"Oh, Halo, how vulgar of you! I wonder how you can even think such things. All human beings ought to have things to say to each other, if only they meet on the broad basis of humanity and … and … "

"Well, the Tracys wouldn't; how could they? They've never heard of the broad basis of humanity. If we had them here with Lewis and George Frenside, or any of our other friends, what on earth should we find to say to each other? They talk another language, and it can't be helped. But this boy is different, and I've promised to take him to the Willows to go through the books, and to bring George down to see him there some day. So let's let it go at that… ." And Héloïse, followed by her mother's reproaches and ejaculations, made a dive for the door and dashed down the passage to the bathroom.

When she descended the worn shallow steps of the old staircase the lunch gong was sounding, and Mr. Spear was pacing the hall in a state of repressed excitement. Halo and Lorry, as children, had found in a popular natural history book a striking picture of a bristling caterpillar sitting upright on its tail, with the caption: "The male Puss-Moth when irritated after a full meal." They instantly christened their progenitor the Puss-Moth, but modified the legend by explaining to strangers that he was more often irritated before a full meal than after—especially when kept waiting for it. Today Mr. Spear was unusually perpendicular and bristling, and his small, rather too carefully modeled features were positively grimacing with anger. To his daughter long habit made the sight more comic than impressive; but she was vexed that the question of the motor had to be dealt with.

"Halo, I suppose you know the car was taken out of the garage last night, without the door lock's being broken, and that it has not since been seen? Your mother tells me—"

Halo nodded. "Mother knows. I've explained."

"Explained! I don't know what you call—"

"Hullo, Lewis—good morning." Halo interrupted her father's diatribe to greet Lewis Tarrant, who came lounging in from the verandah, followed by George Frenside munching his eternal cigar. "Good morning, Frenny—if it's still morning? Are you all coming to assist at my execution?" she laughed.

"We want to hear the argument for the defence," Frenside retorted, in his deep voice with the queer crack in it.

"Isn't any. I plead guilty. I had the car out in the small hours, and busted her coming down the Thundertop road. I had to get home on my own feet, and that's all."

"All—all? You say it was you who was out in the car in the middle of the night?" Mr. Spear swung round on young Tarrant. "Lewis—was she?"

Lewis Tarrant's fair complexion, which so curiously matched his very fair and very clear light gray eyes, grew sallow with surprise and embarrassment.