“Nevertheless I must apologize for my son’s exploding such an uncommonly violent bomb at a quiet garden party,” said the higher mathematician. “I suspect he underrated its effect.”
His tone was apologetic, but there was no excess of contrition in it.
“What I think is that Captain Baster’s notion of humor is catching; and that it affected Erebus and Wiggins,” said Sir Maurice amiably. “And if we start apologizing, there will be no end to it. I should have to come in myself as the maker of the bomb who carelessly left it lying about.”
“It was certainly a happy effort,” said the vicar, smiling. Then he changed the subject firmly, saying: “We’re going to London next week; perhaps you could recommend a play to us to go to, Sir Maurice.”
A faint ripple of grateful relaxation ran round the circle and presently it was clear that in taking himself off Captain Baster had lifted a wet blanket of quite uncommon thickness from the party. They were talking easily and freely; and Mrs. Dangerfield and Sir Maurice were seeing to it that every one, even Mrs. Blenkinsop and Mrs. Morton, were getting their little chances of shining. The Twins and Wiggins slipped away; and their elders talked the more at their ease for their going. In the end the little gathering which Captain Baster had so nearly crushed, broke up in the best of spirits, all the guests in a state of amiable satisfaction with Mrs. Dangerfield, themselves and one another.
After they had gone Sir Maurice and Mrs. Dangerfield discussed the exploits of Erebus; and he did his best to abate her distress at the two onslaughts his violent niece had made on a guest. The Terror was also doing his best in the matter: with unbending firmness he prevented Erebus, eager to enjoy her uncle’s society, from returning to the house till it was time to dress for dinner. He wished to give his mother time to get over the worst of her annoyance.
Thanks to their efforts Mrs. Dangerfield did not rebuke her violent daughter with any great severity. But even so, Erebus did not receive these milder rebukes in the proper meek spirit. Unlike the philosophic Terror, who for the most part accepted his mother’s just rebukes, after a doubtful exploit, with a disarming sorrowful air, Erebus must always make out a case for herself; and she did so now.
Displaying an injured air, she took the ground that Captain Baster was not really a guest on the previous evening, since he was making a descent on the house uninvited, and therefore he did not come within the sphere of the laws of hospitality.
“Besides he never behaved like a guest,” she went on in a bitterly aggrieved tone. “He was always making himself objectionable to every one—especially to me. And if he was always trying to score off me, I’d a perfect right to score off him. And anyhow, I wasn’t going to let him marry you without doing everything I could to stop it. He’d be a perfectly beastly stepfather—you know he would.”
This was an aspect of the matter Mrs. Dangerfield had no desire to discuss; and flushing a little, she contented herself with closing the discussion by telling Erebus not to do it again. She knew that however bitterly Erebus might protest against a just rebuke, she would take it sufficiently to heart. She was sure that she would not stone another guest.