know the
Bendishes pretty well, I really shouldn't care to tell Mrs. Jack
not to gossip about her own sister. You might see your way to
it, reverend sir, but I don't."

"If it came to Bernard's ears I wouldn't answer for the
consequences."

"Won't Bernard see it for himself?"

"If I thought that," said Val, "if I thought that. . . .

"You couldn't interfere, old man," said Rowsley with a shrewd
glance at his brother. "Your hands are tied."

"H'm: yes, that's true." It was much truer than Rowsley knew. "I
don't care," said Val, involuntarily crushing the paper in his
hand: "I would not let that stand in my way: I'd speak to Hyde."

"Are you prepared to take high ground? I can't imagine any one
less likely to be amenable to moral suasion, unless of course
you're much more intimate with him than you ever let on to me.
Perhaps you are," Rowsley added. "He certainly is interested in
you."

"Hyde is?"

"Watches you like a cat after a mouse. What's at the root of it,
Val? Is it the original obligation you spoke of? I'm not sure
that I should care to be under an obligation to Hyde myself.
Hullo, are you off?" Val had risen, folding the newspaper,
laying it carefully down on his chair: in all his ways he was as
neat as an old maid.

"I have to be at the managers' meeting by half past eight, and
it's twenty past now."

Watching his brother across the lawn, Rowsley cudgelled his
brains to account for Val's precipitate departure. The pretext
was valid, for Val was always punctual, and yet it looked like a
retreat--not to say a rout. But what had he said to put Val to
flight?

Present at the managers' meeting were Val, still in breeches:
Jack Bendish in a dinner jacket and black tie: Garrett the
blacksmith, cursorily washed: Thurlow, a leading Nonconformist
tradesman: and Mrs. Verney the doctor's wife. Agenda: to instruct
the Correspondent to requisition a new scrubbing brush for the
Infants' School. This done and formally entered in the Minutes by
Mrs. Verney, the meeting resolved itself into a Committee of Ways
and Means for getting rid of the boys' headmaster without falling
foul of the National Union of Teachers; but these proceedings, though
of extreme interest to all concerned, were recorded in no Minutes.

The meeting broke up in amity and Bendish came out into the
purple twilight, taking Val's arm. It was gently withdrawn.
"Neuritis again?" said Jack. "Why don't you try massage?" He
alwa