head.”
“Very laudable, no doubt, but I hope he ’ s not paying you in kind, with those two very dangerous-loo k ing animals.”
Amused in spite of herself, Stella tore open the envelope and took out a check. It was drawn for fifty pounds, and with a quick gasp of dismay she passed it across to Miss Jellings.
“I can ’ t possibly take all that,” she said frowning. “I was only there a few days.”
“Nonsense, child; for one of these nabobs it ’ s quite a modest rate of pay. But there ’ s a letter with it. See what he says.”
Still troubled Stella read Chawand Rao ’ s note. He was very distressed, he said, to hear of Miss Jellings ’ s bad health, and grieved, too, that he had not been able to say goodbye to “our angel” and to thank her once again for all she had done for them. He would have liked to send a check for many times the amount of the one enclosed, but feared that this might displease her; however, he assured her that if he could be of the smallest service to her, she had only to let him know. Meanwhile he hoped that she and Miss Jellings would accept the loan of two horses from his stables and—as soon as the older lady was better — enjoy some pleasant rides together.
She had to smile as she handed the letter over to Jelly. As for that lady, she read the first half soberly enough, nodding agreement with Chawand Rao ’ s very proper sentiments, but threw back her head and laughed heartily as she came to the part about the horses.
“He wants to finish me off, I Should think,” she declared. “Unless it ’ s just a piece of Oriental tact. He may think it ’ s polite to ignore my age and decrepitude—if he ’ s aware of them.”
“I suppose we ought to send them back with a courteous refusal.” For the life of her Stella could not altogether banish the note of regret from her voice. Riding had always been a passion with her, and even during her hospital days she had managed to save up for an occasional canter in Richmond Park or on the Surrey Downs.
“Not in the least necessary.” Jelly, it seemed, had no qualms on the subject. “He owes it to you to show you what kindness he can, while you ’ re still in Kotpura State, and it will make you independent of other people ’ s offers of mounts. Roger, by the way, will probably feel he ought to lend that mare of his to his future sister-in-law.”
Stella hesitated.
“ Then shall we keep both? ”
“Certainly. You ’ ll have to take a groom with you, if you go far afield. But it won ’ t be difficult to find one.”
That problem dealt with, another very soon presented itself. Jim Fendish, whom Stella had never met before, arrived just before lunchtime to see if Miss Jellings felt well enough to fix up another evening for the little dinner party that Roger was so keen to give.
He was a short, slim edition of Roger and possessed pleasantly easy manners; but though he was undeniably better-looking, his face lacked the strength of purpose so evident in his brother ’ s, and Stella ’ s quick summing up w was that he was a nice boy but not a patch on Roger.
“The party ’ s really in honor of Allegra,” he explained with shy pride. “Roger feels that she is having rather a tame time here, and thought it might be possible to get a few couples together for dancing—just to the record player.”
“Then I don ’ t see why you want to wait for me,” Jelly observed bluntly. “Time was when I danced like a fairy — though you might not believe it to look at me now—and though my dancing days are over it ’ s gall and vinegar to me to sit in an armchair all the evening and watch other folks gyrating.”
“Oh, he ’ s set his heart on your coming with Miss Hantley,” Jim Fendish assured her. “He ’ ll fix up a bridge game for you, and he ’ ll bring you back, he says, the minute you ’ re tired.”
“I don ’ t know that I ought to be out dancing, either.” Stella sought wildly for an excuse to get out
“Very laudable, no doubt, but I hope he ’ s not paying you in kind, with those two very dangerous-loo k ing animals.”
Amused in spite of herself, Stella tore open the envelope and took out a check. It was drawn for fifty pounds, and with a quick gasp of dismay she passed it across to Miss Jellings.
“I can ’ t possibly take all that,” she said frowning. “I was only there a few days.”
“Nonsense, child; for one of these nabobs it ’ s quite a modest rate of pay. But there ’ s a letter with it. See what he says.”
Still troubled Stella read Chawand Rao ’ s note. He was very distressed, he said, to hear of Miss Jellings ’ s bad health, and grieved, too, that he had not been able to say goodbye to “our angel” and to thank her once again for all she had done for them. He would have liked to send a check for many times the amount of the one enclosed, but feared that this might displease her; however, he assured her that if he could be of the smallest service to her, she had only to let him know. Meanwhile he hoped that she and Miss Jellings would accept the loan of two horses from his stables and—as soon as the older lady was better — enjoy some pleasant rides together.
She had to smile as she handed the letter over to Jelly. As for that lady, she read the first half soberly enough, nodding agreement with Chawand Rao ’ s very proper sentiments, but threw back her head and laughed heartily as she came to the part about the horses.
“He wants to finish me off, I Should think,” she declared. “Unless it ’ s just a piece of Oriental tact. He may think it ’ s polite to ignore my age and decrepitude—if he ’ s aware of them.”
“I suppose we ought to send them back with a courteous refusal.” For the life of her Stella could not altogether banish the note of regret from her voice. Riding had always been a passion with her, and even during her hospital days she had managed to save up for an occasional canter in Richmond Park or on the Surrey Downs.
“Not in the least necessary.” Jelly, it seemed, had no qualms on the subject. “He owes it to you to show you what kindness he can, while you ’ re still in Kotpura State, and it will make you independent of other people ’ s offers of mounts. Roger, by the way, will probably feel he ought to lend that mare of his to his future sister-in-law.”
Stella hesitated.
“ Then shall we keep both? ”
“Certainly. You ’ ll have to take a groom with you, if you go far afield. But it won ’ t be difficult to find one.”
That problem dealt with, another very soon presented itself. Jim Fendish, whom Stella had never met before, arrived just before lunchtime to see if Miss Jellings felt well enough to fix up another evening for the little dinner party that Roger was so keen to give.
He was a short, slim edition of Roger and possessed pleasantly easy manners; but though he was undeniably better-looking, his face lacked the strength of purpose so evident in his brother ’ s, and Stella ’ s quick summing up w was that he was a nice boy but not a patch on Roger.
“The party ’ s really in honor of Allegra,” he explained with shy pride. “Roger feels that she is having rather a tame time here, and thought it might be possible to get a few couples together for dancing—just to the record player.”
“Then I don ’ t see why you want to wait for me,” Jelly observed bluntly. “Time was when I danced like a fairy — though you might not believe it to look at me now—and though my dancing days are over it ’ s gall and vinegar to me to sit in an armchair all the evening and watch other folks gyrating.”
“Oh, he ’ s set his heart on your coming with Miss Hantley,” Jim Fendish assured her. “He ’ ll fix up a bridge game for you, and he ’ ll bring you back, he says, the minute you ’ re tired.”
“I don ’ t know that I ought to be out dancing, either.” Stella sought wildly for an excuse to get out
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