'" He put down the letter and looked at her. "That'll
be nice, won't it?"
She made an appeal. "Harry, don't. I mean, don't talk like that.
It won't happen."
He softened in no degree. He said sternly: "It will happen."
She persevered. "I'm quite sure it won't. You've only got to talk
seriously to Huggo. This coming holidays you can get him some
coaching. He's got brains."
There was a steely note in Harry's voice: "Oh, he's got brains. He
can have coaching. It's what he hasn't got and what he can't get
that's going to get Huggo withdrawn."
"What is it you mean?"
"A home."
She slightly raised the fingers of her hands and dropped them. This
subject!
Harry said: "Hammond says more than I've told you."
"I supposed he did. 'Apart from that.' Apart from what?"
"It's Huggo's character he's writing to me about. This is what he
says. 'The boy, though young, has not a good influence in his house.
If I may suggest it, he does not, during the holidays, see enough
of his home.'"
He folded the letter and returned it to its envelope. "Does it
strike you that is going to be easy for me to answer?"
"It might be easier, Harry, if your tone made it possible for us
to discuss it."
He gave a sound that was glint, as it were, of the blade in his
voice: "Our discussions! I am a little tired of that blind alley,
Rosalie."
She said sombrely, "And I."
"Will you suggest how the letter is to be answered?"
She said: "It's plain.
Pages:
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358