Lucia turned her piercing eye on to Georgie. There seemed to be a sparkle in it that boded ill for somebody.

‘And you think she saw me, Georgie?’ she asked.

‘Of course she did. Your car was directly below her window.’

‘I am afraid there is no doubt about it,’ said Lucia. ‘Her remarks, therefore, seem to have been directed at me. A singularly ill-bred person. There’s one thing more. You were taking your paintbox with you –’

‘Oh, that’s all right,’ said he. ‘I’m doing a sketch of the garden-room. You’ll know about that in time. And what are you going to do?’ he asked greedily.

Lucia laughed in her most musical manner.

‘Well, first of all I shall give her a very good dinner tomorrow, as she has not had the decency to say she was engaged. She telephoned to me just now telling me what a joy it would be, and how she was looking forward to it. And mind you call her Elizabeth.’

‘I’ve done that already,’ said Georgie proudly. ‘I practised saying it to myself.’

‘Good. She dines here then tomorrow night, and I shall be her hostess and shall make the evening as pleasant as I can to all my guests. But apart from that, Georgie, I shall take steps to teach her manners if she’s not too old to learn. She will be sorry; she will wish she had not been so rude. And I can’t see any objection to our other friends in Tilling knowing what occurred this morning, if you feel inclined to speak of it. I shan’t, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.’

‘Hurrah, I’m dining with the Wyses tonight,’ said Georgie. ‘They’ll soon know.’

Lucia knitted her brows in profound thought.

‘And then there’s that incident about our pictures, yours and mine, being rejected by the hanging committee of the Art Club,’ said she. ‘We have both kept the forms we received saying that they regretted having to return them, and I think, Georgie, that while you are on the subject of Elizabeth Mapp, you might show yours to Mr Wyse. He is a member, so is Susan, of the committee, and I think they have a right to know that our pictures were rejected on official forms without-ever coming before the committee at all. I behaved towards our poor friend with a magnanimity that now appears to me excessive, and since she does not appreciate magnanimity we will try her with something else. That would not be amiss.’ Lucia rose.

‘And now let us leave this very disagreeable subject for the present,’ she said, ‘and take the taste of it out of our mouths with a little music. Beethoven, noble Beethoven, don’t you think? The fifth symphony, Georgie, for four hands. Fate knocking at the door.’

Georgie rather thought that Lucia smacked her lips as she said, ‘this very disagreeable subject’, but he was not certain, and presently Fate was knocking at the door with Lucia’s firm fingers, for she took the treble.