"Not until half past nine because Jimmy has his Bible class
tonight." Jimmy was Mr. Stafford: and perhaps a purist might
have objected that Mrs. Clowes and Yvonne Bendish had not done
all they might have done to form Isabel's manners. "I'm so sorry,
darling," she continued, preparing to leap to her feet. "Shall I
get you a biscuit? There are oatmeals in the sideboard, the kind
you like, I won't be a minute--"

"Thanks very much, I'd rather wait. Did you see Mrs. Clowes
today? Clowes said she was at the Castle."

"So she was, sitting with Mrs. Morley in an angelic striped
cotton. Mrs. Morley was in mauve ninon and a Gainsborough hat.
Yvonne says Mr. Morley is a Jew and made his money in I. D. B.'s,
which I suppose are some sort of stocks?" Neither of her brothers
offered to enlighten her, Rowsley because he was feeling
indolent, Val because he never said an unkind word to any one.
Isabel, who was enamoured of her own voice flowed on with little
delay: "If he really is a Jew, I can't think how she could marry
him; I wouldn't. Mrs. Morley can't be very happy or Laura
wouldn't go and talk to her. Laura is so sweet, she always sits
with people that other people run away from. Oh Val, did Major
Clowes tell you their news?" Isabel might refer to her father as
Jimmy and to Rowsley's commander as the Old Man, but she rarely
failed to give Bernard Clowes his correct prefix.

"No--is there any?"

"Only that they have some one coming to stay with them. Won't he
have a deadly time?" Isabel glanced from Val to Rowsley in the