He looked up quickly at the oblong of light that flowed from the open door into the gallery, and saw that it framed a shadow.
“Hullo, there’s Raymond,” he said, “looking after us. Here we are, Raymond. Come and join us.”
He heard Violet’s clicked tongue of impatience.
“I had to say that,” he whispered. “He won’t come.”
Colin’s psychology was correct enough; Raymond had not meant to be seen, he only meant to see. Besides he had a grievance against Violet for her impatience just now; he was annoyed with her.
“No, thanks,” he said, “I’m going to the smoking-room.”
“That’s to punish you, Vi,” said Colin with a tremble of laughter in his voice. “But perhaps we had better go in. You mustn’t vex him.”
Nothing could have been better calculated.
“Is one of the conditions of my engagement that I mustn’t speak to you?” she asked. “Certainly it seems like it.”
Colin tucked his arm into Violet’s.