The Discomfiture of Mrs. Trimmings 323 



sailing in — the hostess and some visitors who were staying 

 in the house were not yet down ; so Mrs. Trimmings- 

 sat on a sofa and regaled the girls w^ith a description of 

 the weather which Lady Lobbington was experiencing 

 in Scotland. 



Presently Lady Covertside entered. 



' No one down but you, girls ? ' she said. ' Lucy is 

 generally first. By the way, you know Mrs. Lyghte, 

 don't you, Mrs. Trimmings ? She and her husband are 

 staying with us, I'm glad to say, and he is kindly going 

 to stage-manage his play. Isn't it lucky that we've been 

 able to catch him ? ' 



From that point of view* it was lucky, perhaps ; but 

 the information much disquieted Mrs. Trimmings. She 

 had, indeed, professed a close intimacy with the Lyghtes ; 

 but the fact w^as that she had never, so far as she knew> 

 seen either of them in her life — how could she by any 

 possibility have guessed that there was a prospect of 

 their coming down to Covertside ? And, moreover, the 

 ' Lucy,' which evidently referred to Mrs. Lyghte, show^ed 

 that she w^as on intimate terms with the family. 



' I'm really vexed with Lucy,' Ethel interposed. ' I do 

 think it's mean of her ! ' 



'Don't be silly, dear. I quite understand, myself,' 

 Lady Covertside rejoined. 



' I don't mind. I'm cross,' the girl replied, with a 

 pout. ' She know^s how we w^anted her to come, and she 

 goes and stays at an hotel wdthin three miles of the 

 house.' 



' My dear, she wanted a little perfect rest and quiet 

 for Edith, and you can't say that our nursery is a very 

 quiet place just now. Besides, she'd fixed to-day, and 

 didn't know whom we might have in the house.' 



Y 2 



