“Did you give the parcel up as a bad job?” asked Alleyn.
Mike shrugged again. It was a gesture that turned him momentarily into a miniature of his mother. “Sort of,” he admitted. “I went back to Giggle and the Hornby and then I saw the parcel. We were by the door.”
“Was anyone in the bedroom?”
“Mummy and Aunt V. and Aunt Kit had come in. They were gassing away behind the screen.”
“So what did you do?”
“Oh, I just scooped it up and took it to Uncle G. in the drawing-room. Uncle G. looked as waxy as hell.”
“Michael!”
“Well, sorry, Nanny, but he did. He didn’t say anything. Not thank you or anything like that. He just goggled at me and Daddy told me to put it down and bunk. So I bunked. Patch said they had the manners of hogs and I think they had too. Not Daddy, of course.”
“Don’t speak like that, Michael,” said Nanny “It’s silly and rude. Mr. Alleyn doesn’t want to hear—”
“I say.” Mike sat up abruptly. “ You’re not Handsome Alleyn, are you?”