Jesse drew to her side. She saw that a crisis approached.
'And the venerable fossil—in good repair, I trust?' asked Sylvana.
'What or whom do you mean by that term, venerable fossil?' asked Winefred quietly but firmly.
Sylvana, trifling with the spills, threw out some from the vase that had contained them. These she leisurely collected to return them to the same receptacle. A provoking smile was on her face, but she made no answer.
'I asked you a question, Miss Jones. Whom did you mean when you spoke of a venerable fossil?'
'Oh, you and Mr. Holwood know best,' sneered Sylvana, turning her head about to contemplate the 'Flight into Egypt.'
'If you refer to my mother, she is well.'
Mr. Holwood gasped and fell back.
'Oh, your mother—I thought her name was Marley. I beg pardon for my mistake.'
A long silence ensued. Mrs. Tomkin-Jones endeavoured by looks and signals to silence her daughter. Jesse took Winefred's arm. Sylvana continued playing with the spills with the same exasperating smile on her lips.