They must marry each
other too. Then Atkinson can continue to be Colonel Boucher's man and
Elizabeth the parlour-maid, unless she is busy with what made you
blush. Then they can get help in; you will lend them Foljambe, for
instance. It's time you began to be of some good in your wicked selfish
life. So that's settled. It only remains for us to make them marry each
other."
"Aren't you getting on rather fast?" asked Georgie.
"I'm not getting on at all at present I'm only talking. Come into my
house instantly, and we'll drink vermouth. Vermouth always makes me
brilliant unless it makes me idiotic, but we'll hope for the best."
Presently they were seated in Olga's music-room, with a bottle of
vermouth between them.
"Now drink fair, Georgie," she said, "and as you drink tell me all
about the young people's emotional history."
"Atkinson and Elizabeth?" asked Georgie.
"No, my dear; Colonel Boucher and Mrs Weston. They have an emotional
history. I am sure you all thought they were going to marry each other
once. And they constantly dine together tete-a-tete. Now that's a very
good start. Are you quite sure he hasn't got a wife and family in Egypt,
or she a husband and family somewhere else? I don't want to rake up
family skeletons."
"I've never heard of them," said Georgie.
"Then we'll take them as non-existent. You certainly would have heard
of them if there were any, and very likely if there weren't.
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