Part 29 (1/2)
”Doctor Hilary has been over here rather often lately,” remarked Miss Tibb.u.t.t one afternoon. Pia and she were sitting in the garden together.
”Old Mrs. Mosely is ill,” returned Pia smiling oracularly.
”But only a very little ill,” said Miss Tibb.u.t.t reflectively. ”Her daughter told me only yesterday--I'm afraid it wasn't very grateful of her--that the Doctor had been 'moidering around like 'sif mother was on her dying bed, and her wi' naught but a bit o' cold to her chest, what's gone to her head now, and a gla.s.s or two o' hot cider, and ginger, and allspice, and rosemary will be puttin' right sooner nor you can flick a fly off a sugar basin.'”
Pia laughed.
”My dear Tibby, he doesn't come to see Mrs. Mosely.”
Miss Tibb.u.t.t looked up in perplexed query.
”He comes on here to tea, doesn't he?” asked Pia, kindly, after the manner of one giving a lead.
”Certainly,” returned Miss Tibb.u.t.t, still perplexed. ”He would naturally do so, since he is in Woodleigh just at tea time.”
Pia leant back in her seat, and looked at Miss Tibb.u.t.t.
”Tibby dear, you're amazingly slow at the uptake.”
Miss Tibb.u.t.t blinked at Pia over her spectacles.
”Please explain,” said she meekly.
Pia laughed.
”Haven't you discovered, Tibby dear, that it's Trix he comes to see?”
”Trix!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Miss Tibb.u.t.t.
”Yes; and she is quite as unaware of the fact as you are, so don't, for all the world, enlighten her. Leave that to him, if he means to.”
Miss Tibb.u.t.t had let her work fall, and was gazing round-eyed at Pia.
”But, my dear Pia, he's years older than Trix.”
”Oh, not so very many,” said Pia rea.s.suringly. ”Fifteen or sixteen, perhaps. Trix is twenty-four, you know.”
”And Trix is leaving here the day after to-morrow,” said Miss Tibb.u.t.t regretfully.
”London isn't the antipodes,” declared Pia. ”She can come here again, or business may take Doctor Hilary to London. There are trains.”
”Well, well,” said Miss Tibb.u.t.t.
Trix appeared at the open drawing-room window and came out on to the terrace. She paused for a moment to pick a dead rose off a bush growing near the house. Then she saw the two under the lime tree. She came towards them.
”Doctor Hilary has just driven up through the plantation gate,” she said.
”I suppose he's coming to tea. His man was evidently going to put up the horse.”
The d.u.c.h.essa glanced at a gold bracelet watch on her wrist.