Queen Lucia

ere rung up on the telephone and informed that the party was Hightum. That caused a good deal of extra work, because the Tightum robes had to be put away again, and the Hig

thus clear to all penetrating minds that Olga Bracely was going to sing. It was further known that something was going on between her and Georgie, for she had been heard by one Miss Antrobus to ask for Georgie's number at the telephone in the Ambermere Arms. Etiquette forbade her actually to listen to what passed, but she could not help hearing Olga laugh at something (presumably) that Georgie said. He himself took no part in the green-parliament that morning, but had been seen to dash into the fruiterer's and out again, before he went in a great hurry to The Hurst, shortly after twelve-thirty. Cla

ld almost have passed for Scrub. It is true that it was exceedingly well cut, and had not the look of having been rolled up in a ball and hastily ironed out again that usually distinguished Scrub, and she also wore a string of particularly fine pearls round her neck, the sort of ornament

, for Hermy and Ursy were n

t my husband," she said. "His excuse is

sorry," sa

bsolutely determined not to do. You were the thin edge of the wedge, in fact. My dear, what a delicious house. All panelled, with that lovely garden behind. A

rgie will

t begin? We went all over that house three doors away, which is being done up. It belo

never kept one yet, but there was n

for it, he finds it adorable, but he also finds fatal objections to doing it at all, if he is consulted about it before it is done. So not a word! I shall buy it, make

ooned with fervou

lan!" he said. "You r

eho

want some delicious, hole-in-the-corner, lazy backwater sort of place, where nothing ever happens, and nobody ever does anything. I've been obs

d almost thought she must have been speaking of London, where, as Lucia had acutely observed, people sat in the Park all morning and ta

absorbed in her project t

t. It has to burst on Georgie. Oh, and there's another mulberry-

wed Foljambe o

maid is called Paravicini

Foljambe," s

laug

d last night! I never had such an awful evening. Why didn't you warn me,

ppened?"

procession of three moth-eaten men and three whiskered women. Upon which the procession broke up, as if we had been the riot act, and was arranged again, as a funeral procession, and Georgie with Lady Ambermere was the hearse. We dined in the family vault and talked about Lady Ambermere's pug. She talk

a moment," said

ally I went to talk to her, before which the great parrot said, 'Will you kindly fetch my wool-work, Miss Lyall?' and Miss Lyall took a sack out of the corner, and inside was the sacred carpet. And then I waited for some coffee and cigarettes, and I waited, and I waited, and I am waiting still. The Parrot said that coffee always kept her awake, and that was why. And then Georgie came in with the others, and

which was impaled a pie

sed that morning a

You'll hardly believe it, but it wasn't! One of the whiskered ones said, That will be a great treat,' and another put on

d a finger

or ever and ever, will I set foot in that house again. Nor she in my house. I will set fire to

shment room was a smaller tent carpeted with Oriental rugs, and having inside it some half-dozen chairs, and two seats which can only be described as thrones, for Lady Ambermere or Olga Bracely, while Lucia's Guru, though throneworthy, would very kindly sit in one of his most interesting attitudes on the floor. This tent was designed only for high converse, and common guests (if they were good) would be led into it and introduced to the great presences, while for the refreshment of the presences, in intervals of audience, a more elaborate meal, with peaches and four sorts of sandwiches was laid in the smoking-parlour. Thus those guests for whom audiences were not provided, could have the felicity of

part of the domestic dramatis personae, and she wanted him to be "discovered"

s noted for her punctuality. She is so anxious to see you, and would it not be exciting if you

too, know Madras: there are many dark spirits

nd she will have much to talk about. I wish I could sit on

he Guru thoughtfully, "I love al

d put his hands up to h

id. "All day I feel that some word is on way

ame to you in the middle of my garden

t so. It comes always in solitude and quiet

ndent guest than either Lady Ambermere or the Guru; surely Olga Bracely was enough to set this particular garden-party on the giddiest of pinnacles. And an awful consequence lurked as a possibility if she attempted to force her Guru not to immune himself in solitude and quiet, which was that conceivably he might choose to go back to the pit whence he was digged, namely the house of poor Daisy Quantock. The thought was intolerable, for with him in her hous

Hamlet: no one will disturb you there. But if the message comes thr

pers tapping on the oak stairs up to Hamlet. Softly he shut out the dark spirits from Madras, and made himself even more secure by turning the key in his door. It would never do to

everybody through her tortoiseshell handled lorgnette. She kept Peppino by her, who darted forward to shake hands with his wife's guests, and then darted back again to her. Poor Miss Lyall stood behind her chair, and fro

e, Miss Lyall, and let him run about. See, he wants to play with one of those croquet balls. Put it in motion for him, and he will run with it. Bless me, who is that coming up the path at such a tremendous speed in a bath-chair? Oh, I see, it is Mrs Weston. She should not go as fast as that. If Pug was to stray on to the path he would be run over. Better pick up

he smoking-parlour, an

e?" aske

d she. "How very strange to

all probability used the smoking-parl

, this is the smoking-parlour, is it? Why do you have rushes on the floor? Put Pug in a chair, Miss Lyall, or he may prick his paws. Books, too, I see. That one lying open is

y," said Peppino. "I can never tear myse

Mr Lucas. On a dark day it must be very difficult to see here. By the way, your good wife told me that there would probably be a very remarkable Indian

the Guides being expected, and proceeded to explain this to Lady Ambermere, who did n

told her I should be here this afternoon, and she said Mrs Lucas had asked her. She sang to us yesterday ev

to Olga Bracely altogether, sooner than have alluded therein to Mr Bracely. But that was one of the irremediable things of life, and since it was n

ng after Lady Ambermere

they are all tak

peculiarly delicious flavour. The Hall is famed for its peaches. I understood that Miss Bracely was going to be here, Mr

re as she emerged from the smoking-parlour again viewed the scene with marked disfavour. T

" said the eldest, "but

be so naughty as to say it was mine? Dear Mrs Lucas, what

ting backs, as they raced off with a

g ladies?" she asked. "

t Pug go to the bowls

ecturable yet, though not so thrillingly interesting, was the absence of Mr Georgie. What could have happened to him, that he was not flitting about on his hostess's errands, and being the life and soul of the party? It was in vain that Mrs Antrobus plodded on her methodical course, seeking answers to all these riddles, and that Mrs Weston in her swifter progression dashed about in her bath-chair from group to group, wherever people seemed to be talking in an animated manner. She could learn nothing, a

live with his aunt. That was his father's sister, not his mother's, for Mrs Luton never had a sister, and no brothers either. Well, I said to Henry, 'You can go a bit slower, Henry, as we're late, we're late, and a minute or two more doesn't make any difference.' 'No, ma'am,' said Henry touching his cap, so we went slower. Miss Bracely was just opposite the ducking-pond then, and presently she came out between the elms. She had just an ordinary morning frock on; it was dark-blue, about the same shade as your cape, Mrs Antrobus, or perhaps a little darker, for the sunshine brightened it up. Quite simp

mphasize the importance of what she had said, and to raise the expe

across the road, for she made a bee-line across the green towards them. Well, there are three houses there: there's Mrs Quantock's, and it couldn't have been that, or else Mrs Quantock

completely followed t

nd Mrs Quantock are bo

aised her vo

d, "but who isn't here whom we should

ely was no one knew, because she had not explained why both Olga Bracely and Georgie were

t Scrub. No doubt she said to him, 'Is it a very grand sort of party, Mr Pillson?' and he couldn't do other than reply, for we all received notice that it was Hightum-mine came about twelve-he couldn't do other than reply, 'Yes, Miss Bracely, it is.' 'Good gracious me,' she would say, 'and I've only got this old rag on. I must go back to the Ambermere Arms, and tell my maid-for she brought a maid

ener to proceed, wishing to leave

she said, and was whirled away in

uld be so ill-mannered as to leave without shaking hands and saying what a delicious afternoon they had spent. But certainly the lawns grew emptier, and she was utterly unable to explain this extraordinary phenomenon, until she happened to go close to the windows of her music-room. Then, looking in, she saw that not only was every chair there occupied, but people were standing about

used, a window in the m

ious head

ano where she will hear excellently. Has she promised to sing Siegfried? Is Mr Georgie going to play

ost playful manner, as she ran int

's a garden party, and I couldn't guess where you had all gone.

gain, all in their Hightums, every one of them, only t

nd find my people. Oh, here's Mrs Lucas. Been very pleasan

arly," said Lucia. "

charming," and she marched out after M

airs still, and with Olga Bracely most conspicuously absent, she had hardly nervous energy left to wonder what could have become of Georgie. Never in all the years of his ministry had he failed to be at her elbow through the entire duration of her garden-parties, flying about on her errands like a tripping Hermes, herding her flocks if she wanted them in one part of the garden rather than another, like a sagacious sheep-dog, and coming back to heel again ready for further tasks. But today Georgie was mysteriously away, for he had neither applied for leave nor given any explanation, however improbable, of his absence. He at least would have prevented Lady Ambermere, the only cornersto

nd Pug, and with his intuitive sagacity had conjectured that the danger from Madras was over. He wore his new red slippers, a wonderful turban and an ecstatic smile. Lucia and Daisy met him with cries of joy, and the remaining guests

if it had been completely covered with Paris labels, they would not have made its provenance one whit clearer. "Dear Mrs Lucas," she said, "Mr Georgie and I are terribly late, and it was quite my fault. There was a game of croquet that wouldn't come to an end, and my life has bee

mebody-into the tent with the thrones: she confessed to having stood on tiptoe and looked into Mrs Quantock's garden and wanted to see it so much from the other side of the wall. And this garden, too-might sh

d Mrs Antrobus who retained marvellous eyesight as compensation for her defective hearing, saw them go in, and simultaneously thought that she had left her parasol at The Hurst. Next moment she was walking thoughtfully away in that direction. Mrs Weston had been the next

garden, and never had the mermaid's tail behind which was secreted the electric bell, experienced such feverish usage. Pressure after pressure invoked its aid, and the pretexts for re-admission were soon not made at all, or simply disregarded by the parlour-maid. Colonel Boucher might have left a bull-dog, and Mrs Antrobus an ear trumpet, or Miss Antrobu

the import of their longing was borne in upon Olga. They waited, and waited and waited, much as she had waited for a cigarette the evening before. She looked at the piano, and there was a comfortable murmur from her audience. She looked at Lucia, who gave a

asked Lucia. "Yes? Ah, there's

e any more than she

asked. "Could I read i

nto the mu

ned the book at the salutation of Brunnhilde, which

was substituted some air of intense concentrated seriousness which Lucia did not understand at all. She was looki

unged wildly into a sea of demi-semi-quavers. Ol

nce more," and she

id Lucia beginning agai

nting audibly to herself made an i

d to her a

try?" s

of sketch of the accompaniment, simplifying, a