No one said much. There was not much to say and a great deal to think about. Even the house, the terraces, the gardens called forth no more than "Ohs!" and "Ahs!" of approval. Gladys declared that she felt herself wandering through the castle scenes in "The Silver Queen," the latest screen masterpiece, but no one else descended to such comparisons. "It’s like heaven," Gussie murmured timidly, to Bob, as they strolled between hedges of dahlias. "Oh no, it isn’t!" he laughed. "Three or four places at Marillo are much finer than this." Subdued by sheer ecstasy, they assembled on the flagged terrace, where Mrs. Gull brought out tea. Bob was pleased at Jennie’s bearing toward the chauffeur’s wife—friendly with just the right touch of dignity. "Mr. Collingham tells me you’re English. We’re almost English ourselves, since we were born in Canada. I’ve never been in England, but I should so love to go, though they say it’s quite different since the war." There was no more to it than that, but Mrs. Gull reported to her husband: "As much a lady as any I’ve ever served under—and I do know a lady when I see her. Miss Edith’s a lady, too, but not a patch on this one. She may have been just as bad as they say she was, but you’d never believe it to look at her, and the sisters be’ave as pretty as pretty. Oh dear! And they with a murderer for a brother! It do seem queer, now don’t it?" To which Gull replied in his usual antiphon, "It most zure and zertainly do." The jarring chord in this harmony came from Lizzie, while Bob was in search of Gull to bid him bring round the car. Lizzie stood looking down the two flowered terraces, where in honor of the visitors the fountains had been turned on. "I understand now why they couldn’t afford to pay your father his forty-five a week. It must cost a great deal of money to keep this establishment going." "Oh, momma," Gussie pleaded, "don’t begin to hang crape just when we’re able to enjoy ourselves a little." Lizzie turned on her daughter her rare and almost forgotten smile. "Very well, dear; enjoy yourself. Only a world in which enjoyment must be bought at such a price is not a fit world for human beings to live in." Gladys crept up, snuggling against her mother’s shoulder. "Yes, momma darling; but you won’t say that any more till we get home, now will you? It might hurt poor Bob’s feelings if you did, and you _can’t_ say that he’s ever done us any harm." CHAPTER XXV On the day after the visit to Collingham Lodge, Bob left for the camp in the Adirondacks. As yet he had no knowledge of the family’s attitude toward him more exact than he could infer. He had written to them all since his return, but their replies, even Edith’s, had been noncommittal. He guessed that they had decided together not to express themselves fully till they came face to face with him.