"Even little Cissy," said Hugh.
For little Cissy was bringing all her stalkless flowers to Jane; smiling
at her as if she alone possessed the secret of this play. Brodrick
watched, well-pleased, the silent traffic of their tendernesses.
The others were talking about Hambleby now. They had all read him. They
had all enjoyed him. They all wanted more of him.
"If we could only have had Hambleby, Miss Holland," said Levine. "It
wasn't my fault that we didn't get him."
Jane remembered that this was the brother-in-law whom Brodrick had
wanted to keep out. He had the air of being persistently, permanently
in.
"Of course it wasn't your fault," said she.
Levine then thought it necessary to say things about Jane's celebrity
till Brodrick cut him short.
"Miss Holland," he said, "doesn't like her celebrity. You needn't talk
about it."
John and Henry looked graver than ever, and Sophy made sweet eyes at
Jane. Sophy's eyes--when they looked at you--were very sweet. It was
through her eyes only that she apologized for her husband, whose own
eyes were manifestly incapable of apologizing for anything. The
Brodricks seemed to tolerate their brother-in-law; and he seemed, more
sublimely, to tolerate their tolerance.
Great efforts were now made to divert Levine from the magazine. Mr. John
Brodrick headed him off with motors and their makers; the Doctor kept
his half-resentful spirit moving briskly round the Wimbledon golf-links;
and Hugh, with considerable dexterity, landed him securely on the fiscal
question, where he might be relied upon to stay.
But it was the Baby who saw what was to be done if his parent was to be
delivered from his own offensiveness.
"Oh, look!" cried Winny. "Look at Baby. Making such a ducky angel of
himself."
The Baby, having sat down abruptly on the grass, was making a ducky
angel of himself by wriggling along it, obliquely, as he sat.
At the sight of him all the Brodricks instantaneously lost their
seriousness and sanity. He was captured and established as the centre of
the group. And, in the great act of adoration of the Baby, Levine was
once more united to his wife's family.
His wife's family, like his wife, could forgive anything to Louis Levine
because of the babies. It reserved its disapproval for Mrs. John
Brodrick who had never had any; who had never done anything that was
expected of her. Mrs. John looked as if she had cried a great deal
because of the things she had not done. She had small hazel eyes with
inflamed lids, and a small high nose that was always rather red. She was
well born, and she carried her low-browed, bird-like head among the
Brodricks with a solitary grace, and the motions of a dignified,
distinguished bird.
And now, in mute penitence and wistful worship, she prostrated herself
before their divinity, the Baby.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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