“Thank you so much, dear Mrs. Lascelles,” said Miss Perry.
Jim handed bread and butter and strawberries. Miss Burden was content with a small slice of the former. Miss Perry was more eclectic in her patronage. Jim was then guilty of an action which his mother was forced to consider as singularly ill bred. He took up the plate of cream buns, Buszard’s large size, which had been specially procured, and placed it on the chimney-piece in a very ostentatious manner. And at the same time he indulged in a classical quotation to Lord Cheriton, who laughed as though he understood it. It is possible that Miss Burden understood it also, but Mrs. Lascelles seemed a little doubtful about its meaning. As for Miss Perry, she was perfectly frank and wholly unabashed in her abysmal ignorance.
“What does it mean?” she demanded, with a thrill in her voice and her azure orbs very wide.
“It means,” said Jim, “it is better to contemplate from afar the rewards of virtue than to partake of them prematurely.”
“A free translation, my dear fellow,” said Cheriton, “creditable alike to your scholarship, your literary instinct, and your knowledge of human nature.”
“But you owe me one, you know,” said Miss Perry. “Doesn’t he, Lord Cheriton?”
“I am afraid, Lascelles,” said that peer, “it will be necessary to return a true bill.”
Jim presented Miss Perry with one cream bun on a blue china plate.
“That spotted cake with the almonds in it is topping,” said he, attempting maliciously to embarrass Miss Perry with riches. “The pastrycook who creates it has a reputation that extends as far as Upper Tooting and Streatham.”
“I will try some,” said Miss Perry.