Quite useless for the kitchen to pretend that it was giving its entire mind to the subject of refreshments. The situation demanded their eyes and ears; they ate oblong pieces of cake in a detached way, rather as though they were feeding someone else; the housekeeper looked at Alice, and shook her head desolately.
“I have been reading about you,” said Lady Frances in her alert, interested way.
“Licker to me how these things get into the papers,” he mumbled.
“I should be tremendously interested in life,” said the girl, “if I occupied your position. There’s something sporting about it.” She looked at him intently, and he rubbed his nose under a vague impression that it bore some defect. “I wish you the best of good luck.”
“Then I shall have it,” said Erb. Alice looked round the room triumphantly, as who should say, Now we are scoring. “Not acquainted much with the working-classes, p’raps, me lady?”
“To my regret, no!”
“They’re made up of all sorts,” went on Erb, wishing that he dared to look at her white shoulders as she looked at his face, “and for the most part they are very easily led. It’s only now and again that you find one step out of the common ruck.” He hesitated, seeing no way out of the sentence except by a self-congratulatory exit.
“If I should ever want to see through Bermondsey,” she said, clasping her knee, her head up attractively, “will you be my guide?”
“It would be a proud moment,” said Erb. He added, hastily, “For me, I mean.”
“Cook, shall I play one more, and then go back upstairs and leave off bothering you?”