either the usual tribal welcome
Now he perceived that he knew nothing at all, and that the"Hullo, old Fred!" with which Susy hailed Gillow’s arrival mightbe either the usual tribal welcome–since they were all "old,"and all nicknamed, in their private jargon–or a greeting thatconcealed inscrutable depths of complicity.
Susy was visibly glad to see Gillow; but she was glad ofeverything just then, and so glad to show her gladness! Thefact disarmed her husband and made him ashamed of hisuneasiness. "You ought to have thought this all out sooner, orelse you ought to chuck thinking of it at all," was the soundbut ineffectual advice he gave himself on the day after Gillow’sarrival; and immediately set to work to rethink the wholematter.
Fred Gillow showed no consciousness of disturbing any one’speace of mind. Day after day he sprawled for hours on the Lidosands, his arms folded under his head, listening to Streffy’snonsense and watching Susy between sleepy lids; but he betrayedno desire to see her alone, or to draw her into talk apart fromthe others. More than ever he seemed content to be thegratified spectator of a costly show got up for his privateentertainment. It was not until he heard her, one morning,grumble a little at the increasing heat and the menace ofmosquitoes, that he said, quite as if they had talked the matterover long before, and finally settled it: "The moor will beready any time after the first of August."Nick fancied that Susy coloured a little, and drew herself upmore defiantly than usual as she sent a pebble skimming acrossthe dying ripples at their feet.
"You’ll be a lot cooler in Scotland," Fred added, with what, forhim, was an unusual effort at explicitness.
"Oh, shall we?" she retorted gaily; and added with an air ofmystery and importance, pivoting about on her high heels:
"Nick’s got work to do here. It will probably keep us allsummer.""Work? Rot! You’ll die of the smells." Gillow staredperplexedly skyward from under his tilted hat-brim; and thenbrought out, as from the depth of a rankling grievance: "Ithought it was all understood.""Why," Nick asked his wife that night, as they re-enteredEllie’s cool drawing-room after a late dinner at the Lido, "didGillow think it was understood that we were going to his moor inAugust?" He was conscious of the oddness of speaking of theirfriend by his surname, and reddened at his blunder.
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