“And I thinking it was going to be a dull political party entirely,” he murmured in an adroit whisper.

“Hush,” said Bundle. “I’m political⁠—very political.”

“Sir Oswald and Lady Coote you know,” continued George.

“We’ve never actually met,” said Bundle, smiling.

She was mentally applauding her father’s descriptive powers.

Sir Oswald took her hand in an iron grip and she winced slightly.

Lady Coote, after a somewhat mournful greeting, had turned to Jimmy Thesiger, and appeared to be registering something closely akin to pleasure. Despite his reprehensible habit of being late for breakfast, Lady Coote had a fondness for this amiable, pink-faced young man. His air of irrepressible good nature fascinated her. She had a motherly wish to cure him of his bad habits and form him into one of the world’s workers.