"You mean that Dick is? I don't know anything about it, and I don't care. That's not what I'm going to Kencote for. Why do men always think such a lot about money, I wonder?"
"Ah, I wonder," said Humphrey.
The four travellers joined up at Bathgate, where they had to change, and travelled to Kencote together in a second-class carriage, on Virginia's decision, which Humphrey accepted with some distaste, but did not combat.
Dick and the twins were on the platform at Kencote. The twins were inveterate train-meeters, whenever they were allowed to be, and Dick had brought them this evening with the idea of packing them and Miss Dexter and Miss Phipp into one carriage and accompanying Virginia in the other. But Humphrey had not been expected, and the greeting between the brothers was not particularly cordial. However, he grasped the situation when he saw a landau and a brougham in waiting outside instead of the station omnibus, which he had expected to see, and solved it by announcing his intention of walking.
"We would come with you, darling," said Joan in an aside, "but we must see it out with our image. What's she like, Humphrey?"
"Oh, most lovable—as you can see," replied Humphrey, disengaging his arm and setting out into the darkness.
When the carriage into which the twins had packed themselves with Miss Phipp and Miss Dexter had rolled off in the wake of the other, Miss Phipp said, "Well, girls, I hope we shall get on well together. You're not afraid of hard work, I suppose?"
"Oh no," replied Joan readily; "we're looking forward to it immensely."
"You will find our diligence one of our best points," said Nancy. "If at first we don't succeed we always try, try, try again."
There was a moment's silence, except for the sharp trot of the horse's hoofs and the wheels rolling on the frosty road. Then Miss Dexter laughed suddenly. "There, you're answered," she said to Miss Phipp. "Let's put them through an examination. What do you know of mathematics?"