FullReads

“And the bags,” says Thomas, “and then you’ll have a suit.”

Simpson puts on the two coats and appears very big and hot.

“I’d better have my hands free,” he says, and straps the camera and the golf-clubs on to himself. “Then if you nip out and get a porter I can hand the bags out to him through the window.”

“All right,” says Thomas. He is deep in his book and looks as if he were settled in his corner of the carriage for the day.

The train stops. There is bustle, noise, confusion. Thomas in some magical way has disappeared. A porter appears at the open window and speaks voluble French to Simpson. Simpson looks round wildly for Thomas. “Thomas!” he cries. “Un moment,” he says to the porter. “Thomas! Mon ami, it n’est pas–I say, Thomas, old chap, where are you? Attendez un moment. Mon ami–er–reviendra–” He is very hot. He is wearing, in addition to what one doesn’t mention, an ordinary waistcoat, a woolly waistcoat for steamer use, a tweed coat, an aquascutum, an ulster, a camera and a bag of golfclubs. The porter, with many gesticulations, is still hurling French at him.

It is too much for Simpson. He puts his head out of the window and, observing in the distance a figure of such immense dignity that it can only belong to the station-master, utters to him across the hurly-burly a wild call for help.

“Ou est Cooks’s homme?” he cries.

III. SETTLING DOWN

The villa was high up on the hill, having (as Simpson was to point out several times later) Mentone on its left hand and Monte Carlo on its right. A long winding path led up through its garden of olives to the front door, and through the mimosa trees which flanked this door we could see already a flutter of white aprons. The staff was on the loggia waiting to greet us.

We halted a moment out of sight of the ladies above and considered ourselves. It came to us with a sudden shock that we were a very large party.

“I suppose,” said Archie to Simpson, “they do expect all of us and not only you? You told them that about half London was coming?”

“We’re only six,” said Myra, “because I’ve just counted again, but we seem about twenty.”

“It’s quite all right,” said Simpson cheerfully. “I said we’d be six.”

“But six in a letter is much smaller than six of us like this; and when they see our luggage–“

“Let’s go back,” I suggested, suddenly nervous. To be five guests of the guest of a man you have never met is delicate work.

At this critical moment Archie assumed command. He is a Captain in the Yeomanry and has tackled bigger jobs than this in his time.

“We must get ourselves into proper order,” he said. “Simpson, the villa has been lent to you; you must go first. Dahlia and I come next. When we arrive you will introduce us as your friends, Mr. and Mrs. Mannering. Then turning to Myra you say, ‘Mr. Mannering’s sister; and this,’ you add, ‘is her husband.’ Then–er–Thomas–“

“It will be difficult to account for Thomas,” I said. “Thomas comes at the end. He hangs back a little at first; and then if he sees that there is going to be any awkwardness about him, he can pretend he’s come on the wrong night, and apologize and go home again.”

“If Thomas goes, I go,” said Myra dramatically.

“I have another idea,” I said. “Thomas hides here for a bit. We introduce ourselves and settle in, and have lunch; and after lunch we take a stroll in the garden, and to our great surprise discover Thomas. ‘Thomas,’ we say, ‘you here? Dear old chap, we thought you were in England. How splendid! Where are you staying? Oh, but you must stop with us; we can easily have a bed put up for you in the garage.’ And then–“

“Not after lunch,” said Thomas; “before lunch.”