“Oh, very well, Alice,” Frank laughed; “if you have got a particular reason, of course there’s an end of it. Come along, Prescott, you may as well walk with me, you have nothing to do.”
“Yes, Mr. Prescott has, Frank; I want him here.”
“Oh, you do, Alice? You appear to me to have become a species of despot this morning. Well, I suppose I must do as I am told.”
Kate beat the ground impatiently with her foot, and would have spoken had not Alice looked imploringly at her.
“You savage girl,” Alice said, when Frank had gone out of the room, “you were very nearly stopping him.”
“I was,” Kate said, resolutely; “and I’m sorry I didn’t. You may laugh, Arthur, but I’m quite in earnest. I consider it’s cheating Frank shamefully.”
Alice did not answer, but turned to Prescott.
“Now, Mr. Prescott, will you wheel James in here from the next room? Come, Katie, you will be glad afterwards we have not let you have your own way.”
A few minutes afterwards there was a sharp knock at the door. The footman, who had been previously instructed by Prescott to say nothing about the presence of the Maynards, led the way to the drawing-room. As Fred Bingham left the hall, he heard a loud burst of childish laughter.
“James!” he called, but the man did not appear to hear, but went on to the door which he opened.