Mrs. Bayes sat back with a gasp, and the children’s mouths opened so wide you could have posted letters in them.
“Yes,” said Mr. Bayes. “She was working in her garden when she heard Mr. Calderon order the driver to go back because cups and saucers had been forgotten. He is a very nice fellow, by the way. I find we were at Oxford together, although I did not know him there, but he has been intimate with Charley for years. It is the same Calderon, the architect, that built your uncle’s house at Chichester.”
“Do go on, father,” said the children.
“Well,” said Mr. Bayes, “what does that little duffing Anne do but sing out that they were not to go back, but wait a minute, and she would lend them the cups and saucers.”
“Yes, yes, go on!”
“Well, and fearing that Martha—very properly—wouldn’t let her have any for the party, what does she do but take six of the very best of my Crown Derby from the cabinet in the drawing-room and scamper back with them!”
“My love,” said Mrs. Bayes, “the Crown Derby that Uncle Mortimer left us?”
“Yes, the Crown Derby, valued only a month ago at two guineas apiece. Off she runs with it in a basket and hands it over to Mr. or Mrs. Calderon. Mrs. Calderon, by the way, I like. She wants you to call. I said you’d go to-morrow.”
“Do go on, father!”
“Well, where was I? Oh yes. The Calderons no sooner saw the china than they realized what had happened, and brought it back to me. By a miracle there wasn’t a chip on it. Of course, I said I was very much obliged to them, and I offered some ordinary crockery, but Calderon said they would take it only on condition that Anne accompanied it in the capacity of caretaker and brought it back. So she went.”