“Go along! I’m reading Christie’s sale.”
“You needn’t suppose you’re ever going to have a Christie sale. Well, if you’re so unsociable, I shall go and speak at once to Peppina. Do you hear?”
A grunt replied. In fact he did not hear, or might have offered sound advice. As it was, Mrs Maxwell was both anxious to impress the girl, and to have it over quickly, so that she did not linger at preliminaries. Peppina answered her call with yards of frilling in her hands.
“About Cesare,” Mrs Maxwell began.
“Have you seen him yet?”
“Signora! By your favour! And with all this to be done before night!”
She held up her frills.
“Then you need not go.”
“Need not go? Per Bacco, but what has changed, signora?”
“The marchesa will not require Cesare, that is all,” said Mrs Maxwell carelessly.