' Let us go in,' she said. ' It is time for me to have breakfast, as I am going by the early train. But remember that I was good for ten minutes—if '—and her voice quavered—' if people, as they are sure to do, tell you things.'
They passed Tommy, who paused as they got near. Mrs. Emsworth seemed not to notice him. Then she looked back.
' Dear little chap,' she said, and, retracing her steps, kissed him again.
It must be allowed that by the time they got to the station there was nothing of the early-morning Mrs. Emsworth left about her. On the platform Bilton approached her with rather an anxious face.
' I particularly want to speak to you, Dorothy,' he said in a low voice. ' You can help me.'
She looked at him with extremely vivid virulence.
' Oh, go away, you beast!' she said. ' I can help you, you say. No doubt I can. But I won't. Go away!'
Bilton had the sense to see that he needed help, for there had been a very awkward moment when he went into Mrs. Emsworth's room the night before. He himself was very good at acting quickly in any emergency he had foreseen, but this one was utterly unforeseen, and had found him helplessly unprepared. Had he had even a moment's preparation, he felt sure that he could have said something which would anyhow have been palliative; but since the thing was done, he did not trouble his head about what the palliative would have been. For he had come in—his knock unheard—and found the two ladies together. Upon which Dorothy laughed, Mrs. Massington turned pink, and he retreated. There was the situation. And the most unpromising feature of it was that Dorothy had laughed. With all his quickness he could see no way
