Priscilla's Spies

istocracy. They ruled, and had among their number men who were gentlemen of the grand style, capable of virile passions and striking deeds, incapable, constitutional

Lord Thormanby employed an Italian architect to build him a house. Sir Francis sought out the same architect and gave him orders to build another house, identical with Lord Thormanby's in design, but having each room two feet longer, two

. Lord Thormanby's fortune survived the building oper

, which ran the whole length of the second storey of the house, and lived with a tolerable amount of elbow room in five downstairs sitting rooms and fourteen bedrooms. Mi

struggling with it, convinced of the great importance of having the two sides of its bow symmetrical, when Priscilla tapped at h

I was passing," she said, "that

ndaged the injured limb,

her. When she's done with a thing she simply hoofs it without a word of apology to anyone. It was the same with the uric acid. She'd talk of nothing else in the m

assage. A couple of minutes later he heard her running b

gallery, but they must be mixed up somehow or Mrs. Geraghty and the housemaids wouldn't

atment of women. She made no attempt to spare Frank's feelings. Indeed, she pointed many of her remarks by uncomplimentary references to Lord Torrington, Secretary of State for War, and the immediate chief of Mr. Edward Mannix, M.P. Lord Torrington, so the public understood, was the most dogged and determined opponent of the enfranchisement of women. He absolutely refused to receive deputations of ladies and had more than once said publicly that he was in entire agree

the room, Sir Lucius became confidential and frie

nfernal Leagues and things are going on. You don't understand, of course, Frank. Nor does your father. If he did he wouldn't vote with that gang. Your aunt-I mean to say my sister is-well, you saw for yourself. She usedn't to be, you know. It's only quite lately that she's taken the subject up. And there's something in

cius s

't mind a bit. I'm not well enough up in these thi

Is your father

Frank. "He's in

ather's pretty intimate with Torrington,

ecretary of the War

ut I only met him once, years ago. Apart from politics now, I don't profess to admire his politics-I never did. How men like your fa

rank. "I've been at schoo

rich, immensely rich. American mother, American wife, dollars to burn, which makes it all th

asked him whether he'd have tea, coffee or chocolate. Father said tea. 'Assam, Oolong, or S

" said S

er heard father tell about him

said Sir Lucius, "and rides roughshod

never

all it damned insolence in any one else, knowing what I must think of his rascally politics, what every decent man thinks of them. But of course he's a kind of cousin. I suppose he recollected that. And he's a pretty big pot. Those

of thing would get any man's back up. But your aunt-that is to say, my sister-doesn't see that. That's the worst of strong principles. You never can see when your own side

Irish question? Isn't there some Home Rule Bill or som

on. Besides, I don't suppose Thormanby is the kind of man he wants to meet. He'd probably rather hear Brannigan or some one of that sort talking damned Nationalism. But I can't ask Brannigan, really can't, you k

s best to disguise his condition from his uncle, but he felt that his answers to the later questions about Lord Torrington were vague, and he became more and more confused abou

ing is no longer recognised as a valid excuse for the separation of the sexes and tobacco is so universally tolerated

while on the terrace, Uncle Lucius, before I go in

being indistinguishable, was somewhat soothing. Frank felt as the poet Lucretius did when from the security of a sheltered nook on the side of a cliff he watched boats tossing on the sea. The sense of neighbouring strain and struggle added to the co

in a pale blue dressing-gown. Her hair hung down her back in a tight plait. On her feet were a pair of we

o as to rouse you up. I daren't make any noise, for they're still jawing away inside and I was afrai

perfectly safe. Frank settled down on his chair. Priscilla, wit

! And she sent Mrs. Geraghty to do my hair-not that she cared if my hair was never

her Miss Lentaigne nor Mrs. Geraghty could have calculated o

Priscilla, "was plain enough. Au

nk. "I should never have

er does; and I could see that she didn't like the wads of tobacco coming off on her tongue. Besides, it was beastly waste of the cigarette. She chawed of

made her tak

the economic independence of women and she wants to dare the Prime Minister to put her in gaol. I don't suppose he will, at least not

nister," said Frank, "

under housemaid-told me that. Beastly cigarettes they are, too. Rose said the footman said he wouldn't smoke them. Ten a pe

d Frank, "though he's not the Prime Min

lla wh

ffice! And Aunt Juliet hasn't the least idea wh

wondering after dinner what on

e her jolly well scored off now for sending me to bed. I shouldn't wo

know what's bringing him here unless

te know; but we will tomorrow. Just fancy Aunt Juliet's face when we march them up here in the afternoon, tied hand and foot with the anchor rope, and hand them over to the War Office. We shall be publicly thanked, of course, besides your knighthood, and our names will

n, and I know he's the head of the War Offi

ould be perfectly awful if we captured the spies and i

likely that he is. You see, Priscilla, my father has a lot to do wi

father hasn't been told. He doesn't appear to be head boss, and they mightn't mention it to him. That's what makes it such an absolutely go

don't mind wheeling me dow

ere's a good chunk of cold salmon somewhere, for we only ate quite a small bit at dinner tonight. I'll nail it if I can keep awake till the cook's in bed, but I don't know can I. This kind of excitement makes me frightfully sleepy. I suppose it's what's called reaction. Sylvia Courtney had

erself and yawned unrestrainedly. Then

nk, "before you go I

. Wh

those two people we saw

and truly in the inmo

es

too good to be true if they were. But

d. I only wanted to k

Still they may be tired of that now, and glad enough to pretend to be German spies with us pursuing them. It must be just as good sport for them trying to escape as it is for us trying to catch them. I daresay it's even better, being stalked unwaveringly by a subtle foe ought to give them a delicious creepy feeling down