CHAPTER IIBy a miracle, not unassisted by the unobtrusive efforts of Commander Belton, the whole family were down to breakfast on Sunday morning quite soon after nine. Mrs. Belton knew better than to ask if anyone was coming to church, but to her surprised pleasure Charles offered to accompany her. Freddy and Elsa proposed to do some work in the garden, which had been gently running to seed during Mrs. Admiral Ellangowan-Hornby’s illness, and plant out a lot of winter greens that the old gardener from the Park had brought down.
To Mrs. Belton’s feeling of pleasure that one child at least would accompany her, there succeeded as the morning wore on the familiar feeling that he would never be ready in time. So at half-past ten she went up to see how he was getting on. Rather as she expected
