing else. What would you expect?'
It appeared that Louisa Bradley and Elliott were sitting by themselves in the living-room when they heard the car stop at the door and Isabel came into the house. It was just after dark and the curtains were drawn. Elliott was lounging in an armchair by the fireside reading a novel and Mrs Bradley was at work on a piece of tapestry that was to be made into a firescreen. Isabel did not come in, but went on up to her room.
Elliott looked over his spectacles at his sister.
'I expect she's gone to take off her hat. She'll be down in a minute,' she said.
But Isabel did not come. Several minutes passed.
'Perhaps she's tired. She may be lying down.'
'Wouldn't you have expected Larry to have come in?'
'Don't be exasperating, Elliott.'
'Well, it's your business, not mine.'
He returned to his book. Mrs Bradley went on working. But when half an hour had gone by she got up suddenly.
'I think perhaps I'd better go up and see that she's all right. If she's resting I won't disturb her.'
She left the room, but in a very short while came down again.
'She's been crying. Larry's going to Paris. He's going to be away for two years. She's promised to wait for him.'
'Why does he want to go to Paris?'
'It's no good asking me questions, Elliott. I don't know. She won't tell me anything. She says she understands and she isn't going to stand in his way. I said to her, "If he's prepared to leave you for two years he can't love you very much." "I can't help that," she said, "the thing that matters is that I love him very much." "Even after what's happened today?" I said "Today's made me love him more than ever I did," she said, "and he does love me, Mamma. I'm sure of that."'
Elliott reflected for a while.
'And what's to happen at the end of two years?'
'I tell you I don't know, Elliott.'
'Don't you think it's very unsatisfactory?'
'Very.'
'There's only one thing to be said and that is that they're both very young. It won't hurt them to wait two years and in that time a lot may happen.'
They agreed that it would be better to leave Isabel in peace. They were going out to dinner that night.
'I don't want to upset her,' said Mrs Bradley. 'People would only wonder if her eyes were all swollen.'
But next day after luncheon, which they had by themselves, Mrs Bradley brought the subject up again. But she got little out of Isabel.
'There's really nothing more to tell you than I've told you already, Mamma,' she said.
'But what does he want to do in Paris?'
Isabel smiled, for she knew how preposterous her answer would seem to her mother.
'Loaf.'
'Loaf? What on earth do you mean?'
'That's what he told me.'
'Really I have no patience with you. If you had any spirit you'd have broken off your engagement there and then. He's just playing with you.'
Isabel looked at the ring she wore on her left hand.
'What can I do? I love him.'
Then Elliott entered the conversation. He approached the matter with his famous tact, 'Not as if I was her uncle, my dear fellow, but as a man of the world speaking to an inexperienced girl,' but he did no better than her mother had done. I received the impression that she had told him, no doubt politely but quite unmistakably, to mind his own business. Elliott told me all this later on in the day in the little sitting-room I had at the Blackstone.
'Of course Louisa is quite right,' he added. 'It's all very unsatisfactory, but that's the sort of thing you run up against when young people are left to arrange their marriages on no
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