“Yes,” he repeated, with smiling inanity, after he had shaken hands.  “Mother thought I might help you.”

("What a fool that woman is!” reflected James.  “And what a fool he is to put it on to his mother instead of keeping it to himself!”)

“And what did you think, Mr. Prockter?” Helen demanded.  “Another cup and saucer, Georgiana.”

Helen’s question was one of her insolent questions.

("Perhaps his mother ain’t such a fool!” reflected James.  And he perceived, or imagined he perceived, that their fears of Helen marrying Emanuel were absurd.)

Emanuel sniffed humour in the air.  He never understood humour; but he was, at any rate, sufficiently gifted with the wisdom of the simple to smile vaguely and amiably when he sniffed humour.

And then Helen said, with cordial kindliness:  “It’s awfully good of you—­awfully good of you.  Here we are, you see!”

And the degree of cordiality was such that the fear of her marrying Emanuel suddenly seemed less absurd to James.  The truth was that James never had a moment’s peace of mind with Helen.  She was continually proving that as a student in the University of Human Nature he had not even matriculated.

Georgiana appeared with an odd cup and saucer, and a giggling statement that she had not been able to discover any more teaspoons.

“Never mind,” said Helen.  “Mr. Prockter shall have mine.”

("Well, I’m hanged!” reflected James.)

Whereupon Georgiana departed, bearing her own tea, into the giant’s kitchen.  The miserable distinctions of class had been mysteriously established.

CHAPTER XXI

SHIP AND OCEAN

The host, the hostess, and the guest all remained on their feet in the noble hall of the Wilbrahams, it not being good etiquette to sit at removals, even when company calls.  Emanuel, fortunately for him, was adept at perambulation with a full cup of tea in one hand and a hat or so in the other.  There were two things which he really could do—­one was to sing a sentimental song without laughing, and the other was to balance a cup of tea.  And it was only when he was doing the one or the other that he genuinely lived.  During the remainder of his existence he was merely a vegetable inside a waistcoat.  He held his cup without a tremor while Helen charmingly introduced into it her teaspoon and stirred up the sugar.  Then, after he had sipped and pronounced the result excellent, he began to admire the Hall and the contents of the Hall.  A proof of his real Christian charity was that, whereas he had meant to have that Hall for himself, he breathed no word of envy nor discontent.  He praised everything; and presently he arrived at the ship and ocean, and praised that.  He particularly praised the waves.

The heart of James instantly and instinctively softened towards him.  For the realism of those foaming waves had always struck James as the final miracle of art.  And, moreover, this was the first time that any of Helen’s haughty “set” had ever deigned to recognise the merits of the ship and ocean.