“It seems to me, Cis, that silence has extinguished you.”
Cicely admitted as much proudly.
“We Chandoses are like that.”
“We Chandoses——!” Tiddy laughed scornfully. “Cut all that cackle with me, Cis. I have the greatest contempt for silence. Generally it means stupidity. Idiots say nothing and are proud of it. Really, I’m ashamed of you. However, I daresay I’ve nipped in in time.”
“In time for—what?”
“To put things right. I want to meet your Harry.”
“My Harry! What an idea!”
Tiddy said obstinately: “We Tiddles are like that. We don’t look blandly on when babies are playing on the edge of a precipice. I say that you love Romy; and that Romy loves you. And that hateful Mrs. Grundy stands between you.” Cicely exercised the Chandos gift of silence. Tiddy continued warmly: “You may take Fatty out of pique.”
“Fatty——!”
“I used that word to annoy you, to rouse you. You are quite likely to become fat yourself out of sheer indolence. Some of you swells have brains, but you don’t use ’em. And if you don’t get a move on, you’ll be down and out.”