Robert smiled indulgently. “Quite right. I’m frightfully slack to-day somehow,” he said, as he turned towards the study. “This beastly heat, I suppose.”
Diana gave a mischievous chuckle as he disappeared.
“I do love to watch the celebrity at home,” she said in a low voice, choked with laughter. “Robert’s not done a stroke of work this morning. He’s been looking out of the window with a yearning gaze, like this.” She made one of her inimitable faces.
Mayne grinned. “As a sister-in-law, Diana, you are a treasure.”
“There’s the bell!” exclaimed the girl. “That means the History-Book, I expect. I wonder whether Cecily’s ready. I hope she’s putting on her blue muslin. I told her to. Come along! We must go and see her, I suppose.”
Within, Cecily was going forward to meet her guest.
The women exchanged a swift glance of mutual interest, while Philippa impulsively put out both hands. Cecily took one of them, and ignored the inclination of Philippa’s face towards hers.
“How do you do? I hope you are not very tired?” she began.
“Cecily!” cried Philippa, rapturously. “After all these years!”
“Yes, but they had to pass, did they not?” returned her hostess in a matter-of-fact tone. “I’m so sorry you’ve been ill. But you are better, surely? If you hate looking ill as much as I do, I’m sure you’ll like to be told that it doesn’t show.”