'I think Dr Fagan encourages a certain amount of display on these occasions, he said. 'I used to keep wicket for my college, you know, but I was too short‑sighted to bc much good. Still, I am entitled to the blazer, he said with a note of defiance in his voice, 'and it is more appropriate to a sporting occasion than a stiff collar.
'Good old Prendy! said Grimes. 'Nothing like a change of clothes to bring out latent pep. I felt like that my first week in khaki. Well, so long. Me for Mrs Roberts. Why don't you come too, Prendy?
'D'you know, said Mr Prendergast, 'I think I will.
Paul watched them disappear down the drive in amazement. Then he went off to find the Doctor.
'Frankly, said the Doctor, 'I am at a loss to understand my own emotions. I can think of no entertainment that fills me with greater detestation than a display of competitive athletics, none ‑ except possibly folk‑dancing. If there are two women in the world whose company I abominate‑ and there are very many more than two — they are Mrs Beste‑Chetwynde and Lady Circumference. I have, moreover, had an extremely difficult encounter with my butler, who ‑ will you believe it? ‑ waited at luncheon in a mustard‑coloured suit of plus‑fours and a diamond tie‑pin, and when I reprimanded him, attempted to tell me some ridiculous story about his being the proprietor of a circus or swimming‑bath or some such concern. And yet, said the Doctor, 'I am filled with a wholly delightful exhilaration. I can't understand it. It is not as though this was the first occasion of the kind. During the fourteen years that I have been at Llanabba there have been six sports days and two concerts, all of them, in one way or another, utterly disastrous. Once Lady Bunyan was taken ill; another time it was the matter of the press photographers and the obstacle race; another time some quite unimportant parents brought a dog with them which bit two of the boys very severely and one of the masters, who swore terribly in front of everyone. I could hardly blame him, but of course he had to go. Then there was the concert when the boys refused to sing "God Save the King" because of the pudding they had had for luncheon. One way and another, I have been consistently unfortunate in my efforts at festivity. And yet I look forward to each new fiasco with the utmost relish. Perhaps, Pennyfeather, you will bring luck to Llanabba; in fact, I feel confident you have already done so. Look at the sun!
Picking their way carefully among the dry patches in the waterlogged drive, they reached the playing‑fields. Here the haphazard organization of the last twenty‑four hours seemed to have been fairly successful. A large marquee was already in position, and Philbrick ‑ still in plus‑fours ‑ and three gardeners were at work putting up a smaller tent.
'That's for the Llanabba Silver Band, said the Doctor. 'Philbrick, I required you to take off those loathsome garments.
'They were new when I bought them, said Philbrick, 'and they cost eight pounds firteen. Anyhow, I can't do two things at once, can I? If I go back to change, who's going to manage all this, I'd like to know?
'All right! Finish what you are doing first. Let us just review the arrangements. The marquee is for the visitors' tea. That is Diana's province. I expect we shall find her at work.
Sure enough, there was Dingy helping two servants to arrange plates of highly‑coloured cakes down a trestle table. Two other servants in the background were cutting sandwiches. Dingy, too, was obviously enjoying herself.