Now Logotheti did not care a straw for Lushington, and cared very
little, on the whole, whether the latter watched him or not; but he was
extremely anxious to please Margaret and play the part of generosity in
her eyes.
'I'm very sorry if anything I've said has offended you,' he said in a
smooth tone, answering Lushington. 'The fact is, it's all rather funny,
isn't it? Yes, just so! I'm making the best apology I can for having
been a little amused. I hope we part good friends, Mr. Lushington? That
is, if you still insist on walking.' Margaret looked up while he was speaking and nodded her approbation of
the speech, which was very well conceived and left Lushington no
loophole through which to spy offence. But he responded coldly to the
advance.
'There is no reason whatever for apologising,' he said. 'It's the
instinct of humanity to laugh at a man who tumbles down in the street.
The object of our artificial modern civilisation is, however, to cloak
that sort of instinct as far as possible. Good morning.' After delivering this Parthian shot he turned away with the evident
intention of going off on foot.
None of the three had noticed the sound of horses' feet and a light
carriage approaching from the direction of Versailles. A phaeton came
along at a smart pace and drew up beside the motor. Margaret uttered an
exclamation of surprise, and the two men stared with something
approaching to horror. It was Mrs. Rushmore, who had presumably taken a
fancy for an airing as the day had turned out very fine. The coachman
and groom had both seen Margaret and supposed that something had
happened to the car.
Before the carriage had stopped Mrs. Rushmore had recognised Margaret
too, and was leaning out sideways, uttering loud exclamations of
anxiety.
'My dear child!' she cried. 'Good heavens! An accident! These dreadful
automobiles! I knew it would happen!' Portly though she was, she was standing beside Margaret in an instant,
clasping her in a motherly embrace and panting for breath. It was
evidently too late for Logotheti to draw his glasses and shield over
his face, or for Lushington to escape. Each stood stock-still,
wondering how long it would be before Mrs. Rushmore recognised him, and
trying to think what she would say when she did. For one moment, it
seemed as if nothing were going to happen, for Mrs. Rushmore was too
much preoccupied on Margaret's account to take the slightest notice of
either of the others.
'Are you quite sure you're not hurt?' she inquired anxiously, while she
scrutinised Margaret's blushing face. 'Get into the carriage with me at
once, my dear, and we'll drive home. You must go to bed at once!
There's nothing so exhausting as a shock to the nerves! Camomile tea,
my dear! Good old-fashioned camomile tea, you know! There's nothing
like it! Clotilde makes it to perfection, and she shall rub you
thoroughly! Get in, child! Get in!' Quick to see the advantage of such a sudden escape, Margaret was
actually getting into the carriage, when Mrs. Rushmore, who was
kindness itself, remembered the two men and turned to Logotheti.