Our Tea Minutes' Story

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 23, 26 January 1912, Page 9

Our Tea Minutes' Story

FORCED ECONOMY. ™i«ed Granby to pat in a gCKxI IW» *"?" V,™ ere intimate friend,, -i far aim. " e SVa.iloM«-»edtode 3 yal-P— "l* a-ytiung you uooesuy can, ue ,ad "f -Matt it » bu complimentary it p °£le, W " '"■•• JMJ Sm "' Ti , SS»« '««■ * OJ "°*' mu 50 l , , ism. A tali* -;ke that from one topic ~„ an energy that was sinful I 10 f lb«t I could not drag Granby , f "tTtaUted of boating .10. a view; ,L nn the theatre in the Hope of leadto ahn via amateur theatricals; 2 latent playwrights, but without tne and resigned myself | „my cigarette and the landscape. When Ly Covington discovers a "little place" Z? a to the conntry she does not Ignore the ery , and her guests are favoured mor- *£« one mlnnte there was silence. Then j tnu among the cushions of tie hammock . m , gide came the r,ry option that l tad 'spent the afternoon la trying to j frame: «.,,« j ' -Mr Hennrted, have you ever met Wl.fred . Gnurby?" -I have known him for year*. Miss Cov. togton," I answered. "As a matter of fact, I was just thinking of him at this moment." | •Beally?" ••I was pitying the poor beggar cooped up in town worrying over some frightful brief , . ••X brief?" she echoed, with musical incredulity. •'He's a barrister, you know." "Yes, but surely . Isn't It the Long Vacation Just now?" I have no donbt that she was correct. In the matter of briefs, or lack of briefs, vacations make little difference to Granby; but I ousht to have remembered that Sir WUDam Covington was a solicitor. "Mr Hemsted." came the voice again, ijuletly and a little more slowly than usual. "Yon know him pretty intimately, don't yon? Does his profession keep him very bnsy?" "Granby Is extremely conscientious about his work," I replied. "Yes, but ,Is he very succesvful Just jttr She moved aa arm and dangled—rt might lave been accidentally—o lustrous bracelet under my eyes. "He la so Inclined to be extravagant." she remarked. "Extravagance Is sometimes a pardonable weaknsjs," I ventured, trying to catch her eye. She propped herself u; on an elbow and faced me resolutely. Tat going to talk to you." she observed, Tm going to be vulgarly confidential, be cause yon can he vulgarly useful. Wilfred proposed to me a month ago. And I didn't accept him. She paused to allow me to ■p«p the essential facts. see," she went on more vivaciously. Tie told me what his income is, and I '• (fast Imagine he mokes much at the Bar. --as rwaat you to tell me honesUj-, is he aa careful as he ought Jo, he?" My tongue remained loyal to my friend, bnt, knowing Granby and his debts as I did, I was powerless to face her gaxe. "I wish I could believe you," she said. "I would rather he were parsimonious. I could forgive even stinginess." "But not generosity?" "Sot generosity run to seed." The sound of the tea-gong was welcome music to me. "I am sure, 1 ' Koran Covington said as we walked towards the drawing-room, "that I needn't ask you not to let Wilfred know •tat— " "If I were to be discreet?" I pleaded as a anil effort "Mayn't I be discreet?" "So!" she cried emphatically. "You must jromise absolute secrecy." My visit came to an end the following dey, and I took my departure for dust and the city and Granny's company once more. "If you should be running up to town at any time," I remarked more or less perfunctorily to Miss Covington as I made my adieus. "I do hope you will let me know." To my surprise, her thanks seemed quite genuine. Granby, as I had feared, called on me the Pining following my return. He was attired in flannels, and the tint of his complexion proclaimed many afternoons on the river. "Well, did you manage it?" he demanded. I deemed it advisable to feign dullness of tomprehension. •TXd yon "crack me up to Miss Covington? lon know you were going to say a word or two for me." "After tome considerable difficulty I managed to introduce your name into the connrsation," I replied. His expression became less happy. "I suppose y<m only succeeded In making things worse." "Were things bad?" "Oh, nothing more than usual. . . Where do you keep those cigars of yours—the Havanas?" It was about & week later that I received a note from Norah Covington saying thai *«. would be in town on the foUowtnj "Way, and that she wonld be glad if 1 would meet her. She was. travelling uj alone, and would arrive at Paddlngton a j-B. I answered, of course, that I woult » delighted. That was on the Tuesday. On the Wed ' a eaday I a>a an impirauou (t ta^e n) for It; I admit that it Is merely i T artatißs of a somewhat stale Joke.) Oi Thursday evening I wiled at Granby': rooms. He was busy with a novel—reading, no writing. I spun nim a plt^n[ j iaa bee) »obed: my pocket had been picked; ever available sovereign had vanished. t Cf nbr B heart u easilT touched. Befor had finished, the contents of his pocket *"e at my disposal—£2 Ij. 7d. In all. «« him the 2s. Td. 0» Friday morning I wrote a note a fining that I had Just received a lette «»m Miss Covington asking me to meat he « Pa,ddln«on at As he knew. •"*» not possibly be there. Would he t enouch to take my place ota "8.50 a.m." prominently In oo WBW. misdirected the envelope, and bribe ammeter-boy to deliver it punctually i * n - Then J took a day trip to Brighton « I enlleu round on Saturday mornlr f*P*7 the two pounds. I found Grant «"»*»ng with a stylo and a quantity . *Menaper. 'J'anks. he said casuariy. taking tl ¥**■ Then he looked me straight b 2"» <*• eyes. "Ux* ham. u that ycr

I did not nnrteffiad. "Borrowing my l*st sot. and then sending mp to meet Noraii?" "My dear chap." I anewered, aftar a suitable pause, "I am most awfully aorry. I vow I quite forgot." To add a touch of verisimilitude, I laughed my heartiest. "Tell me what happened," I conmmsded. "To begin with, your note didn't arrive till eleven, and by the time I'd togged myself np it was twenty past. I was fairly on my way to the station before the state / of the money market dawned on me, and then. I tell you, I went cold. Two-and \ sevenpencel And I hadn't a thing on me that would paw barring a gun-metal watch with a - .;> that wasn't worth ■ trying." He 'ured slightly. "The other's already up.' you know." "If it had been anyone else I wouldn't have risked it, but —well, I told you before, didn't IT' "She was awfully decent. Of coarse, 1 couldn't tell her, and she seemed a bit Burprised. Naturally. We went to the park, and had tea afterwards on one and teirpence . . . She was really awfully decent, especially after that rotten tea." He sucked the cap of his stylo. "Do yon know," he added. "I don't think she really minded.'* "I am sure she didn't," I said. Again he scrutinised the bridge of my nose. I "Jove. I won't send it." he said, tearing up a half-written sheet of paper. "What was it?" "A letter of apology. Do yon think I ought to?" "You ought to take a few lessons !n lovemaking." lie thought for a considerable time. "I'm half Inclined to believe," Tie said at last, "that she preferred yesterday afternoon to that afternoon when I bought the bracelet." "You are acquiring an Intelligence," I told him.