“I came to get my hat, grandpa. It’s on your chair.”
“Take ut, then, and be off. Did you hear—— No, I won’t put ideas into the child’s head. Go to bed at once, like a good girl, and in the morning I’ll take you and your brother into the town and buy you some sweets.”
“One moment, Herr Oberst,” said the man with the German accent, before Philippa could utter her thanks. “I wish to satisfy myself that our friend’s daughter inherits his amiable peculiarities. Come here, little Goldenlocks,” and he poured her out a glass of wine, “drink this to the health of the dear Herr Grandpapa, who has recovered so quickly from his sickness under the care of the good doctor.”
“No, thank you,” said Philippa politely, for she had refused similar invitations before; “we are all teetotallers.”
“Excellent!” cried her new antagonist, while the rest shouted with laughter. “You are indeed happy in your descendants, Herr Oberst. Who could have believed that so virtuous a family existed in these degenerate days? What could be better for our plans?”
“Don’t tease the child,” said the O’Malachy, darting an angry glance at him. “Run away, Phil. Here’s a crystallised apricot for you. Can’t you see that I’m busy with these gentlemen?”
If the O’Malachy had intended to stamp on Philippa’s memory the conversation she had overheard, he could not have found better means to that end than his evident anxiety to get her out of the room, and his gift of the apricot. She was revolving many things in her mind as she passed through the door, and met her brother outside.
“I’m sure grandpapa’s friends are not nice, Usk,” she said, as she divided the apricot with him. “They laughed when I said we were teetotallers.”
“So do some of father’s friends—often,” objected Usk, with his mouth full of fruit. “Mr Forfar did.”
“Yes; but that was a different kind of laughing. This was horrid, like the people in Vanity Fair when Christian and Faithful were going through, I should think. And they said such funny things, too. But I’m not going to worry mother. I do wish father was here!”