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‘What on earth am I to do?’ she murmured.

VI

On the first floor of Gorston Hall a long passage led to a big room overlooking the front drive. It was a room furnished in the more flamboyant of old-fashioned styles. It had heavy brocaded wallpaper, rich leather armchairs, large vases embossed with dragons, sculptures in bronze… Everything in it was magnificent, costly and solid.

In a big grandfather armchair, the biggest and most imposing of all the chairs, sat the thin, shrivelled figure of an old man. His long clawlike hands rested on the arms of the chair. A gold-mounted stick was by his side. He wore an old shabby blue dressing-gown. On his feet were carpet slippers. His hair was white and the skin of his face was yellow.

A shabby, insignificant figure, one might have thought. But the nose, aquiline and proud, and the eyes, dark and intensely alive, might cause an observer to alter his opinion. Here was fire and life and vigour.

Old Simeon Lee cackled to himself, a sudden, high cackle of amusement.

He said: ‘You gave my message to Mrs Alfred, hey?’

Horbury was standing beside his chair. He replied in his soft deferential voice: ‘Yes, sir.’

‘Exactly in the words I told you? Exactly, mind?’

‘Yes, sir. I didn’t make a mistake, sir.’

‘No – you don’t make mistakes. You’d better not make mistakes either – or you’ll regret it! And what did she say, Horbury? What did Mr Alfred say?’

Quietly, unemotionally, Horbury repeated what had passed. The old man cackled again and rubbed his hands together.

‘Splendid… First rate… They’ll have been thinking and wondering – all the afternoon! Splendid! I’ll have ’em up now. Go and get them.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Horbury walked noiselessly across the room and went out.

‘And, Horbury – ’ The old man looked round, then cursed to himself. ‘Fellow moves like a cat. Never know where he is.’

He sat quite still in his chair, his fingers caressing his chin till there was a tap on the door, and Alfred and Lydia came in.

‘Ah, there you are, there you are. Sit here, Lydia, my dear, by me. What a nice colour you’ve got.’

‘I’ve been out in the cold. It makes one’s cheeks burn afterwards.’

Alfred said: ‘How are you, Father, did you have a good rest this afternoon?’

‘First rate – first rate. Dreamt about the old days! That was before I settled down and became a pillar of society.’

He cackled with sudden laughter.

His daughter-in-law sat silently smiling with polite attention.

Alfred said: ‘What’s this, Father, about two extra being expected for Christmas?’

‘Ah, that! Yes, I must tell you about that. It’s going to be a grand Christmas for me this year – a grand Christmas. Let me see, George is coming and Magdalene – ’