There May Be Danger by Ianthe Jerrold Page B

all the new, lovely pegs, too.”
    â€œOh, if that isn’t too bad! Well, we expected them to take rabbits, and firewood, didn’t we? But my clothes-line!”
    â€œI just can’t bear to break it to you, Auntie, but your clothesline was functioning at the time, too,” said Rosaleen gently. “It had your blue knitted jumper on it, and the frilled pillow-cases out of the red room, and your eau-de-nil satin slip.”
    Mrs. Morrison, who had uttered a groan at each of these items, clenched her plump be-ringed fists on the arms of her chair, and exclaimed:
    â€œIf that doesn’t beat everything for black ingratitude! When I think how I gave that baby my last orange, I could just wring its little neck!”
    Major Humphries did his best to disguise his obvious delight at this fulfilment of his warnings, in a veil of insincere condolence.
    â€œWell, there you are, Mrs. Morrison, I’m afraid! It’s what I was saying, I mean to say. These people shouldn’t be encouraged. Human vermin. Like Germans.”
    â€œLike Germans !” echoed the nurse. “I should have thought there never were two kinds of human beings less alike than a German and a gipsy!”
    Major Humphries bristled an eyebrow at her and said shortly:
    â€œBoth vermin, both want exterminating, that’s what I meant! Never known any Germans, I’m glad to say!”
    â€œI was in Berlin once for a year with a German family,” said the nurse.
    He looked at her as if he thought she might at least keep this disreputable episode to herself.
    â€œ They weren’t vermin,” pursued the nurse cheerfully, apparently oblivious of his bristling disgust. “Most orderly and law-abiding lot of people I ever came across, they were. The children were so obedient it made me feel quite worried. You’d have just loved to have them in the Home Guard, Major Humphries.”
    â€œI should not !” said Major Humphries with suppressed explosiveness, picking up his hat. “If it’s to be gipsies or German, give me gipsies!”
    And Rosaleen interposed quickly and sympathetically:
    â€œOf course! How’s the Home Guard, Major Humphries?”
    Kate thought that Rosaleen shot a narrowed, rather angry look at the nurse. Evidently, she did not want her admirer baited by anyone but herself.
    â€œFine,” replied Major Humphries, turning to Rosaleen with a rather touching alacritous response to the sympathy in her voice. “I only hope we do get some Germans over here, that’s all I can say! Well, good-bye, Mrs. Morrison. Glad you’ve seen the light about the gipsies. You let the policeman know double sharp next time they come squatting in your field, that’s my advice!”
    â€œYou don’t tell me that after helping themselves to my eau-de-nil slip they’ll have the nerve to come back here?” said Mrs. Morrison in horror.
    Major Humphries laughed, genuinely amused.
    â€œSure to! Why, they’ll have marked this place as good hunting-ground.” 
    â€œWell! And where’ve they got to now, do you suppose?”
    Kate remarked:
    â€œMr. Atkins was ordering them off Llanhalo Farm a couple of hours ago.”
    Major Humphries was, Kate surmised, a fox-hunter, and even their common hatred of gipsies could not endear Mr. Gideon Atkins to him, for he muttered:
    â€œOh, that fellow!” in a tone scarcely more friendly than that in which he had spoken of his country’s enemies.
    â€œDon’t you like him, Major?” inquired Rosaleen innocently. Innocence suited her large grey eyes, and Major Humphries blinked once or twice before opining firmly that Atkins was a frightful fellow.
    â€œI wonder you go there as often as you do, if that’s how you feel about him!”
    Major Humphries snorted slightly!
    â€œI don’t go over there for the pleasure of it, I can tell you! I’ve been trying to come to some arrangement with Atkins