the house would be the quieter missing them; but their father insists on educating them himself, because he won’t let them mix up with the common children in the school; they’re by way of being little gentry, do you see,’ I said, ’though indeed you mightn’t think it to look at them.’  Oh dear me, he was so impolite; he wouldn’t believe that Hilary was doing his duty by them, though I assured him that he read them all the ‘Ancient Mariner’ yesterday morning while they watched him dress, and that I was teaching them the alphabet whenever I had a spare minute.  But nothing would satisfy him; and off the two eldest must go to the Catholic school next week to be destroyed by the fog and to pick up with all the ragamuffins in the district.”

“An abominable, cast-iron system,” Hilary murmured mechanically.  “Of a piece with all the other institutions of an iniquitous state.”

“And what do you think,” added Peggy, who was busy putting a patch in Silvio’s knickerbockers, “Guy Vyvian turned up out of nowhere and called this afternoon, bad manners to him for a waster.  When he found you were out, Hilary, he asked where was Rhoda; he’d no notion of sitting down to listen to me talking.  Rhoda was out at work too, of course; I told him it wasn’t most of us could afford to play round in the afternoons the way he did.  I suppose he’ll come again, bothering and upsetting the child just when she’s settling down a bit.  I’ve thought her seeming brighter lately; she likes going about with you, Peter.  But there’ll be pretty doings again when that man comes exciting her.”

“Vyvian is a cad and a low fellow,” Hilary said, “and I always regretted being forced into partnership with him; but I suppose one can’t kick one’s past acquaintances from the door.  I, at least, cannot.  Some people can and do; they may reconcile it with their standards of decency if they choose; but I cannot.  Vyvian must come if he likes, and we must be hospitable to him.  We must ask him to dinner if he comes again.”

“Yes,” sniffed Peggy, “I can see him!  Sticking his fork into the potatoes and pretending he can’t get it through!  Oh, have him to dinner if you like; he must just make the best of what he gets if he comes.  He’ll be awfully rude to the rest, too, but I’ll apologise for him beforehand.”

“Though a cad,” Hilary observed, “Vyvian is less of a vacuous fool than most of the members of our present delightful house-party.  He at least knows something of art and literature, and can converse without jarring one’s taste violently by his every word.  He is not, after all, a Miss Matthews or a Mr. Bridger.  Apologies, therefore, are scarcely called for, perhaps.”

Peggy said, “What a solemn face, Peter.  Is it the Vyvian man, or the beautiful cup, that we’ve never half thanked you for getting rid of yet?”

Peter said, “It’s the Vyvian man.  He makes me feel solemn.  You see, I promised Mrs. Johnson faithfully to keep Rhoda out of his clutches, if I could.”