Ted came back sooner than his sister had expected. He smiled faintly at the absurd appearance of the Venus in her mackintosh, but he was evidently depressed. He looked mournfully at the tea-table.
"I'm afraid the tea's poison, Ted, and it's cold."
"It doesn't matter, I don't want any."
"Had tea at Audrey's?"
"No."
He strode impatiently to the table and took up one of the illustrations Katherine had been working at.
"What's up?" said she.
"Oh—er—for one thing, I've heard from the editor of the 'Sunday Illustrated.' He's in a beastly bad temper, and says my last batch of illustrations isn't funny enough. The old duffer's bringing out a religious serial, and he must have humour to make it go down."
Katherine was relieved. To divert him, she told him the family's opinion as to his relations with Audrey. That raised his spirits so far that he called his uncle a "fantastic old gander," and his cousin Nettie an "evil-minded little beast."
"After all, Ted," said Katherine, judicially, "why does Audrey go on making a mystery of your engagement?"