rugs, a tea table and some chairs. By the tea table sat Marina Gregg, and leaning against the mantelpiece was what Mrs. Bantry at first thought to be the ugliest man she had ever seen.
Just a few moments previously when Mrs. Bantryâs hand had been advanced to press the bell, Marina Gregg had been saying in a soft, enthusiastic voice, to her husband:
âThis place is right for me, Jinks, just right. Itâs what Iâve alwayswanted. Quiet . English quiet and the English countryside. I can see myself living here, living here all my life if need be. And weâll adopt the English way of life. Weâll have afternoon tea every afternoon with China tea and my lovely Georgian tea service. And weâll look out of the window on those lawns and that English herbaceous border. Iâve come home at last, thatâs what I feel. I feel that I can settle down here, that I can be quiet and happy. Itâs going to be home, this place. Thatâs what I feel. Home .â
And Jason Rudd (known to his wife as Jinks) had smiled at her. It was an acquiescent smile, indulgent, but it held its reserve because, after all, he had heard it very often before. Perhaps this time it would be true. Perhaps this was the place that Marina Gregg might feel at home. But he knew her early enthusiasms so well. She was always so sure that at last she had found exactly what she wanted. He said in his deep voice:
âThatâs grand, honey. Thatâs just grand. Iâm glad you like it.â
âLike it? I adore it. Donât you adore it too?â
âSure,â said Jason Rudd. âSure.â
It wasnât too bad, he reflected to himself. Good, solidly built, rather ugly Victorian. It had, he admitted, a feeling of solidity and security. Now that the worst of its fantastic inconveniences had been ironed out, it would be quite reasonably comfortable to live in. Not a bad place to come back to from time to time. With luck, he thought, Marina wouldnât start taking a dislike to it for perhaps two years to two years and a half. It all depended.
Marina said, sighing softly:
âItâs so wonderful to feel well again. Well and strong. Able to cope with things.â
And he said again: âSure, honey, sure.â
And it was at that moment that the door opened and the Italian butler had ushered in Mrs. Bantry.
Marina Greggâs welcome was all that was charming. She came forward, hands outstretched, saying how delightful it was to meet Mrs. Bantry again. And what a coincidence that they should have met that time in San Fransisco and that two years later she and Jinks should actually buy the house that had once belonged to Mrs. Bantry. And she did hope, she really did hope that Mrs. Bantry wouldnât mind terribly the way theyâd pulled the house about and done things to it and she hoped she wouldnât feel that they were terrible intruders living here.
âYour coming to live here is one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to this place,â said Mrs. Bantry cheerfully and she looked towards the mantelpiece. Whereupon, almost as an afterthought, Marina Gregg said:
âYou donât know my husband, do you? Jason, this is Mrs. Bantry.â
Mrs. Bantry looked at Jason Rudd with some interest. Her first impression that this was one of the ugliest men she had ever seen became qualified. He had interesting eyes. They were, she thought, more deeply sunk in his head than any eyes she had seen. Deep quiet pools, said Mrs. Bantry to herself, and felt like a romantic lady novelist. The rest of his face was distinctly craggy, almost ludicrously out of proportion. His nose jutted upwards and a little red paint would have transformed it into the nose of a clown very easily. He had, too, a clownâs big sad mouth. Whether he was at this moment in a furious temper or whether he always looked as though he were in a furious temper she did not quite know. His voice when he