Pageants -- Fiction; Villages -- England -- Fiction
Jimmy growled a sleepy "Come in" in reply to a tap at his bedroom
door. Having thus accomplished all that could be expected of him for
some time he relapsed into deep slumber again. There was nothing to
disturb him in the familiar performance of the servant who called him.
A tea tray was laid down noiselessly on the table beside his bed.
Curtains were drawn back as nearly noiselessly as curtains could be
drawn. There was the usual folding of shirts and socks, laying out of
shoes, arrangement of other clothes in due order, the depositing in
appropriate places of collar, tie and handkerchief. The same things
were done for Jimmy every morning of his life and had been done for
him in much the same way ever since he had left school. There was
nothing to disturb him and he was too sleepy to realise that he was in
a strange room.
"Your lordship's bath," said the servant, "will be prepared. I shall
return and tell your lordship when it is ready. In about ten minutes if
that is convenient to your lordship."
The voice was unfamiliar. Jimmy opened his eyes sufficiently to
recognise that the servant who was leaving the room was not his own
man. He saw at the same time that he was in an unfamiliar room. The
recollection of the adventures of the day before came to him and he
knew that he had slept in his uncle's house. He poured out his tea and
as he drank it composed a biting and insulting telegram to be sent,
regardless of expense, to the makers of the Pallas Athene sports model
car. He lit a cigarette to stimulate the workings of his brain.
The servant came into the room again, as he promised, in ten minutes.
Jimmy recognised Hinton.
"Hallo!" he said. "How do you come to be here?"
"Your lordship will recollect that I ventured to suggest last night
that it might be convenient if I were to wait upon your lordship."
"Of course. Yes. Now you mention it, I remember. You said you'd come
in to help Uncle Evie's butler in case the poor fellow felt overworked.
Uncommonly kind of you to do it, Hinton, and I'm sure we're all greatly
obliged to you. You were to have got tooth-brushes and things for the
two young ladies. I hope you did."
"I left that matter in Mr. Linker's hands, my lord, with every
confidence that satisfaction would be given. Mr. Linker's establishment
is not actually first class. That could hardly be expected in Morriton
St. James, but I think everything required will be provided. The young
person of whom I spoke to you last night----"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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