"I don't know," Mary replied repressively.
Steel's hard gaze travelled to Ermyntrude's unconscious profile. He muttered: "Exploiting her! By God, I He checked himself, remembering to whom he spoke, and said briefly: "Sorry!"
Mary thought it wisest to disregard his outburst, and began to talk of something else, but she was privately a good deal perturbed by what she had heard, and contrived, soon after the departure of the Whites, to get a word with Wally alone. Knowing that evasive methods would not answer, she asked him bluntly whether he had lent money to White, and refused to be satisfied with his easy assurance that it was quite all right.
Questioned more strictly, Wally said bitterly that things were coming to a pretty pass now that his own ward spied upon him.
"You know I don't spy on you. I couldn't help hearing what you said to Mr. White tonight. You spoke quite loudly. Robert Steel heard you as plainly as I did."
Wally looked a little discomposed at this. "I wish that fellow would stop poking his nose into my business! It's my belief he'd like nothing better than to see me knocked down by a tram, or something."
"Nonsense!" said Mary.
"It isn't nonsense. Any fool can see with half an eye that be's after Ermy. He wants her money, you mark my words."
"It's Aunt Ermy's money that I want to speak about," said Mary. "You've no right to get money out of her to lend to Harold White."
Wally looked offended. "That's a nice way to talk to your guardian!"
"I know, but I must. I can't bear to see Aunt Ermy cheated. If she were mean I mightn't mind so much, but she gives you whatever you ask for without a murmur, and to be frank with you, Uncle, it makes me sick to hear the lies you tell her about what you want money for. What's more, she's beginning to realise - things."
"I must say, I didn't much like that crack of hers at breakfast today," agreed Wally. "Think she meant anything in particular?"
"I don't know, but I'll tell you this: if she finds out that you're lending her money to White, there'll be trouble. She'll stand a lot, but not that."
"Well, all right, all right, don't make such a song and dance about it!" said Wally, irritated. "As a matter of fact, I was a bit on at the time, or naturally I wouldn't have been such a fool. Lending money is a thing I never have believed in. However, there's nothing to worry about, because Harold's going to pay it back next week."
"What if he doesn't?"
"Don't you fret, he's got to, because I've got his bill for it.
Mary sighed. "You're so hopeless, Uncle: if he tries to get out of it, you'll let him talk you over."
"Well, that's where you're wrong. I may be easy-going, but if it comes to parting brass-rags with Harold, or getting under Ermy's skin, I'll part with Harold."
"I wish you would part with him," said Mary.
"Yes, I dare say you do, but the trouble with you is that you've got a down on poor old Harold. But as a matter of fact he can be very useful to me. You'll sing a different tune if you wake up one morning and find I've made a packet, all through Harold White."
"I should still hate your having anything to do with him," said Mary uncompromisingly.
Chapter Three
Harold White redeemed his promise of returning the shot-gun early on the following morning by arriving with it in a hambone-case just as Ermyntrude was coming downstairs to breakfast. Following his usual custom, he walked in at the frontdoor, which was kept on the latch, without the formality of ringing the bell, and bade Ermyntrude a cheerful good morning. Ermyntrude said pointedly that her butler could not have heard the bell, but White was quite impervious to hints, and said heartily: "Oh, I didn't ring! I knew you wouldn't mind my just walking in. After all, we're practically relations, aren't we? You see, I've brought Wally's gun."
"As a matter of fact," said Ermyntrude, "it's not Wally's gun. It belonged to my first husband."
"Ah, sentimental value!" said White sympathetically. "Still, I've taken every care of it. Wally won't find his barrels dirty, for I cleaned them myself, and oiled them."
Ermyntrude thanked him frigidly. She was slightly mollified by the discovery that White had kept the gun in his hambone-case, but remarked with some bitterness that it was just like Wally not to have lent the gun in its own case. However, when White, who always made a point of agreeing with her, said that Wally was a careless chap, she remembered her loyalty, and remarking severely that Wally had more important thingss to think about, sailed into the breakfast-room, leaving White to restore the gun to its own case in the gun-room at the back of the house. "For since he makes so free with my house, I'm sure I don't see why I should dance attendance on him," she told Mary.
The entrance of the Prince into the room diverted her thoughts, and she at once asked solicitously how he had slept. It appeared that not only had he slept better than ever before in his life, but upon awakening he had been transported by the sound of a cock crowing in the distance. He knew then, perhaps for the first time, the magic of the English countryside. He gave Ermyntrude his word that he lay listening to cock answering cock in a sleepy trance of delight.
"Well, as long as the noise didn't wake you…' said Ermyntrude doubtfully.
Wally, when he put in a somewhat tardy appearance, was accompanied by the dog-Prince, and spent several minutes in explaining to the human-Prince that since the dog was necessary for the day's sport, he would be obliged to include him in the party.
"But of course!" the Prince said.
"I'm very glad you take it like that," said Wally. "In fact, I don't mind telling you that this dog question has been worrying us a good deal, because there's no denying it's very confusing to have a dog and a man both answering to the same name."
"Ah, you fear that when you call "Heel, Prince!" I shall come running to you!" smiled the Prince. "See, when you want me you should call "Varasashvili!" and then there will be no confusion."
"Er - yes," agreed Wally, "but to tell you the truth I've a shocking memory for names. Runs in the family."
Ermyntrude, who had tried several times to catch her husband's eye, interrupted him at this point, and began rather hastily to describe the rest of the shooting-party to the Prince. Besides himself and Wally, there would be Robert Steel, Hugh Dering, and Dr Chester.
"He's good," said Mary, looking up. "And Robert Steel's quite useful. Hugh says he's a rotten shot, but I dare say he isn't as bad as he makes out. I expect you're pretty good yourself, aren't you?"
He disclaimed, but not in such a way as to lead her to believe him. She said with a faint smile: "I hope you're not speaking the truth, because if you are the gamekeeper won't be a bit pleased. However, Aunt Ermy told me that you shoot a good deal, so I'm not seriously alarmed."
"But I find that you are a most unexpected lady!" he exclaimed. "Have you then arranged the shoot, and do you perhaps accompany us?"
"No, I don't shoot myself, though I did arrange it, I've counted you and Maurice Chester as the good ones, Robert Steel as the medium one, and Uncle and Hugh as the definitely poor ones."
Vicky, who had drifted in through the long, open window in time to overhear this speech, said: "But I can shoot, and I think I might come too."
"No, clearest, that you most certainly will not!" said F,nmw rucle. "I shouldn't have a quiet moment."
Vicky became aware of the Prince, who had sprung up at her entrance, and smiled vaguely in his direction. "Oh, hullo! Now I come to think of it, I can't shoot today. I'm going out with Alan."