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If he had found so much as one flower-pot of his even thinly crusted with any foreign substance, Lord Marshmoreton would have gone through the place like an east wind, dismissing gardeners and under-gardeners with every breath. But "She only said 'My life is dreary, He cometh not, she said. She said 'I am aweary, aweary. I would that I were dead!"
At any rate, Lord Marshmoreton produced from some source sufficient courage to talk back. "Silly nonsense!" he grunted. "Don't see what you're making all this fuss about. Maud loves the fellow. I like the fellow. Perfectly decent fellow. Nothing to make a fuss about. Why shouldn't I announce the engagement?" "You must be mad!" cried Lady Caroline.
"Thank you very much, but I must go in and help Lord Marshmoreton with his book." "What a rotten I mean, what a dam' shame!" The pity of it tore at Reggie's heart strings. He burned with generous wrath against Lord Marshmoreton, that modern Simon Legree, who used his capitalistic power to make a slave of this girl and keep her toiling indoors when all the world was sunshine.
The latter were frequently employed by her in quelling admirers who were encouraged by the former to become too ardent. Billie's views on the opposite sex who forgot themselves were as rigid as those of Lord Marshmoreton concerning thrips.
It has a dining-car, and stops at Belpher if signalled." "Are you going away, Caroline?" inquired Lord Marshmoreton hopefully. "I am giving a short talk to the Social Progress League at Lewisham. I shall return tomorrow." "Oh!" said Marshmoreton, hope fading from his voice. "Thank you, Miss Faraday," said Lady Caroline. "The twelve-fifteen." "The motor will be round at a quarter to twelve."
There was Lord Marshmoreton at the head of the table, listening glumly to the conversation of a stout woman with a pearl necklace, but who was that woman? Was it Lady Jane Allenby or Lady Edith Wade-Beverly or Lady Patricia Fowles? And who, above all, was the pie-faced fellow with the moustache talking to Maud? He sought assistance from the girl he had taken in to dinner.
As for Lord Marshmoreton, roses and the family history took up so much of his time that he could not be counted on for anything but moral support. He, Percy, must do the active work. He had just come to this decision, when, approaching the window and gazing down into the grounds, he perceived his sister Maud walking rapidly and, so it seemed to him, with a furtive air down the east drive.
Twice, since the occasion when the discovery of Lord Marshmoreton at the cottage had caused her to abandon her purpose of going in and explaining everything to George, had she attempted to make the journey; and each time some trifling, maddening accident had brought about failure.
"Isn't dadda the foxiest old thing!" said Billie delightedly. "Imagine him standing there that day in the garden, kidding us along like that! I tell you, when they brought me his card last night after the first act and I went down to take a slant at this Lord Marshmoreton and found dadda hanging round the stage door, you could have knocked me over with a whisk-broom."
How did you come to separate yourself from the pigs and chickens? I thought you were never going to leave them." "I had to run up on business," explained George. "How are you, Lord Marshmoreton?" The earl nodded briefly. "So you're on to him, too?" said Billie. "When did you get wise?" "Lord Marshmoreton was kind enough to call on me the other morning and drop the incognito."
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