Part 28 (2/2)
”We really seem to be going out to sea,” Percy Beaumont observed. ”Upon my honour we're going back to England. He has s.h.i.+pped us off again. I call that 'real mean.'”
”I daresay it's all right,” said Lord Lambeth. ”I want to see those pretty girls at Newport. You know he told us the place was an island, and aren't all islands in the sea?”
”Well,” resumed the elder traveller after a while, ”if his house is as good as his cigars I guess we shall muddle through.”
”I fancy he's awfully 'prominent,' you know, and I rather liked him,”
Lord Lambeth pursued as if this appreciation of Mr. Westgate had but just glimmered on him.
His comrade, however, engaged in another thought, didn't so much as appear to catch it. ”I say, I guess we had better remain at the inn. I don't think I like the way he spoke of his house. I rather object to turning in with such a tremendous lot of women.”
”Oh I don't mind,” said Lord Lambeth. And then they smoked a while in silence. ”Fancy his thinking we do no work in England!” the young man resumed.
But it didn't rouse his friend, who only replied: ”I daresay he didn't really a bit think so.”
”Well, I guess they don't know much about England over here!” his lords.h.i.+p humorously sighed. After which there was another long pause.
”He _has_ got us out of a hole,” observed the young n.o.bleman.
Percy Beaumont genially a.s.sented. ”n.o.body certainly could have been more civil.”
”Littledale said his wife was great fun,” Lord Lambeth then contributed.
”Whose wife-Littledale's?”
”Our benefactor's. Mrs. Westgate. What's his name? J. L. It 'kind of'
sounds like a number. But I guess it's a high number,” he continued with freshened gaiety.
The same influences appeared, however, with Mr. Beaumont to make rather for anxiety. ”What was fun to Littledale,” he said at last a little sententiously, ”may be death to us.”
”What do you mean by that?” his companion asked. ”I'm as good a man as Littledale.”
”My dear boy, I hope you won't begin to flirt,” said the elder man.
His friend smoked acutely. ”Well, I daresay I shan't _begin_.”
”With a married woman, if she's bent upon it, it's all very well,” Mr.
Beaumont allowed. ”But our friend mentioned a young lady-a sister, a sister-in-law. For G.o.d's sake keep free of her.”
”How do you mean, 'free'?”
”Depend upon it she'll try to land you.”
”Oh rot!” said Lord Lambeth.
”American girls are very 'cute,'” the other urged.
”So much the better,” said the young man.
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