CLARE. Quite. LADY PATRICIA. (_With disarming vivacity._) Oh, my dear, dear friends, why do you take this so heavily? Surely a charming piece of boyishness! May I tell them what happened, Cousin Bill? I saw through the whole thing at once. BILL. I’m sure you did. LADY PATRICIA. He so longed to see his mother that he came down by an earlier train.... Didn’t you, Cousin Bill? BILL. That’s right. LADY PATRICIA. But when he arrived he found she had gone to a garden party. He was so disappointed.... Weren’t you, Cousin Bill? BILL. That’s right. LADY PATRICIA. Did you learn to say “that’s right” in America? It sounds so successful.... When he found his mother was out, he thought he would come and see Michael and—me. Michael had gone to the garden party, but he was told that I was here. He found me asleep.... CLARE. (_Imitating LADY PATRICIA’S voice and manner._) And he kissed me—didn’t you, Cousin Bill? (_BILL goes into a shout of long and lonely laughter._) LADY PATRICIA. (_In a pained voice._) He found me asleep. I had not been feeling very well.... MICHAEL. Are you better, my darling? LADY PATRICIA. Thank you, Michael dear, a little better.... He found me asleep. He was thirsty, poor fellow! So he helped himself to tea. Providentially, Ellis had brought two cups. Then he saw you all coming, and thought it would be “such jolly fun” to climb up the tree and drop a saucer.... Didn’t you? CLARE. —Cousin Bill. (_BILL laughs._) LADY PATRICIA. He had meant to do it at once. But he couldn’t resist the joke of letting Clare and Michael fetch him at the station. And when they had gone he simply had to wait till they came back again—or, perhaps, the Dean and Aunt Eileen were so enjoying each other’s company, he hadn’t the heart to disturb them.... Then Clare and Michael returned, and he thought the joke had gone far enough. CLARE. So he threw a saucer at us. (_BILL indulges in a third lonely laugh._) MICHAEL. (_Shortly._) Crown Derby.... BILL. Sorry. LADY PATRICIA. Isn’t that more or less the true story, Cousin Bill? BILL. I say, what an awfully clever woman you are! LADY PATRICIA. Am I?... I wonder! MRS. O’FARREL. Clever at writing verses, Patricia. But prose fiction’s not in your line. (_PATRICIA smiles pityingly and examines her rings._) Bill we must be off. There’s barely time to dress, and some people are dining with us to-night. BILL. All right, mother. (_He goes to CLARE._) I say, Miss Lesley, when last we met you had long hair. CLARE. (_Gravely._) I still have long hair, Mr. O’Farrel. BILL. Oh, but what I meant was—— LADY PATRICIA. (_To CLARE._) Your father tells me you are dining with us, Clare. I’m so glad! CLARE. If you don’t mind me in this dress, Lady Patricia. Mr. Cosway has promised to show me the—er—what’s its name? MICHAEL. The spiral nebula in Andromeda. BILL. How much? MICHAEL.