"Good morning, Sir Julian. Sorry to have kept you."
"Good morning."
"Go into the house, children. Sarah is looking for you."
"Oh, she wants to wash my hands," aggrievedly said the boy.
"Get under the laurels, flat, and I'll run and say that Daddy's taken you in the motor to Culmouth," suggested his sister with great readiness.
Mark Easter made no slightest attempt to cope with his offsprings' ingenious admixture of uncleanliness, deceit and disobedience.
He took his place beside Sir Julian and the car started forward.
"I'm afraid those brats of mine came up at an unearthly hour to disturb you this morning. I had no idea where they were, or I'd have fetched them back."
"They didn't stay long," said Sir Julian, with perfect truth.
"The fact is, Lady Rossiter is much too good to them. But I'll see it doesn't happen again. They were rather beyond themselves this morning."