"Well," said Dahlia, "what do you think of it?"
I knocked the ashes out of my after-breakfast pipe, arranged the
cushions of my deck-chair, and let my eyes wander lazily over the
house and its surroundings. After a year of hotels and other
people's houses, Dahlia and Archie had come into their own.
"I've no complaints," I said happily.
A vision of white and gold appeared in the doorway and glided over
the lawn toward us--Myra with a jug.
"None at all," said Simpson, sitting up eagerly.
"But Thomas isn't quite satisfied with one of the bathrooms, I'm
afraid. I heard him saying something in the passage about it this
morning when I was inside."
"I asked if you'd gone to sleep in the bath," explained Thomas.
"I hadn't. It is practically impossible, Thomas, to go to sleep in a
cold bath."
"Except, perhaps, for a Civil Servant," said Blair.
"Exactly. Of the practice in the Admiralty Thomas can tell us later
on. For myself I was at the window looking at the beautiful view."
"Why can't you look at it from your own window instead of keeping
people out of the bathroom?" grunted Thomas.
"Because the view from my room is an entirely different one."
"There is no stint in this house," Dahlia pointed out.
"No," said Simpson, jumping up excitedly.
Myra put the jug of cider down in front of us.
"There!" she said. "Please count it, and see that I haven't drunk
any on the way."
"This is awfully nice of you, Myra. And a complete surprise to all
of us except Simpson. We shall probably be here again to-morrow
about the same time."
There was a long silence, broken only by the extremely jolly sound
of liquid falling from a height.
Just as it was coming to an end Archie appeared suddenly among us
and dropped on the grass by the side of Dahlia. Simpson looked
guiltily at the empty jug, and then leant down to his host.
"TO-MORROW!" he said in a stage whisper. "ABOUT THE SAME TIME."
"I doubt it," said Archie.
"I know it for a fact," protested Simpson.
"I'm afraid Myra and Samuel made an assignation for this morning,"
said Dahlia.
"There's nothing in it, really," said Myra. "He's only trifling with
me. He doesn't mean anything."
Simpson buried his confused head in his glass, and proceeded to
change the subject.
"We all like your house, Archie," he said.
"We do," I agreed, "and we think it's very nice of you to ask us
down to open it."
"It is rather," said Archie.
"We are determined, therefore, to do all we can to give the house a
homey appearance. I did what I could for the bathroom this morning.
I flatter myself that the taint of newness has now been dispelled."
"I was sure it was you," said Myra. "How do you get the water right
up the walls?"
"Easily. Further, Archie, if you want any suggestions as to how to
improve the place, our ideas are at your disposal."
"For instance," said Thomas, "where do we play cricket?"
"By the way, you fellows," announced Simpson, "I've given up playing
cricket."
We all looked at him in consternation.
"Do you mean you've given up BOWLING?" said Dahlia, with wide-open
eyes.
"Aren't you ever going to walk to the wickets again?" asked Blair.
"Aren't you ever going to walk back to the pavilion again?" asked
Archie.
"What will Montgomeryshire say?" wondered Myra in tones of awe.
"May I have your belt and your sand-shoes?" I begged.
"It's the cider," said Thomas. "I knew he was overdoing it."
Simpson fixed his glasses firmly on his nose and looked round at us
benignly.
"I've given it up for golf," he observed.
"Traitor," said everyone.
"And the Triangular Tournament arranged for, and everything," added
Myra.
"You could make a jolly little course round here," went on the
infatuated victim. "If you like, Archie, I'll--"
Archie stood up and made a speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "at 11.30 to-morrow precisely I
invite you to the paddock beyond the kitchen-garden."
"Myra and I have an appointment," put in Simpson hastily.
"A net will be erected," Archie went on, ignoring him, "and Mr
Simpson will take his stand therein, while we all bowl at him--or,
if any prefer it, at the wicket--for five minutes. He will then bowl
at us for an hour, after which he will have another hour's smart
fielding practice. If he is still alive and still talks about golf,
why then, I won't say but what he mightn't be allowed to plan out a
little course--or, at any rate, to do a little preliminary weeding."
"Good man," said Simpson.
"And if anybody else thinks he has given up cricket for ludo or
croquet or oranges and lemons, then he can devote himself to
planning out a little course for that too--or anyhow to removing a
few plantains in preparation for it. In fact, ladies and gentlemen,
all I want is for you to make yourselves as happy and as useful as
you can."
"It's what you're here for," said Dahlia.