“And I certainly never expected to find the butler scrubbing!” retorted Miss de Lisle; at which Allenby’s jaw dropped, and he cast an appealing glance at Jim.
“This is a working-bee,” said Jim promptly. “We’re all in it, and no one else knows anything about it.”
“Not Mrs. Atkins, I hope, sir,” said Allenby.
“Certainly not. As for Sarah, she’s out of it altogether.”
Allenby sighed, a relieved butler.
“I’ll see to the floor, sir,” he said. “It’s up to me, isn’t it? And polish it after. I can easy slip down ’ere for a couple of hours after lunch, when you’re all out ridin’.”
“Then I really had better fly,” said Miss de Lisle. “I am pretty wet, and there’s lunch to think about.” She looked at them in friendly fashion. “Thank you all very much,” she said—and was gone, with a kind of elephantine swiftness.
The family returned to the dining-room, leaving Allenby to grapple with the swamp in the passage.
“Don’t we have cheery adventures when we clean house!” said Wally happily. “I wouldn’t have missed this morning for anything.”
“No—it has been merry and bright,” Jim agreed. “And isn’t the cook-lady a surprise-packet! I say, Nor, do you think you’d find a human side to Mrs. Atkins if we let Allenby fall over her with a bucket of water?”