Section 7

When Mr. Direck and Mr. Britling returned to the Dower House the guest was handed over to Mrs. Britling and Mr. Britling vanished, to reappear at supper time, for the Britlings had a supper in the evening instead of dinner.  When Mr. Britling did reappear every trace of his vexation with the levities of British politics and the British ruling class had vanished altogether, and he was no longer thinking of all that might be happening in Germany or India....

While he was out of the way Mr. Direck extended his acquaintance with the Britling household.  He was taken round the garden and shown the roses by Mrs. Britling, and beyond the rose garden in a little arbour they came upon Miss Corner reading a book.  She looked very grave and pretty reading a book.  Mr. Direck came to a pause in front of her, and Mrs. Britling stopped beside him.  The young lady looked up and smiled.

“The last new novel?” asked Mr. Direck pleasantly.

“Campanella’s ‘City of the Sun.’”

“My word! but isn’t that stiff reading?”

“You haven’t read it,” said Miss Corner.

“It’s a dry old book anyhow.”

“It’s no good pretending you have,” she said, and there Mr. Direck felt the conversation had to end.

“That’s a very pleasant young lady to have about,” he said to Mrs. Britling as they went on towards the barn court.

“She’s all at loose ends,” said Mrs. Britling.  “And she reads like a—­Whatever does read?  One drinks like a fish.  One eats like a wolf.”

They found the German tutor in a little court playing Badminton with the two younger boys.  He was a plump young man with glasses and compact gestures; the game progressed chiefly by misses and the score was counted in German.  He won thoughtfully and chiefly through the ardour of the younger brother, whose enthusiastic returns invariably went out.  Instantly the boys attacked Mrs. Britling with a concerted enthusiasm.  “Mummy!  Is it to be dressing-up supper?”

Mrs. Britling considered, and it was manifest that Mr. Direck was material to her answer.

“We wrap ourselves up in curtains and bright things instead of dressing,” she explained.  “We have a sort of wardrobe of fancy dresses.  Do you mind?”

Mr. Direck was delighted.

And this being settled, the two small boys went off with their mother upon some special decorative project they had conceived and Mr. Direck was left for a time to Herr Heinrich.

Herr Heinrich suggested a stroll in the rose garden, and as Mr. Direck had not hitherto been shown the rose garden by Herr Heinrich, he agreed.  Sooner or later everybody, it was evident, had got to show him that rose garden.

“And how do you like living in an English household?” said Mr. Direck, getting to business at once.  “It’s interesting to an American to see this English establishment, and it must be still more interesting to a German.”