Heavy Weather (34 page)

'Oh, quite. And did you find the Empress pretty fit?'

'Quite, Mr Galahad.'

'Then everything's all right. These things generally work themselves out fairly well, Beach.' 'Very true, sir.'

There was a pause. The butler lowered his voice confidentially. 'Did her ladyship express any comment on the affair, Mr Galahad?' 'Which ladyship?'
‘I
was alluding to Lady Julia, sir.'

'Oh, Julia? Beach,' said the Hon. Galahad, 'there are the seeds of greatness in that woman. I'll give you three guesses what she said and did.'

'I could not hazard a conjecture, sir.'

'She said "Well, well!" and lit a cigarette.'

'Indeed, sir?'

'You never knew her as a child, did you, Beach?'

'No, sir. Her ladyship must have been in the late twenties when I entered his lordship's employment.'

‘I
saw her bite a governess once.'

'Indeed, sir?'

'In two places. And with just that serene, angelic look on her face which she wore just now. A great woman, Beach.'

'I have always had the greatest respect for her ladyship, Mr Galahad.'

'And I'm inclined to think that young Ronnie, in spite of looking like a minor jockey with scarlatina, must have inherited some of her greatness. Tonight has opened my eyes, Beach. I begin to understand what Sue sees in him. Stealing that pig, Beach. Shows character. And snatching her up like this and whisking her off to London. There's more in young Ronnie than I suspected. I think he'll make the girl happy.'

'I am convinced of it, sir.'

'Well, he'd better, or I'll skin him. Did you ever see Dolly Henderson, Beach?'

'On several occasions, sir, when I was in service in London. I frequently went to the Tivoli and the Oxford in those days.'

'This girl's very like her, don't you think?'

'Extremely, Mr Galahad.'

The Hon. Galahad looked out over the moon-flooded garden. In the distance there sounded faintly the plashing of the little waterfall that dropped over fern-crusted rocks into the lake.

'Well, good night, Beach.'

'Good night, Mr Galahad.'

Empress of Blandings stirred in her sleep and opened an eye. She thought she had heard the rustle of a cabbage-leaf, and she was always ready for cabbage-leaves, no matter how advanced the hour. Something came bowling across the straw, driven by the night breeze.

It was not a cabbage-leaf, only a sheet of paper with writing on it, but she ate it with no sense of disappointment. She was a philosopher and could take things as they came. Tomorrow was another day, and there would be cabbage-leaves in the morning.

The Empress turned on her side and closed her eyes with a contented little sigh. The moon beamed down upon her noble form. It looked like a silver medal.