Page:The Mystery of a Hansom Cab.djvu/70

66 half smiled to himself as he thought, "If they knew all, I wonder if they would sit with me so cool and unconcerned?" Mr. Frettlby, too, as he looked at his daughter, thought of his dead wife, and sighed.

"Well," said Madge, as she handed them their tea, and helped herself to some thin bread and butter, "you two gentlemen are most delightful company—papa is sighing like a furnace, and Brian is staring at me with his eyes like blue china saucers. You ought both be turned forth to funerals like melancholy."

"Why like melancholy?" queried Brian lazily.

"I'm afraid, Mr. Fitzgerald," said the young lady, with a smile on her pretty black eyes, "that you are not a student of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'"

"Very likely not," answered Brian; "midsummer out here is so hot that one gets no sleep, and, consequently, no dreams; depend upon it, if the four lovers whom Puck treated so badly had lived in Australia they wouldn't have been able to sleep for the mosquitos."

"What nonsense you two young people do talk," said Mr. Frettlby, with an amused smile, as he stirred his tea.

"Dulce est desipere in loco" observed Brian, gravely, "a man who can't carry out that observation is sure not to be up to much."

"I don't like Latin," said Miss Frettlby, shaking her pretty head. "I agree with Heine's remark, that if the Romans had had to learn it they would not have found time to conquer the world."

"Which was a much more agreeable task," said Brian.

"And more profitable" finished Mr. Frettlby.

They went on chattering in this desultory fashion for a considerable time, till at last Madge arose and said they must go. Brian proposed to dine with them at St. Kilda, and then they would all go to the theatre. Madge consented to this, and she was just pulling on her gloves, when suddenly they heard a ring at the front door, and presently heard Mrs. Sampson talking in an excited manner at the pitch of her voice.

"You shan't come in, I tell you," they heard her say, shrilly, "so it's no good trying, which I've allays 'eard as an Englishman's 'ouse is 'is castle, an' you're a breakin' the law, as well as spilin' the carpets, as has bin just put down."