Colonel Lawton, still dazed, could only reiterate:
"A prayer book. Me? What for?"
Then he got up slowly.
"Well, I'll be——Here, Parson." As an idea struck him, he turned quickly toward Mr. Batholommey. "Let's shift—you take the prayer book and I'll take the old fob!"
Mr. Batholommey smiled and waved away the offered book.
"Thank you," he said smoothly, "I already have a prayer book."
At this retort, the Colonel wilted completely. Drawing his chair close to the fire he sat down limply and gave himself up to bitter reflection.
Mrs. Batholommey seemed the least able of the three to bear the shattering of her high hopes. She moved around the room restlessly.
"Well, all I can say is"—(her voice shook and her eyes reproached Frederik)—"I'm disappointed in your uncle."
No one paid any attention to her remark, each person being engrossed in his own thoughts. For some moments the air was pregnant with unspoken invective.