“Ah, Hallett, how do?” said the old gentleman, in his abrupt way. “Your servant, ma’am,” he added, with a profound bow.
Hallett looked stern and displeased, and his greeting was cold.
“My sister, Mr Rowle,” he said. “She has been ill.”
“So I see,” he replied. “I hope you are getting better, my dear child. You must take plenty of fresh air. I came to see my young friend, Antony Grace here, and he suggested that as we were under the same roof, I should come and see you. Sorry you ever left us, Mr Hallett.”
Hallett bowed.
“Ah,” he continued, taking the chair coldly offered, “lots of changes since. I suppose you know the partnership’s dissolved?”
“Yes, I had heard so,” replied Hallett, glancing uneasily at Linny.
“I stick on with the senior branch,” the old man continued, as his eyes wandered about the room, for he was evidently at a loss, and I did not know how to help him, so crossed over to sit down by and talk to Linny.
But fate favoured us, for in his hurried descent Hallett had brought with him a portion of the mechanism of the model.
“Hullo!” exclaimed Mr Jabez sharply; “what have you got there? Have you, too, turned engineer?”