"
"You might put a barbed wire entanglement round the yew tree as a
precautionary measure," said Clovis.
"I don't think that the disagreeable situation that has arisen is
improved by flippancy," said Mrs. Riversedge; "a good maid is a
treasure--"
"I am sure I don't know what I should do without Florinda,"
admitted Mrs. Troyle; "she understands my hair. I've long ago
given up trying to do anything with it myself. I regard one's
hair as I regard husbands: as long as one is seen together in
public one's private divergences don't matter. Surely that was
the luncheon gong."
Septimus Brope and Clovis had the smoking-room to themselves after
lunch. The former seemed restless and preoccupied, the latter
quietly observant.
"What is a lorry?" asked Septimus suddenly; "I don't mean the
thing on wheels, of course I know what that is, but isn't there a
bird with a name like that, the larger form of a lorikeet?"
"I fancy it's a lory, with one 'r,'" said Clovis lazily, "in which
case it's no good to you."
Septimus Brope stared in some astonishment.
"How do you mean, no good to me?" he asked, with more than a trace
of uneasiness in his voice.
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