"and reading
to deaf old women all the afternoon, and my vocal chord has suffered,"
and then she challenged Cedric to take a stroll with her; but to
Malcolm's vexation the invitation was not extended to him. "Dinah has
been alone, we must not all leave her," she said so pointedly that he
had no choice in the matter. But he was secretly chafed by this
treatment, for Malcolm was one of those men who object to be managed.
"I wonder, if Carlyon had been in my place, if my Lady Elizabeth would
have ordered him to remain behind," he thought. But Dinah's first words
healed this soreness.

"My sister has kindly made this opportunity for me by taking Cedric off
our hands," she said gently. "She knew that I wanted a little talk with
you about him." Then Malcolm's brief sullenness vanished.

"You shall talk to me as much as you like," he said in the most cordial
manner, and indeed he felt very kindly towards this gentle,
simple-minded creature. "I am ready for any amount of conversation on
any subject from 'cabbages to kings.'" Then she smiled well pleased at
his little joke.

"I wanted to ask you about these new friends of Cedric's," she began.
"He seems so full of them, and neither Elizabeth nor I know anything
about them. My sister, who is certainly not at all a narrow-minded
person, has taken a most singular prejudice against them."

"Do you mean the Jacobis? My dear Miss Templeton, I am sorry to say
that I have never met them." Then Dinah's face fell. "It is not
surprising, of course, that many of Cedric's friends are unknown to me,
for we move in very different circles. He has been raving about the
Jacobis all the afternoon; but all the same I don't seem to focus them
properly."

"Cedric is going to stay with them next month," observed Dinah. "They
have taken a house at Henley for some weeks. He is very much excited
about it; he is so fond of boating. And he declares they will have such
a pleasant house-party; but," rather anxiously, "I do wish we could
find some one who knew them."

"I should not be surprised if Mrs. Godfrey had come across them. She
knows everybody." Dinah looked at him in surprise.

"Do you mean Mrs. Godfrey of the Manor House, near Cookham?" she
asked--"Colonel Godfrey's wife?" Malcolm nodded assent.

"Do you know her too? What a small world this is after all! Mrs.
Godfrey is a great friend of mine. We hit it off capitally on most
subjects. In my opinion she is the cleverest and pleasantest wo