"I told you you would like it. Everybody does," said Liosha. "Ah, Barbara, dear!" She ran up the stairs to meet her. We followed. Mr. Fendihook was presented. I noticed, with a little shock, that he had kept on his gloves.
"Very kind of you to let me come down, madam. I thought a bit of a blow would do our fair friend good."
Barbara took off Liosha, looking very handsome and fresh beneath the motor-veil, to her room, leaving me with Mr. Fendihook. As he preceded me into the drawing-room I saw a bald patch like a tonsure in the middle of a crop of coarse brown hair. Again he looked round appreciatively and again he said "Tiptop!" He advanced to the open French window.
"Garden's all right. Must take a lot of doing. Who are our friends? The long and the short of it, aren't they?"
He alluded to Jaffery and Doria, who were strolling on the lawn. I told him their names.
"Jaffery Chayne. Why, that's the chap Mrs. Prescott's always talking about, her guardian or something."
"Her trustee," said I, "and an intimate friend of her late husband."
"Ah!" said he, with a twinkle in his eyes which, I will swear, signified "Then there was a Prescott after all!" He waved his cigar. "Introduce me." And as I accompanied him across the lawn—"There's nothing like knowing everybody—getting it over at once. Then one feels at home."
"I hope you felt at home as soon as you entered the house," said I.
"Of course I did, old pal," he replied heartily. "Of course I did." And the amazing creature patted me on the back.