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"She said it did not matter," Johnny told him; "they'll be all the more surprise to us when they come up next year." "She didn't mind, not even about the streaked daffodil?" "Oh, that was not there," Mr. Gillat said, serenely unconscious that the fate of that bulb was the only interest. "We have got that by itself."
From which it is clear he thought Mrs. Polkington was to be congratulated. "And when is it to be?" he asked. "Violet says a year's time; they could not afford to marry sooner and do it properly, but it will have to be sooner all the same." "A year is not a very long time," Mr. Gillat observed; "they go fast, years; one almost loses count of them, they go so fast."
Polkington said, mentally reviewing her larder, "can be hashed; that and a small boned loin of mutton will do, he would naturally expect to be treated as one of the family; fortunately the apple tart has not been cut with a little cream " "I thought we were to have the tart to-night," Julia interrupted, thinking of Johnny Gillat, who was coming to spend the evening with her father. Mrs.
Gillat was going to have a great excitement in the early autumn Captain Polkington was coming to London, perhaps for as long as three months. Johnny did not know why; he thought perhaps to have some treatment for his rheumatism; Mrs. Polkington had arranged it. Julia did know why, and the short-sightedness of the policy roused her contempt.
"Perhaps," Rawson-Clew said, "you can tell me what I want to know it is about Miss Julia Polkington. I met her in Holland during the summer." He may have thought of giving some idea of intimacy, or of explaining his interest; but, if so, he changed his mind; anything of the kind was perfectly unnecessary to Mr. Gillat, who did not dream of questioning his reason.
I have arranged with your landlady to let me have a room." Mr. Gillat appeared quite overcome with joy and surprise, and it seemed to Julia, nervousness too. He led her to a chair; "Won't you sit down?" he said, placing it so that it commanded a view of the window and nothing else. Julia sat down; she did not need to look at the room; she had already mastered most of its details.
Gillat said, "Very true," or "Ah, yes, yes," eating slice after slice of thick bread and butter, and filling his mouth very full as if to cork it up and so prevent his having to answer awkward questions. At last Captain Polkington rose; "Gillat," he said, "if you have finished, we may as well go down-stairs."
"He won't do much while I am watching; he will wait till he is alone with you. Don't try to prevent him; that is no good; just watch and tell me." Mr. Gillat said he would, though he did not like the job, and certainly was ill-fitted for it.
Johnny followed him, and the Captain faced round on him, irritably demanding what the devil he wanted. "To to see if the register is shut," Mr. Gillat said, beaming at his own deep diplomacy and the brilliancy of the idea which had come to him rather tardily, it is true, still in time to pass muster. The Captain flung himself into a chair with a sigh of irritation.
"It's rather a pity if he is," Julia answered; "he has got to see some one on business to-morrow." "Who?" "Mr. Frazer, a clergyman who wants to marry Violet." Mr. Gillat sat upright. "Dear, dear!" he exclaimed. "No? Really?" and when Julia had given him an outline of the circumstances, he added softly, "A wonderful woman! I always had a great respect for your mother."
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