第75章 CHAPTER XIV TOGETHER(5)

At last， rather too early， he threw the sheet of paper into the fireplace and started， only to find that although it still lacked a quarter of an hour to eleven， Isobel was already seated on that tree.

"What have you been doing to yourself？" she asked， "putting on those smart London clothes？ I like the old grey things you had on last night ever so much better， and I wanted you to climb a tree to get me some young jackdaws. And--good gracious！ Godfrey， your head smells like a whole hairdresser's shop. Please come to the other side， to leeward of me."

He murmured something about liking to look tidy， and then remarked that she seemed rather finely dressed herself.

"It's only my Mexican hat，" she answered， touching the big sombrero， woven from the finest Panama grass， which she was wearing， "and the necklace is made of little gold Aztec idols that were found in a grave. They are very rare； a gentleman gave them to me， and afterwards I was horrified to find that he had paid an awful lot for them， ā200， I believe. Do you understand about the Aztec gods？ If not I will explain them all to you. This big one in the middle is Huitzilcoatl， the god of----"

"No， no，" interrupted Godfrey， "I don't and I don't want to. I think them very ugly， and I always understood that ladies did not accept such expensive presents from gentlemen. Who was he？"

"An American millionaire who didn't wear armour，" she answered blandly. Then she changed the subject with the original remark that the swallows were flying higher than they had done on the previous evening， when they looked as though one could almost catch them with one's hand.

Godfrey reflected to himself that other things which had seemed quite close on the previous night were now like the swallows， far out of reach. Only he took comfort in the remembrance that swallows， however near， are evasive birds， not easy to seize unless you can find them sleeping. Next she began to tell him all about the Mexican gods， whether he wanted to listen or not， and he sat there in the glory of his new clothes and brilliantined hair， and gazed at her till she asked him to desist as she felt as though she were being mesmerised.

This led him to his spiritualistic experiences of which he told her all the story， and by the time it was finished， behold！ it was the luncheon hour.

"It is very interesting，" she said as they entered the Hall， "and I can't laugh at it all as I should have done once， I don't quite know why. But I hope， Godfrey， that you will have no more to do with spirits."

"No， not while----" and he looked at her.

"While what？"

"While--there are such nice bodies in the world，" he stammered， colouring.

She coloured also， tossed her head， and went to wash her hands.

The afternoon they spent in hunting for imaginary young jackdaws in a totally nebulous tree. Isobel grew rather cross over its non-@@discovery， swearing that she remembered it well years ago， and that there were always young jackdaws there.

"Perhaps it has been cut down，" suggested Godfrey. "I am told that your father has been improving the place a great deal in that kind of way， so as to make it up to date and scientific and profitable， and all the rest of it. Also if it hasn't， there would have been no young jackdaws， since they must have flown quite six weeks ago."

"Then why couldn't you say that at once， instead of making us waste all this time？" asked Isobel with indignation.

"I don't know，" replied Godfrey in a somewhat vacuous fashion. "It was all the same to me if we were hunting for young jackdaws or the man in the moon， as long as we were together."

"Godfrey， it is evident that you have been overworking and are growing foolish. I make excuses for you， since anybody who passed first out of Sandhurst must have overworked， but it does not alter the fact. Now I must go home and see about that house， for as yet I have arranged nothing at all， and the place is in an awful state. Remember that my father is coming down presently with either six or eight terrible people， I forget which. All I know about them is that they are extremely rich and expect to be what is called 'done well.'"

"Must you？" remarked Godfrey， looking disappointed.

"Yes， I must. And so must you. /Your/ father is coming back by the five o'clock train， and I advise you to be there to meet him. Perhaps I shall see you to-morrow some time."

"I can't，" exclaimed Godfrey in a kind of wail. "I am to be taken off to a school in some town or other， I forget which， that my father has been examining. I suppose it is the speech day， and he proposes to introduce me as a kind of object lesson because I have passed first in an examination."

"Yes， as a shining example and--an advertisement. Well， perhaps we shall meet later，" and without giving him an opportunity of saying more she vanished away.