Bradstock smiled. "Titania, Penelope is in the house. Let us go in," he said, and he marched up the steps. Bob shook himself free from the duchess and darted indoors before Bradstock. He bolted up-stairs to Penelope, and burst in upon her like a whirlwind. "Pen, they’re all here, all the gang! I couldn’t keep ’em out!" "Who are here?" asked Pen, in awful dismay. "All of ’em, and the bishop and Bradstock and granny!" "Oh, what shall I do?" wailed Penelope. "I’ll tell you," said Bob. "Let’s sneak down the back way and steal one of their cars now, and get away!" "No, no," said Penelope, "it wouldn’t be dignified. I must be dignified, Bob, I must be; I will go down and see them." "No," said Bob. "I will," said Penelope. "And tell ’em the truth?" Penelope started. "I can’t, I can’t, because we’ve quarrelled. But I will see them; I must." She went red and white and red again, and once more as pale as dawn. She kissed the sleeping, adopted, illegitimate, normal-coloured infant as he sprawled upon an historic bed, and went to the door. "Come with me, Bob." "I’ll hold your hand, Pen. I say, you shake!" "Squeeze my hand till you hurt me," said Pen. "Now come!" She swept down the big staircase, with Bob in tow, and found herself in the presence of the entire "gang," as Bob had called them. "Penelope!" said Titania, recoiling. "Oh, Pen," said Bradstock, advancing. "My dear Lady Penelope," said the bishop, sweetly, "do you recollect that I christened you at the early age of three months?" "No," said Penelope. "No!" said the bishop, "no, to be sure, how could you? But I did." "It—it was very kind of you," said Penelope. Titania recovered herself and advanced. Gordon and the rest hung about in the distance, looking as wretched as the ruined wing of the castle. "Are you married, Penelope?" asked Titania. "Yes," said Penelope. "Of course she is," said Bob. "Hold your tongue, Robert," said his grandmother. "And to whom?" "I won’t say," replied Penelope. "I told you I wouldn’t, and I won’t." "I said she wouldn’t," cried Bob. Titania pointed her hand at the shrinking horde. "Every single one of these gentlemen, to say nothing of Lord Bramber, who is with his invalid father at the present moment, came to me and said he was married to you! Every one of them without an exception!" "I am very much obliged to them," said Pen. "In the circumstances, I think it was noble of them." "Are you alluding to the advertisement in the _Times_?" asked Titania. "Are you aware that every one now says that you have adopted an infant?" "What rot!" said Bob. "Robert," cried his grandmother, "be silent, I command you. I will not be interrupted by you. Are you aware, Penelope, that it is said all over England and Europe and the blatant United States that you have adopted an infant?" Penelope shook her head. "It’s the first I’ve heard of it," said Penelope, who was the colour of a rose.