It seemed fateful, the arrival of this letter on top of the doubts of
last night. A day was not long in which to make up his mind. And yet,
after all, a moment was enough. He ought to go: he ought to telegraph
immediately before he could vacillate: he must not see Pauline first: he
ought to accept this offer: farewell, fame!
Guy opened the front-door and walked into Birdwood come with a note from
the Rectory.
"Miss Pauline took me away from my work to give you this most particular
and important and wait for the answer," said the gardener.
Guy asked him to step inside and see Miss Peasey, while he went upstairs
to write the reply.
"Miss Peasey doesn't think much of your variety, Birdwood. She says the
garden is entirely blue."
"What, all those dellyphiniums the Rector raised with his own hand and
she don't like blue!"
Birdwood shook his head to express another defeat at the hands of
incomprehensible woman. A moment later, as Guy went up to his room with
Pauline's note, he heard him bellow in the kitchen:
"What's this I hear, mum, about the garden being too blue?"
Then Guy closed the door of the library and shut out everything but the
sound of the stream.
_My darling,_
_I've got such exciting news. Mr. Delamere who's a friend of ours
has asked us to stay in his barge--I mean he's lent us the barge
for us to stay in. It's called the Naiad and it's on the Thames at
Ladingford and when we've finished with it we're going to have it
towed down to Oxford and come back from there by train. Mother
asked if you would like to come and stay with us for a fortnight.
Think of it, a fortnight! Margaret is coming and Monica is going to
stay with Father, who can't leave the garden. Oh, Guy, I'm wild
with happiness. We're to start on the first of July about. Do send
me a little note by Birdwood. Of course I know there's no need. But
I would love to have a little note especially as we shan't see each
other till after lunch._
_Your own adoring