Lady sacs
In front of the fire sat an old lady, eating an apple.“My dear, this is Mr. Vaughan, who is going to take Stayle abroad—my sister, Lady sacs en cuir Emily. Mr. Vaughan has just driven down from London in his motor.” “No,” I said, “I came by train—the twelve fifty-five.” “Wasn’t that very expensive?” said Lady Emily. Perhaps I ought here to explain the reason for my visit. As I have said, I am not at all in the habit of moving in these exalted circles, but I have a rather grand godmother who shows a sporadic sac shopping interest in my affairs. I had just come down from Oxford, and was very much at a loose end when she learned unexpectedly that the Duke of Vanburgh was in need of a tutor to take his grandson and heir abroad—a youth called the Marquess of Stayle, eighteen years old. It had seemed a tolerable way in which to spend the next six months, and accordingly the thing had been arranged. I was here to sac blanc fetch away my charge and start for the Continent with him next day.
“Did you say you came by train?” said the Duke. “By the twelve fifty-five.” “But you said you were coming by motor.” “No, really, I can’t have sac toile said that. For one thing I haven’t got a motor.” “But if you hadn’t said that, I should have sent Byng to meet you. Byng didn’t meet you, did he?” “No,” I said, “he did not.” “Well, there you see.” Lady Emily put down the core of her apple and said very suddenly“Your father used to live over at Oakshott. I knew him quite well. Shocking bad on a horse.”
“No, that was my uncle Hugh. My father was in India almost all his life. He died there.” “Oh, I don’t think he can have done that,” sacs said Lady Emily; “I don’t believe he even went there—did he, Charles?” “Who? what?” “Hugh Vaughan never went to India, did he?” No, no, of course not. He sold Oakshott and went to live in Hampshire somewhere. He never went to India in his life.”
At this moment another old lady, almost indistinguishable from Lady Emily, came into the room.“This is Mr. Vaughan, my dear. You remember sac cuir his father at Oakshott, don’t you? He’s going to take Stayle abroad—my sister, Lady Gertrude.” Lady Gertrude smiled brightly and took my hand. “Now I knew there was someone coming to luncheon, and then I saw Byng carrying in the vegetables a quarter of an hour ago. I thought, now he ought to be at Vanburgh meeting the train.”
“No, no, dear,” said Lady Emily. “Mr. Vaughan came down by motor.”“Oh, that’s a good thing. I thought he said he was coming by sac noir train.The Marquess of Stayle did not come in to luncheon. “I am afraid you may find him rather shy at first,” explained the Duke. “We did not tell him about your coming until this morning. We were afraid it might unsettle him. As it is he is a little upset about it. Have you seen him since breakfast, my dear?”
“Don’t you think,” said Lady Gertrude, “that Mr. Vaughan had better know the truth about Stayle? He is bound to discover it soon.” The Duke sighed: “The truth is, Mr. Vaughan, that my grandson is not quite right in his how to properly express yourself Stephen head. Not mad, you understand, but noticeably underdeveloped.”I nodded. “I gathered from my godmother that he was a little backward.” “That is largely why he never went to school. He went to a private school once for two terms, but he was very unhappy and the fees were very high; so I took him away. Since then he has had no regular education.”
“No education of any sort, dear,” said Lady Gertrude gently. “Well, it practically amounts to that. And it is a sad state of affairs, as you will readily understand. You see, the boy will succeed me and—well, it is very unfortunate.
RSS