第54章

"It's a golden rule to tip the carver.Tip everywhere's my motto.""Perhaps it does make life more human."

"Then the fellows know one again.Especially in the East，if you tip，they remember you from year's end to year's end.

"Have you been in the East？"

"Oh，Greece and the Levant.I used to go out for sport and business to Cyprus；some military society of a sort there.

A few piastres，properly distributed，help to keep one's memory green.

But you，of course，think this shockingly cynical.How's your discussion society getting on？Any new Utopias lately？""No，I'm house-hunting，Mr.Wilcox，as I've already told you once.Do you know of any houses？""Afraid I don't."

"Well，what's the point of being practical if you can't find two distressed females a house？We merely want a small house with large rooms，and plenty of them.""Evie，I like that！Miss Schlegel expects me to turn house agent for her！""What's that，Father？

"I want a new home in September，and someone must find it.I can't.""Percy，do you know of anything？"

"I can't say I do，"said Mr.Cahill.

"How like you！You're never any good."

"Never any good.Just listen to her！

Never any good.Oh，come！"

"Well，you aren't.Miss Schlegel，is he？"

The torrent of their love，having splashed these drops at Margaret，swept away on its habitual course.She sympathized with it now，for a little comfort had restored her geniality.Speech and silence pleased her equally，and while Mr.Wilcox made some preliminary inquiries about cheese，her eyes surveyed the restaurant，and admired its well-calculated tributes to the solidity of our past.Though no more Old English than the works of Kipling，it had selected its reminiscences so adroitly that her criticism was lulled，and the guests whom it was nourishing for imperial purposes bore the outer semblance of Parson Adams or Tom Jones.

Scraps of their talk jarred oddly on the ear."Right you are！

I'll cable out to Uganda this evening，"came from the table behind.

"Their Emperor wants war；well，let him have it，"was the opinion of a clergyman.She smiled at such incongruities."Next time，"she said to Mr.Wilcox，"you shall come to lunch with me at Mr.Eustace Miles's.""With pleasure."

"No，you'd hate it，"she said，pushing her glass towards him for some more cider."It's all proteids and body-buildings，and people come up to you and beg your pardon，but you have such a beautiful aura.""A what？"

"Never heard of an aura？Oh，happy，happy man！I scrub at mine for hours.Nor of an astral plane？"He had heard of astral planes，and censured them.

"Just so.Luckily it was Helen's aura，not mine，and she had to chaperone it and do the politenesses.I just sat with my handkerchief in my mouth till the man went.""Funny experiences seem to come to you two girls.

No one's ever asked me about my--what d'ye call it？Perhaps I've not got one.""You're bound to have one，but it may be such a terrible colour that no one dares mention it.""Tell me，though，Miss Schlegel，do you really believe in the supernatural and all that？""Too difficult a question."

"Why's that？Gruyère or Stilton？"

"Gruyère，please."

"Better have Stilton."

"Stilton.Because，though I don't believe in auras，and think Theosophy's only a halfway-house--""--Yet there may be something in it all the same，"he concluded，with a frown.