. Two girls on a barge. fact. If she had not been flusteredshe would immediately have added, leastways, inthe best of our endeavours it will be LeightonBuzzard. Perhaps that was an added reason forour not finding ourselves at Leighton when theevening came. Here, however, it is necessary tobegin at the beginning. I had just received atelegram—wasnt that enough to fluster anyone ?—a telegram requiring a whole barge family toassist at its delivery. I had never received atelegram so instinct with nerves before, and, as Itore the yellow envelope across, it was like anelectrified anticipation point
. Two girls on a barge. fact. If she had not been flusteredshe would immediately have added, leastways, inthe best of our endeavours it will be LeightonBuzzard. Perhaps that was an added reason forour not finding ourselves at Leighton when theevening came. Here, however, it is necessary tobegin at the beginning. I had just received atelegram—wasnt that enough to fluster anyone ?—a telegram requiring a whole barge family toassist at its delivery. I had never received atelegram so instinct with nerves before, and, as Itore the yellow envelope across, it was like anelectrified anticipation point in the respiratoryorgan of a colony. I read out the missive slowlyand impressively:— Will look in with pleasure. Meet us atstation, if you can.—Essington. General and Mrs. Essington ! Our flutter ofanticipation rivalled the Bargees. That telegram TWO GIRLS ON A BARGE 73 was like one of the delightful surprise-packets ofones youth, full of sweets with caraways ; What can we offer them to eat out of ? It. I READ OUT THE MISSIVE SLOWLY AND IMPRESSIVELY was the housewifes comment, and Edna and Imade it simultaneously. What can we offer them to eat ? thats muchmore to the point, the Cadet and the ejacu-lated, also simultaneously. 74 TWO GIRLS ON A BARGE It had never occurred to the Cadet to mentionhis invitation to the barge in general. Our invi-tation, I should say, in that we appropriated it atonce with pardonable piracy, for of course thisconsummation was in reply to the letter, whichyou may possibly remember, we posted at KingsLangley. The Cadets ideas were so large. It hadnever occurred to him to announce that he hadtold the Essingtons we should be here, not farfrom Tring, sometime this afternoon, and that hehad promised we would wait for a reply, a personalreply, he hoped. Now the only trouble attendanton this was that our tea-drinking facilities, as I havealready told you, at present consisted principallyof wine-glasses and saucers; and our provisionswh
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