‘I’m afraid not, Mr Martin.’

Well, he had put it to her, and she had come out with what looked like a flat enough ‘No’. He frowned, pushed out his lips, and said in a casual tone,

‘It’s a Mr Blount and his wife – delicate sort of lady – Fanciful, if you know what I mean, and it seems Grove Hill has taken her fancy. Thinks it’s healthy, which of course it is. Thinks it suits her. They are staying at that guest house of Miss Madison’s half way up the hill, and she says she doesn’t know when she’s been anywhere that suited her better. She says she doesn’t know when she’s slept better anywhere, so they are all set to buy and it just crossed my mind to wonder…’

‘Oh, no, Mr Martin, we haven’t any idea of selling.’

‘No?’ said Mr Martin. ‘Now you know, your mother gave me quite a different idea. Just a few words I had with her over the hedge the other evening. I was passing, and I stopped to admire your begonias in the front garden – very fine indeed, if I may say so – and Mrs Graham certainly gave me to understand…’

‘What did she say, Mr Martin?’

He searched his memory.

‘Oh, nothing definite of course. Pray do not think I meant to imply that there was anything definite. It was just she gave me the impression that the house was larger than she required – in point of fact that it gave you too much to do, and that she would not be averse to a sale if the terms were sufficiently advantageous.’

A little colour had come into Althea’s face. Mr Martin admired it. He had a benevolent disposition, and he had known her since she was ten years old. She had had quite a bright colour then. He liked to see a girl with a colour. He was afraid Althea Graham had a very dull time of it, shut up with an invalid mother. Very charming woman Mrs Graham, of course, but a girl needed younger friends. She was the same age as his Dulcie, and Dulcie had been twenty-seven a month ago. Married young, both of his girls, and no good saying he didn’t miss them, because he did, but a young woman needed a home of her own and a husband and children. He looked at Althea who had none of these things and said,