They greeted her politely and made to escape.

But she was in the mood, her most constant mood, to babble.

She stopped them, and with a knowing air, and even more offensive smile, said: "So, young people, we're going to hear the sound of wedding bells very soon in Little Deeping, are we ?" Erebus merely scowled at her, for more than once she had talked about them; but the Terror, in a tone of somewhat perfunctory politeness, said: "Are we ?" "I should have thought you would have known all about it," she said with a cackling little giggle.

"Mind you tell me as soon as you're told: I want to be one of the first to congratulate your dear mother." "What do you mean ?" snapped the Terror with a disconcerting suddenness; and his eyes shone very bright and threatening in a steady glare into her own.
"Oh, nothing--nothing!" cried Mrs.Blenkinsop, flustered by his sternness.

"Only seeing Sir James so much with your mother--But there--there's probably nothing in it--the Morgans always were rovers--one foot at sea and one on shore--I dare say he'll be in the middle of Africa before the week is out.