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Updated: May 11, 2025
It was a bright March day in the Mannering woods, where the Squire, Elizabeth, and Captain Dell were hanging about waiting for Sir Henry Chicksands. The astonishing warmth and sunshine of the month had brought out a shimmer of spring everywhere, reddened the great heads of the oaks, and set the sycamore buds shining like jewels in the pale blue.
Beyond, at some distance, she was aware of another group disappearing among the trees of the park Pamela with Captain Chicksands and Beryl. This was the first time that any member of the Chicksands family had been a guest at Mannering since the quarrel in the autumn. The Squire had not yet brought himself to shake hands with Sir Henry.
'Our powers are very wide. 'Under what do you call the beastly thing? "Dora" the Defence of the Realm Act? Sir Henry nodded. The Squire rose and began to pace up and down, his hands under his coat-tails, his long spider legs and small feet picking their way in and out of the piles and boxes on the floor. At last he turned impetuously. 'Look here, Chicksands, I shall not give that man warning!
He talked curiously little about the war at least to her. He had a way of finding out, both at Chicksands and Mannering, men who had lost sons in France, and when he and Beryl took a walk, it seemed to Beryl as though they were constantly followed by friendly furtive looks from old labourers who passed them on the road, and nodded as they went by.
So no doubt the second girl-figure was that of Beryl Chicksands, and the other gentleman in khaki was probably Captain Chicksands, for whom Desmond seemed to cherish a boyish hero-worship. They had been all lunching together at Chetworth, she supposed. She watched them coming, with a curious mingling of interest in them and detachment from them. She was to them merely the Squire's paid secretary.
I suppose he despises girls. As the hall clock struck half-past five, however, Elizabeth rose from her seat, gathering up the papers she had brought in from the office, and disappeared. Arthur Chicksands looked at his watch. Beryl exclaimed: 'Oh, no, Arthur, not yet! Let's wait for Desmond! Pamela said perfunctorily 'No, please don't go! He'll be here directly.
Temple has been down to Chicksands to see her, and some more definite arrangement has been come to between them. Dorothy has urged Temple to go to Ireland and join his father, who has once again taken possession of his office of Master of the Rolls.
'Where are you lunching? 'At Brooks', with my father. 'Oh, then I'll walk there with you. They struck across the park, and talk fell on a recent small set-back which had happened to a regiment with which they were both well acquainted. Chicksands shrugged his shoulders. 'I've heard some details at the War Office. Just ten minutes' rot! The Colonel stopped it with his revolver.
Neither was able to speak for a moment, till Mannering said, 'I'll bring my father to Margaret's, and then I'll go and see after the permits. He lingered a moment. 'I I think it means the worst. Chicksands' gesture was one of despair. Then they hurried away from the War Office together. It was afternoon at Mannering. Elizabeth was walking home from the village through the park.
Two motors appeared, the ambulance motor behind another. They drew up at the side door leading direct through a small lobby to the library, and the Squire, his eldest son, and Captain Chicksands stepped out then Pamela. Pamela ran up to her sister. The girl's eyes were red with crying, but she was composed. 'On the whole, he has borne the journey well. Where is Miss Bremerton?
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