"Poor fellow!" She sat down on the side of the bed and tried to see his face. "Finch, dear, how could you do such a dreadful thing? Frightening me almost to death! As though I minded you having the money! What upset me was Gran's giving her ruby ring, that I always understood I was to get, to Pheasant. You must understand that. Do you?"
He pushed his head against her palm as a dog urgent for caresses. He felt broken. He tried to drag his mind from the well of muddle-headedness, exhaustion, and submission, into which it had sunk, and reply to her, but he could not. He could only feel for her fingers with his hot lips and kiss them.
"He feels so hot!"
"That's the way he ought to feel. Come along and let him sleep."
She led Renny into the sitting-room, bright with glazed chintz. Eden was seated before a tray on which were a dish of poached eggs on toast, a pot of tea, and a jar of quince jelly. The shadow was lifted from her face. The agitation caused by Finch was eased. He was safe in bed, and here was a delicious breakfast tray.
She exclaimed: "This is Minny's doing! She has had breakfast brought up for the three of us. She knew we must be faint for food. What a girl!"
"She carried it in herself," said Eden, "but she wouldn't stay. By George, she can swim! And to look at her just now you'd never think she'd been through anything. I admire her awfully." He helped himself to an egg.
"She's a darling," said his sister. "I shall feel very blue when she goes."
"Is she going?" Eden looked almost dismayed.
"Of course. A girl like that couldn't stay here for ever. She's getting unsettled. But I don't know what she'll find to do"
Renny put an egg on Meg's plate and two on his own. He said, easily: "She'll find something to do! That sort always fall on their feet."
"What sort?" cried Meg, offended.
