shan’t be teaching Tim after we’re married, Boo! You’ll have to get rid of those boys. We can’t have adopted children in the house. They’ll be horribly in the way.’
‘I beg your pardon, Linda!’ said Sir Bohun with the utmost sharpness. ‘No nonsense of that kind, please! Whether you continue to teach Timothy or not is at your own discretion, of course! I thought you were fond of the kiddie, that’s all, and would like to push him along at his lessons until he’s ready for school. But if you don’t choose to do it, he’ll have to have another governess, that’s all, for Grimston, of course, will have to go. I can’t have him mooning about when we’re married.’
‘Then I’ll choose her,’ said Linda, laughing, but with a suggestion of malice in her mirth. ‘I’m not going to brook any rivalry!’
‘Really, Linda!’ said Sir Bohun, obviously shocked. ‘Don’t be a common little chit!’
Mrs Bradley thought it high time to put an end to these embarrassing exchanges.
‘Did you ever find out where the Hound of the Baskervilles came from that night?’ she enquired, putting down her cup and helping herself to a sandwich. Sir Bohun shook his head.
‘Never set eyes on him again, and everybody denied all knowledge of him,’ he replied. ‘Somebody’s lying, of course, but I can’t find out who it is, or where he went when you and Miss Menzies got rid of him out of the house.’
‘Horrible great brute!’ said Linda Campbell. ‘I’m terrified of big dogs. I shall always believe you did it yourself just to frighten me.’
‘Why the devil should I want to frighten you?’ Sir Bohun testily demanded. ‘Something better to think about than frightening damn’ silly women with damned great dogs! What I still want to know – apart from who painted the dog, the thoughtless fools! – is who dared put two more rooms out of bounds than were agreed on between Bell and myself!’
‘You had better ask Brenda Dance,’ said Linda Campbell, with so much malice in her tone that Mrs Bradley was immediately, although not obviously, interested. ‘You should have arranged a few sitting-out places, my poor Boo, if you didn’t want your precious little-boy plans upset by a dirty little – ’
‘Linda!’ shouted Sir Bohun, endeavouring to drown the last word.
‘Well, so she is,’ retorted his inamorata cattishly. ‘You know it as well as I do. And, what’s more, if I hadn’t grabbed you out of her clutches you’d be a co-respondent in the divorce court by this time, and, with your high-falutin’ ideas, you’d have had to marry her as soon as she’d got rid of Toby. And how would you have liked that?’
‘Quite as much as I like this, I dare say,’ replied Sir Bohun. ‘Stop talking nonsense and pour out more tea. There’s a scold’s bridle hanging up in the attic, and don’t you forget it, my girl! As for high-falutin’ ideas, I didn’t marry Manoel’s mother, did I?’
‘Is it true that Manoel comes from Mexico, not Spain?’ Mrs Bradley enquired, with the object of putting an end to the embarrassing exchanges.
‘He’s lived in both countries. Why do you want to know?’ demanded Sir Bohun.
‘Only that I would rather make an enemy of a Spaniard than of a Mexican,’ said Mrs Bradley calmly.
‘Who says I’ve made an enemy of Manoel? Have you been pumping the boy?’
‘No. But he wants to kill you. Didn’t you know?’
Sir Bohun began to swell and turn purple. Linda Campbell laughed aloud. Sir Bohun raised his hand as though to strike her across the face, caught Mrs Bradley’s basilisk eye, and, with a choking sound, went out of the room.
‘Poor Boo!’ said Linda lightly. ‘I shall have to cure him of that naughty temper when we’re married.’
‘He has had it rather a long time,’ said Mrs Bradley, eyeing her benignly. The drawing-room, when Mrs Bradley went down for dinner that night, was inhabited by Dance, who seemed to be at a loose end.
‘Ah,’ he
‘I beg your pardon, Linda!’ said Sir Bohun with the utmost sharpness. ‘No nonsense of that kind, please! Whether you continue to teach Timothy or not is at your own discretion, of course! I thought you were fond of the kiddie, that’s all, and would like to push him along at his lessons until he’s ready for school. But if you don’t choose to do it, he’ll have to have another governess, that’s all, for Grimston, of course, will have to go. I can’t have him mooning about when we’re married.’
‘Then I’ll choose her,’ said Linda, laughing, but with a suggestion of malice in her mirth. ‘I’m not going to brook any rivalry!’
‘Really, Linda!’ said Sir Bohun, obviously shocked. ‘Don’t be a common little chit!’
Mrs Bradley thought it high time to put an end to these embarrassing exchanges.
‘Did you ever find out where the Hound of the Baskervilles came from that night?’ she enquired, putting down her cup and helping herself to a sandwich. Sir Bohun shook his head.
‘Never set eyes on him again, and everybody denied all knowledge of him,’ he replied. ‘Somebody’s lying, of course, but I can’t find out who it is, or where he went when you and Miss Menzies got rid of him out of the house.’
‘Horrible great brute!’ said Linda Campbell. ‘I’m terrified of big dogs. I shall always believe you did it yourself just to frighten me.’
‘Why the devil should I want to frighten you?’ Sir Bohun testily demanded. ‘Something better to think about than frightening damn’ silly women with damned great dogs! What I still want to know – apart from who painted the dog, the thoughtless fools! – is who dared put two more rooms out of bounds than were agreed on between Bell and myself!’
‘You had better ask Brenda Dance,’ said Linda Campbell, with so much malice in her tone that Mrs Bradley was immediately, although not obviously, interested. ‘You should have arranged a few sitting-out places, my poor Boo, if you didn’t want your precious little-boy plans upset by a dirty little – ’
‘Linda!’ shouted Sir Bohun, endeavouring to drown the last word.
‘Well, so she is,’ retorted his inamorata cattishly. ‘You know it as well as I do. And, what’s more, if I hadn’t grabbed you out of her clutches you’d be a co-respondent in the divorce court by this time, and, with your high-falutin’ ideas, you’d have had to marry her as soon as she’d got rid of Toby. And how would you have liked that?’
‘Quite as much as I like this, I dare say,’ replied Sir Bohun. ‘Stop talking nonsense and pour out more tea. There’s a scold’s bridle hanging up in the attic, and don’t you forget it, my girl! As for high-falutin’ ideas, I didn’t marry Manoel’s mother, did I?’
‘Is it true that Manoel comes from Mexico, not Spain?’ Mrs Bradley enquired, with the object of putting an end to the embarrassing exchanges.
‘He’s lived in both countries. Why do you want to know?’ demanded Sir Bohun.
‘Only that I would rather make an enemy of a Spaniard than of a Mexican,’ said Mrs Bradley calmly.
‘Who says I’ve made an enemy of Manoel? Have you been pumping the boy?’
‘No. But he wants to kill you. Didn’t you know?’
Sir Bohun began to swell and turn purple. Linda Campbell laughed aloud. Sir Bohun raised his hand as though to strike her across the face, caught Mrs Bradley’s basilisk eye, and, with a choking sound, went out of the room.
‘Poor Boo!’ said Linda lightly. ‘I shall have to cure him of that naughty temper when we’re married.’
‘He has had it rather a long time,’ said Mrs Bradley, eyeing her benignly. The drawing-room, when Mrs Bradley went down for dinner that night, was inhabited by Dance, who seemed to be at a loose end.
‘Ah,’ he
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