‘O Reggie,’ said Mrs. Lomond, as she stepped carefully out of Freddy’s canoe, ‘do come here for a minute, the bottom of that canoe was all wet.’
Reggie trotted gaily forward and marshalled her towards a disused bathing box following himself with a dish-cloth, but she gripped the door firmly and said ‘Oh no, you must send me a girl, this isn’t your innings, go and field outside.’
Reg commandeered Muriel, and Mrs. Lomond soon reappeared smiling, and murmured to me as I helped her into a punt, ‘I’ll pay Reggie out for that dish-cloth afterwards.’
We paddled round to pick up the ladies, and I found myself in de Beresford’s punt with Sybil Accrington and the Bugg, who positively declined to move into any other craft, though we all declared that the boat was dangerously full. Miss Accrington and I held pleasant converse amidships, while Ophelia, propped up by a four-gallon jar of claret cup and two hampers, chattered cheerfully to de Beresford, who was punting most skilfully. It is the one form of exercise that the dear old thing is addicted to, and so we are very careful never to deprive him of any opportunity to reduce his circumference. Among other things, I discovered, to my great gratification, that Sybil would be at the same place with us in the Vac.—pretty name Sybil.
The sun was shining brightly, the birds were twittering, and everything was going beautifully, when the irresponsible Miss Bugg was nearly guilty of the manslaughter of all four of us.
‘Mr. de Beresford,’ she murmured with an ingratiating smile, ‘do you know I never care to see a musical comedy.’
‘Indeed, Miss Bugg, and how is that?’ the Pharisee enquired politely, as he carefully wiped one sleeve and thereby allowed the water to trickle on to the other.
‘Well, you see, I disapprove most strongly of all those ballet girls looking like Lady Saliva in the streets of Coventry.’
De Beresford surveyed her solemnly for half a minute and then dropped the pole and collapsed heavily on to a heap of cushions, while Miss Bugg, who takes herself very seriously, prattled on about the elevating influence of Shakespeare.