“I shall have to tell Christopher not to go.”
“No.” The tone was sharply negative again, and after a moment’s silence Aymer said in a low, grudging voice, “You’ve always helped before; are you going to desert me now?” 228
For answer his father got up and pushed the big sliding sofa away from the window.
“Very well, then behave yourself better, Aymer, and don’t ford a stream before you come to it. You’ve got to listen to Penruddock’s speech.” He folded back the Times and began to read.
When Christopher came back a little later he saw no sign of the trouble. Perhaps he was a little too much engrossed in his own perplexities to be as observant as usual.
“Cæsar, do you think it’s a shabby thing to stay with a man you don’t like?”
“Are you going?”
“I think so. I want to see how he does it.”
“Does what?”
“Makes his money. Does it seem shabby to you?”