“Eddy, my darling,” she said a little more loudly, as she turned and looked toward a glass door opening into a handsome conservatory; “come and shake hands with Master Grayson.”
There was no reply, but a faint rustling sound fell upon Dexter’s quick ears, telling plainly enough that some one was in the conservatory.
Lady Danby sighed, and there was a very awkward pause.
“Perhaps you had better sit down, Master Grayson,” she said. “My son will be here soon.”
Just at that moment there was a loud important sounding cough in the hall, the handle of the door rattled loudly, and Sir James entered, walking very upright, and smiling with his eyes half-closed.
“Aha!” he exclaimed. “Here you are, then. How do you do—how do you do—how do you do!”
He shook hands boisterously, nodding and smiling the while, and Dexter wondered whether he ought to say, “Quite well, thank you, sir,” three times over, but he only said it once.
“That’s right,” said Sir James. “Quite safe here, eh? No bullocks to run after us now.”
“No, sir,” said Dexter uneasily.
“But where’s Eddy!” cried Sir James.