Will You Love Me in September

She sidled up to him. "It's nice," she said. "Nanny Curlew \ comes to tuck you in.”

"A delight I shall have to forgo," said Lance.

I She frowned at him but with no real animosity. She liked him; the only thing she had against him was that he had taken me away.

" He picked her up and she kicked a little in remonstration. He » put her outside the door and shut it on her. I heard her laughing ! as she ran along the corridor.

"There is one who will want her own way in life," he said. "And j get quite a lot of it, I should imagine.”

"She is a dear creature.”

"A little spoilt, I fancy, except by the worthy Nanny Curlew." Then he held me tightly against him, and I knew that he was thinking of the first night we had shared this room.

It was a happy Christmas. There were the relatives to visit, and the celebrations took place mainly at Eversleigh Court in the traditional manner. There were the decorations with holly and ivy and the ceremony of bringing in the Yule log, carols, the midnight service on Christmas Eve, kissing under mistletoe. Eating mince pies in the shape of coffins, which were supposed to represent the manger at Bethlehem. Sabrina loved giving Christmas boxes on the day after Christmas, when everyone who had rendered a service to the household appeared to collect what he or she called "the box"-which was in fact a gift of money. Great-grandfather Carleton grumbled and said that he was the one who did the tradesmen a service by buying their goods, and why he should be expected to reward their servants he could not imagine. They should be giving him a Christmas box.

"Nonsense," said Great-grandmother Arabella. "You know you would never stop the Christmas boxes.”

"Poor Great-grandpapa," put in Sabrina. "Nobody gives him a Christmas box.”

Then she came up with a bright new penny and thrust it into his hand. And the old man, who was really very sentimental, said it was the best Christmas box he could ever have had, and he would carry it with him for the rest of his days and have it buried with in his coffin.

This greatly intrigued Sabrina and spoilt her generous gesture, for she was clearly looking forward to seeing the penny placed in Great-grandfather's coffin.

"Don't grumble so, Carleton," said Arabella. "I declare, you'd be a thorough wet blanket if I let you.”

Nothing changed at Eversleigh, it seemed. One Christmas was very like another; but of course there was really change taking place all the time. Sabrina was now five years old and Great-grandfather Carleton was more quickly out of breath when he went walking in the gardens; there was more white in Arabella's hair, and it was beginning to show in Priscilla's. I was a married woman of some months' standing. Yes, time was moving on.

When we went back to London, Lance was caught up in the enthusiasm which was sweeping through the city. He came in one day in a fever of excitement.

It was late afternoon, I remember, of a cold January day. There was a north wind blowing and it had started to snow. In the drawing room a great fire was burning and I was seated close to it when he burst into the room.

He threw off his heavy coat and came close to the fire. He lifted me up and held me against him, laughing up at me.

"We're going to be rich ... richer than you've dreamed," he said. "Gad, this is the greatest chance that ever came to anyone.”

Little shivers of alarm went through me. I was always apprehensive about Lance's gambling; he knew this and kept much of his activity in the field from me. He would occasionally report a fantastic win, but whenever he told me, I wondered what enormous losses had gone before.

"Put me down, Lance," I said. "And if this is another gamble ...”

"It is the greatest gamble that ever was.”

"Oh, no, Lance!" He had set me down and I drew away from him, looking steadily into his face.

"Oh, yes, Clarissa," he said, laughing, and his eyes were bright with anticipation.

"Wait till you hear before you condemn," he went on. "No ... it is not horses ...

It is not the tables... . It's a government venture, you might say.”

"I am always suspicious of attempts to make money by gambling.”

"This is different. Wait till you hear. I've gone into it thoroughly. I know exactly what is happening. Let me explain and you will see how safe it is. The big trading company calling itself the South Sea Company has proposed to the House of Commons that they purchase the irredeemable annuities which had been granted in the reigns of William and Mary and Anne and amalgamate all the public funds together in one stock so as to become the only public creditor. Do you follow me?”

"No," I said.