“Thank you, my lady,” said Mr. Marchbanks, with a bead of perspiration upon his forehead.
CHAPTER VI
UNWARRANTABLE BEHAVIOR OF TOBIAS
THE old lady sat very upright to receive her niece.
It is regrettable to have to state that a subtle air of triumph was hovering around Mr. Marchbanks as he announced Miss Perry. For that irresponsible person still retained her hooded cloak, the preposterous hat was there in all its naïveté, her frock looked more shrunken and her cobbled boots more conspicuous than ever; and in her left hand the wicker basket tied with string was very firmly borne.
The old lady mounted her eyeglass as a preliminary measure. She gazed at her protégée with a resolution that was almost awful. But it took more than this to defeat Miss Perry.
“Oh, how do you do?” said that irresponsible person, coming forward and completely enveloping the old lady and her gentlewoman in a most gracious beam. “I hope you are quite well.”
The presiding genius of the blue drawing-room looked Miss Perry up and looked Miss Perry down, from the crown of the luckless hat to the soles of the cobbled boots. At a disdainful leisure the Amazonian proportions, which the general inadequacy of the outgrown garments seemed to accentuate, sank into the ruthless critic. The grim old mouth relaxed in frank astonishment.
“Dear me!” it said, “how uncomfortable.”
Miss Perry was not really abashed, although the turban, the eyeglass, the ebony cane, the hawklike features, and the general day-of-judgment demeanor certainly gave pause to that Featherbrain. At least, she opened her blue eyes very wide and gripped her wicker basket very firmly.
The old lady’s truculent gaze fell upon that unfortunate accompaniment.