"I hope he feels very ill," said Molly viciously, "for it isn't the first time he has been into the town and had too much to drink. Hannah saw him there one night, hardly able to walk, before she left."
"Well, I hope Hannah got him off to bed before his mother got home last night," said Arthur. And then, having arranged his collar and tie to his satisfaction, they all went downstairs. And while Annie sent Alice to the chemist's for some lotion for the injured eye, Molly went to the kitchen and cut the sandwiches for Arthur to take with him. Annie again tried to persuade him to stay at home as she poured out the coffee, wishing at the same time that Arthur had not gone out where he could meet his cousin.
"That's all very well, Annie, but who knows what might have happened to Ted if I had not been at hand to help him against those roughs! They might have knocked him about terribly."
"Well, they have knocked you about, and I don't see why you should have what he deserved. I call it quite disgraceful, and I wonder Aunt Mary allows it."
"Aunt Mary wouldn't allow it, of course, if she could help it. I suppose Ted has fallen in with bad company because he had nothing to do, and Aunt Mary is a regular dragon," concluded Arthur.
By the time breakfast was over, Alice had got back with the lotion, and Molly had cut a good supply of sandwiches. Finding she could not persuade her brother to give up the idea of going out, she arranged the pocket-handkerchief he was to carry as neatly as she could so as to hide the discoloured eye, and Arthur went a few minutes earlier than usual that he might go in at a side-door and so escape observation.
He was just tying up the last letter-bag when Mr. Bristow arrived.
"Good-morning, sir! Do you think one of the messengers might take the letters round for me this morning?"
Mr. Bristow stopped and looked curiously at Arthur. "You have been in the wars," he remarked.
"Yes, sir, but it might have been worse, for my cousin at least. He was set upon by a couple of roughs up the Sycamore Road last night, and I happened to go that way for a walk and came across them. I got a knock-down blow, and might have had another if two gentlemen had not come to our help and then got a cab for me to take Ted home."