I tried to be jocund out of a heavy heart; I tried to touch the other hearts there and soften the bitter resentment in those faces by throwing off bright and airy fun, and making of the whole ghastly thing a joyously humorous incident; but this idea was not well conceived. It was not the right atmosphere for it. I got not one smile; not one line in those offended faces relaxed; I thawed nothing of the winter that looked out of those frosty eyes. I started one more breezy, poor effort, but the head of the Expedition cut into the centre of it, and said:
‘Where have you been?’
I saw by the manner of this that the idea was to get down to cold business now. So I began my travels, but was cut short again.
‘Where are the two others? We have been in frightful anxiety about them.’
‘Oh, they’re all right. I was to fetch a cab. I will go straight off, and——’
‘Sit down! Don’t you know it is 11 o’clock? Where did you leave them?’
‘At the pension.’
‘Why didn’t you bring them?’
‘Because we couldn’t carry the satchels. And so I thought——’
‘Thought! You should not try to think. One cannot think without the proper machinery. It is two miles to that pension. Did you go there without a cab?’