Part 20 (2/2)

She made no comment on this last remark. She had heard that this man's life had not been always a bed of roses.

”Yet, how could this one have heard of me?” she said. ”No; I don't know how to thank you enough for this--and Clytie too. She has almost more work than she can do, all thanks to your introductions. You are too good to us.”

”My dear child, haven't you learnt yet that we must all help each other in this world as far as lies in our power? The difficulty sometimes lies in how to do it in the right way. By-the-by, this letter, I observe, makes it a condition that you should obtain my father's permission. How, then, could we possibly have had anything to do with instigating the offer?”

Delia smiled, remembering her sister's dictum: ”That's only a red herring.” However, she had sufficient tact not to press the point.

”I see they want six photographic views,” he went on. ”Now, if I might suggest, do two of the house, from different points of view--outside; one of the hall and staircase; two of the chapel, outside and in; and one of the lake. That makes it.”

”But, Mr Wagram, you are forgetting the African animals. I must have those; they are such a feature.”

”Why, of course. Well, then, now I think of it, we will delete the interior of the chapel. To the crowd it would only look like any other interior. What is your camera, by the way?”

”Only a Kodak. Bull's-eye Number 2. But I understand time exposures, and it takes very sharp and clear.”

”And shorthand writing too. You are a clever girl, and should be able to turn your accomplishments to useful account.”

Again Delia smiled, for she remembered having let out that she was a ready shorthand writer during that former conversation.

”Well, now, what I suggest is this: I have rather a pressing matter of business to finish off this morning, so, if you will excuse me, I propose to turn you over to Rundle. He will show you every hole and corner of the house; he knows it like a book. We only looked at it cursorily last time you were here. That will take you all the morning.

After lunch--we lunch at one--I can take you over the outside part of the job myself. _The Old Country Side_ is a first-rate pictorial, and we must do justice to Hilversea in it, mustn't we?”

Delia professed herself delighted, as indeed she was. Then Rundle, having appeared in response to a ring, Wagram proceeded to direct him accordingly.

”Show Miss Calmour all there is to see, Rundle,” he said, ”and work the light for her so as to get everything from the best point of view for photography. I showed her the priest's hiding-place the other day, so you needn't; besides, you don't know the secret of it.”

”No, sir; and it'd have been a good job if some others hadn't known there was such a thing,” said the old butler in historic allusion.

”This way, miss.”

Delia appeared at lunch radiant and sparkling. Rundle had proved a most efficient cicerone, she declared; indeed, so much had there been to see and hear that she wondered how on earth she was going to compress her notes into the required limit. Wagram was in a state of covert amus.e.m.e.nt, for he knew that his father was not forgetting his former dictum.

”A Calmour at Hilversea! Pho! it'd be about as much in place as a cow in a church!”

And yet, here was this bright, pretty girl, who talked so intelligently and well--why, she might have been anybody else as far as keeping the old Squire interested and amused was concerned.

”Now, Miss Calmour, which shall we take first--the animals or the chapel?” said Wagram as they rose from table.

”The animals, I think, because it may take some time, and the sun is not as reliable as it might be. The chapel I can get much easier with a time exposure, if necessary.”

”Right. I'll tell them to get my tyres pumped up, and we can bike down there.”

Their way took them over the very road where the adventure had befallen, then a turn to the left, where the riding was rough. Here, under the trees, a shed of tarred planks came into view.

”We'll leave our machines here,” said Wagram, dismounting. ”They'll be quite safe; still, I'll chain them together, as a matter of precaution.”

”What a perfectly lovely place this is,” said the girl as they walked on beneath great over-arching oaks, which let in the sunlight in a network on the cool sward. ”Tell me, Mr Wagram, don't you sometimes find life too good to be real?”

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