Another five days; then Brenda came to Hetton again. ‘I shan’t be here next week-end,’ she said, ‘I’m going to stay with Veronica.’

‘Am I asked?’

‘Well, you were , of course, but I refused for you. You know you always hate staying away.’

‘I wouldn’t mind coming.’

‘Oh, darling, I wish I’d known. Veronica would have loved it so ... but I’m afraid it will be too late now. She’s only got a tiny house ... to tell you the truth I didn’t think you liked her much.’

‘I hated her like hell.’

‘Well, then ... ?’

‘Oh, it doesn’t matter. I suppose you must go back on Monday? The hounds are meeting on Wednesday, you know.’

‘Are we giving them a lawner?’

‘Yes, darling, you know we do every year.’

‘So we do.’

‘You couldn’t stay down till then?’

‘Not possibly, darling. You see if I miss one lecture I get right behind and can’t follow the next. Besides, I am not mad keen to see the hounds.’

‘Ben was asking if we’d let John go out.’

‘Oh, he’s far too young.’

‘Not to hunt. But I thought he might bring his pony to the meet and ride with them to the first covert. He’d love it so.’

‘Is it quite safe?’

‘Oh, yes, surely?’

‘Bless his heart, I wish I could be here to see him.’

‘Do change your mind.’

‘Oh no, that’s quite out of the question. Don’t make a thing about it, Tony.’

That was when she first arrived; later everything got better. Jock was there that week-end, also Allan and Marjorie and another married couple whom Tony had known all his life. Brenda had arranged the party for him and he enjoyed it. He and Allan went out with rook rifles and shot rabbits in the twilight; after dinner the four men played billiard fives while one wife watched. ‘The old boy’s happy as a lark,’ said Brenda to Marjorie. ‘He’s settling down wonderfully to the new régime.’

They came in breathless and rather flushed for whisky and soda.

‘Tony nearly had one through the window,’ said Jock.

That night Tony slept in Guinevere.

‘Everything is all right, isn’t it?’ he said once.

‘Yes, of course, darling.’

‘I get depressed down here all alone and imagine things.’

‘You aren’t to brood , Tony. You know that’s one of the things that aren’t allowed.’

‘I won’t brood any more,’ said Tony.

Next day Brenda came to church with him. She had decided to devote the week-end wholly to him; it would be the last for some time.

‘And how are the abstruse sciences, Lady Brenda?’

‘Absorbing.’

‘We shall all be coming to you for advice about our overdrafts.’

‘Ha, ha.’

‘And how’s Thunderclap?’ asked Miss Tendril.

‘I’m taking her out hunting on Wednesday,’ said John. He had forgotten Princess Abdul Akbar in the excitement of the coming meet. ‘Please God make there be a good scent. Please God make me see the kill. Please God don’t let me do anything wrong. God bless Ben and Thunderclap. Please God make me jump an enormous great oxer,’ he had kept repeating throughout the service.

Brenda did the round with Tony of cottages and hothouses; she helped him choose his buttonhole.

Tony was in high spirits at luncheon. Brenda had begun to forget how amusing he could be. Afterwards he changed into other clothes and went with Jock to play golf. They stayed some time at the clubhouse. Tony said, ‘We’ve got the hounds meeting at Hetton on Wednesday. Couldn’t you stay down till then?’

‘Must be back. There’s going to be a debate on the Pig Scheme.’

‘I wish you’d stay. Look here, why don’t you ask that girl down? Everyone goes to-morrow. You could ring her up, couldn’t you?’

‘I could .’

‘Would she hate it? She could have Lyonesse—Polly slept there two week-ends running, so it can’t be too uncomfortable.’

‘She’d probably love it. I’ll ring up and ask her.’

‘Why don’t you hunt too? There’s a chap called Brinkwell who’s got some quite decent hirelings, I believe.’

‘Yes, I might.’



‘Jock’s staying on. He’s having the Shameless Blonde down. You don’t mind?’

‘Me? Of course not.’

‘This has been a jolly week-end.’

‘I thought you were enjoying it.’

‘Just like old times—before the economics began.’



Marjorie said to Jock, ‘D’you think Tony knows about Mr Beaver?’

‘Not a thing.’

‘I haven’t mentioned it to Allan. D’you suppose he knows?’

‘I doubt it.’

‘Oh, Jock, how d’you think it’ll end?’

‘She’ll get bored with Beaver soon enough.’

‘The trouble is that he doesn’t care for her in the least. If he did, it would soon be over ... What an ass she is being.’

‘I should say she was managing it unusually well, if you ask me.’



The other married couple said to each other, ‘D’you think Marjorie and Allan know about Brenda?’

‘I’m sure they don’t.’



Brenda said to Allan, ‘Tony’s as happy as a sandboy, isn’t he?’

‘Full of beans.’

‘I was getting worried about him ... You don’t think he’s got any idea about my goings on?’

‘Lord no. It’s the last thing that would come into his head.’

Brenda said, ‘I don’t want him to be unhappy, you know ... Marjorie’s been frightfully governessy about the whole thing.’

‘Has she? I haven’t discussed it with her.’

‘How did you hear?’

‘My dear girl, until this minute I didn’t know you had any goings on. And I’m not asking any questions about them now.’

‘Oh ... I thought everyone knew.’

‘That’s always the trouble with people when they start walking out. They either think no one knows, or everybody. The truth is that a few people like Polly and Sybil make a point of finding out about everyone’s private life; the rest of us just aren’t interested.’

‘Oh.’



Later he said to Marjorie, ‘Brenda tried to be confidential about Beaver this evening.’

‘I didn’t know you knew.’

‘Oh, I knew all right. But I wasn’t going to let her feel important by talking about it.’

‘I couldn’t disapprove more of the whole thing. Do you know Beaver?’

‘I’ve seen him about. Anyway, it’s her business and Tony’s, not ours.’