It was that terribly uncomfortable hour after six when tea is out of the question, and one does not know what to do with a stranger before dinner.
“Have you had tea?” I asked Edmund.
“No thanks. We only got here ten minutes ago. Bates offered us some, but we didn’t want it. I was just showing Welfare the view before it got dark.”
“Very charming prospect, sir,” said Welfare. “Very eligible place altogether I call it.”
“Come in to the study. There’s time for a cigarette before we dress.”
The moment I said it, it occurred to me that perhaps Captain Welfare did not dress for dinner. I looked apprehensively to Edmund, who understood and nodded reassuringly.
I handed round cigarettes.
“Would you like anything else, Captain Welfare? After your journey? Edmund, I’m sure you want a whisky-and-soda.”
“Yes, I think I do,” said Edmund ringing the bell.
“No whisky for me, thank you,” said Welfare. “Perhaps if you have a sherry and bitters?”