“Good Lord!” Henry ejaculated, and he threw two cushions down in front of the sealed door. “Why the devil didn’t we think of that before?”
“Oh,” said Stephen, “he says he didn’t bother to listen. I suppose we all give ourselves away t-too freely for it to be necessary.”
“But what is all this?” demanded Lord Charles. “What did you do in the dining-room?”
Rather self-consciously, his children told him.
“Not very pretty,” said Lord Charles. “What can he think of you?”
There was a short silence. “Not much, I daresay,” said Henry at last.
“You had better…” Lord Charles made a small despairing gesture and turned away. Frid spoke rapidly in French. Roberta thought she said that they had not been asked to give an account of the interview.
“But no doubt,” said Colin, “anything that we haven’t told him has been madly divulged by Aunt V. So why be guarded?”
“But,” Nigel interrupted firmly, “where is your Aunt Violet? Where is Lady Wutherwood?”
“Asleep in my bed,” said Charlot, “with a nurse on one side of it and her maid, who is determined not to leave her, on the other. So where Charlie and I are to spend the night is a secret. We don’t know. We’ve also got to bed down somewhere a chauffeur called Giggle, in addition to Mr. Grumball.”