"I am glad you both enjoyed it," said Madame Claire.
"Both?" Her daughter-in-law gave a short laugh. "Candidly I was bored to tears."
Louise was meant to be a pretty woman, but having a regular profile and an English wild rose complexion, she relied upon them to pull her through, and wore her clothes as if she despised them. Her hair was never quite tidy at the nape of her neck, and her hats of this season were undistinguishable from those of two seasons ago. She took a pride in her lack of smartness, and had a curious and mysterious belief that it was both unladylike and unpatriotic to dress in the fashion. Although she was only thirty-four, her girlishness had gone so completely that it might never have existed. The thin nostrils and small tight mouth suggested the woman of fifty. She met Eric's eyes with a look of antagonism.
"I'll tell you what the visit was like, Madame Claire. We couldn't go out because of the rain, so Eric and Charles had time to ride all their hobbies. We had old plate for luncheon, cricket for tea, and politics for dinner. I don't know what we had for breakfast. I was spared that by not coming down."
"You see, mother," said Eric with a gesture
