"Only old Miss Crale? Put her off——"
"I can't possibly—I've put her off once before. She wants to talk about her Soldiers' Institute place—" Then Rachel added more slowly, "But Roddy knew——"
"Oh! he said you'd got some silly old engagement, but he knew you'd put it off!"
"He knows I can't. He was talking about it this morning. He knew how——" Then she stopped. She was not going to show Nita Raseley that she minded anything.
But Roddy had always said that they would go over together to Hawes—one of the loveliest old places in the world—He had always promised....
She knew perfectly well what had occurred. Nita had caught Roddy and clung on to him and persuaded him—Roddy was such a boy—But she was hurt and she despised herself for it.
"Oh," she said, laughing. "That's all right. You two must just go over together—that's all! I'll go another time——"
"Well, you see, Roddy did send a wire and the Rockingtons would hate being put off at the last moment.... Oh! You beastly dog! He's been licking my shoe, Rachel. Really he oughtn't to, ought he? So funny of you, Rachel, when he's such a mongrel and Roddy's got such lovely darlings—Of course Jacob's a dear, but he is rather absurd to look at——"
Jacob glanced at her, shook his ears and then, hearing a step that he knew, retired, instantly, under a sofa in a far corner of the room.
Roddy came in and stood for a moment laughing across at them. He was in an old tweed suit with a soft collar and his face was brick-red; looking at him as he stood there, the absolute type of health and strength and cleanly vigour, Rachel wondered why she felt irritable. She certainly was out of sorts.