A Damsel in Distress

"They are very rough," continued Alice, addressing her conversation

to the seat of his lordship's corduroy trousers. Lord Marshmoreton

always assumed a stooping attitude when he saw Miss Faraday

approaching with papers in her hand; for he laboured under a

pathetic delusion, of which no amount of failures could rid him,

that if she did not see his face she would withdraw. "You remember

last night you promised you would attend to them this morning." She

paused long enough to receive a non-committal grunt by way of

answer. "Of course, if you're busy--" she said placidly, with a

half-glance at Lady Caroline. That masterful woman could always be

counted on as an ally in these little encounters.

"Nothing of the kind!" said Lady Caroline crisply. She was still

ruffled by the lack of attention which her recent utterances had

received, and welcomed the chance of administering discipline. "Get

up at once, John, and go in and work."

"I am working," pleaded Lord Marshmoreton.

Despite his forty-eight years his sister Caroline still had the

power at times to make him feel like a small boy. She had been a

great martinet in the days of their mutual nursery.

"The Family History is more important than grubbing about in the

dirt. I cannot understand why you do not leave this sort of thing

to MacPherson. Why you should pay him liberal wages and then do his

work for him, I cannot see. You know the publishers are waiting for

the History. Go and attend to these notes at once."

"You promised you would attend to them this morning, Lord

Marshmoreton," said Alice invitingly.

Lord Marshmoreton clung to his can of whale-oil solution with the

clutch of a drowning man. None knew better than he that these

interviews, especially when Caroline was present to lend the weight

of her dominating personality, always ended in the same way.

"Yes, yes, yes!" he said. "Tonight, perhaps. After dinner, eh? Yes,

after dinner. That will be capital."

"I think you ought to attend to them this morning," said Alice,

gently persistent. It really perturbed this girl to feel that she

was not doing work enough to merit her generous salary. And on the

subject of the history of the Marshmoreton family she was an

enthusiast. It had a glamour for her.

Lord Marshmoreton's fingers relaxed their hold. Throughout the

rose-garden hundreds of spared thrips went on with their morning

meal, unwitting of doom averted.

"Oh, all right, all right, all right! Come into the library."

"Very well, Lord Marshmoreton." Miss Faraday turned to Lady

Caroline. "I have been looking up the trains, Lady Caroline. The

best is the twelve-fifteen. It has a dining-car, and stops at

Belpher if signalled."