"Why shouldn't they?" she said. "You don't suppose he'll eat her for running up to town?"
"He might," I said, "think it odd of her."
"Not he. The beauty of Jimmy is that odd things don't seem odd to him. Do you know where Charlie is?"
I didn't. We had finished tea before either of us had thought of him. We shouted to him through the open windows of the house, for Charlie had a habit of mooning about indoors till Viola was ready to walk with him.
No answer came to our summons, but it brought Parker, the butler, out on to the lawn. He had a slightly surprised and slightly embarrassed look on his respectable and respectful face, no longer demoralized by Jimmy.
"Were you looking for the Captain, sir?" he said.
I said we were.
Something grave and a little sorrowful came into Parker's embarrassed look.
"Didn't you know he'd gone, sir?"
I said I didn't even know he was going; and then I saw Norah looking at me.