‘I do, William,’ I said firmly, ’but it must be stamped effectively, you understand.  No half measures, you know.’

‘Yes, yes, I quite see that,’ he said eagerly.  ’Then do you think in such a case it would help matters if a man—­if one of the parties, I mean—­went right away.  You know the adage, “Out of sight out of mind"?’

I pondered.  It would, I knew, be a great denial to William if he was debarred from coming about our place—­almost the only home he had ever known.  Henry, too, would be lost with no one to argue with.  If you want to manage a Scotsman properly see that he gets plenty of argument, and he’ll rarely develop any other vice.  No, the pair must not be separated.

’There is another adage, William, which says, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,"’ I said, ’so I think, after all, you—­I mean he, had better stay.’

William looked relieved.  ’You think that I—­er—­I mean one—­ought to face it?’

‘I am sure one should,’ I acquiesced.

William pressed my hand gratefully, and I sighed as I examined his physiognomy in the hope of finding one attractive feature.  I sighed again as I finished my inspection.  What a pity, I thought, that he had not just a little dash about him, even the merest soupcon of fascination, in order to make the situation interesting.  He was still holding my hand as the door opened and Elizabeth shot into view with the declaration, ‘Dinner’s in.’

We have a massive and imposing looking gong erected in the hall for the sole purpose of announcing when meals are ready, but nothing will induce Elizabeth to make use of it.  If we are upstairs she hails us from below with such expressions as ‘Come on, now, it’s getting cold,’ or, ’I won’t bring it in till you’re all ’ere, so mind you ‘urry.’

If William had appeared strange, it struck me that Marion—­who was also dining with us that evening—­was even stranger.  For one thing, I regret to say, she was exceedingly rude to William.  She does not like him, I know, but he was after all our guest, and she was not justified in remarking, when he upset his wine on the tablecloth, and knocked over an adjacent salt-cellar, ’If there’s anything in the world I loathe, it is a clumsy man.’

‘I must admit I am extremely clumsy—­like an elephant, in fact,’ came the soft answer from William.

It did not turn away Marion’s wrath.  ‘So I see,’ she snapped.

I kicked her gently under the table.  ‘Marion, dear,’ I remonstrated.

‘Nothing in the world will ever improve me,’ continued William.

‘I’m sure of it,’ replied Marion, ‘it’s in your system.’

She seemed in a most contrary mood that evening.  For instance, William had remarked quite nicely and affably that he considered smoking pernicious for women.  He said his mother had always declared it was, and he thought they were better without it.  Whereupon Marion, who dislikes the weed as a general rule, immediately got up, took a cigarette from the box on the table and asked William for a light.