I told Molly in my letter that she 'd have to walk up , Tom . Expense for nothing ! Bob can bring up her things in the barrow . I 've told Joy I wo n't have her going down to meet the train . She 's so excited about her mother 's coming there 's no doing anything with her . Well , she 's going home to-morrow ; she must just keep herself fresh for the dancing tonight . I 'm not going to get people in to dance , and have Joy worn out before they begin . A great strong woman like Molly Gwyn ! It is n't half a mile . Rubbish ! If you want to throw away money , you must just find some better investment than those wretched 3 per cents . of yours . The greenflies are in my roses already ! Did you ever see anything so disgusting ?Where 's the syringe ? I saw you mooning about with it last night , Tom . I simply wo n't have Dick keep his fishing things in the tree ; there 's a whole potful of disgusting worms . I can n't touch them . You must go and take ‘ em out , Tom . What on earth 's the pleasure of it ? I can n't see ! He never catches anything worth eating . Do n't put them near me ! Tom , take the worms off that seat at once ! It 's not my business to look after Dick 's worms . Do n't put them on the ground . I wo n't have them anywhere where they can crawl about . Yes , give them to Peachey . Well , it 's beyond me how you can make pets of worms — wriggling , crawling , horrible things !What about Miss joy 's frock , Rose ? Well , then you must just find her . I do n't know where she is . What is it , Peachey ? Let 's look ! Well , you can try . Here 's Molly about her train . No , Peachey . Molly says she 'll be down by the eleven thirty .She 'll be here in half an hour !“ MAURICE LEVER is coming down by the same train to see Mr. Henty about the Tocopala Gold Mine . Could you give him a bed for the night ? ” Just like a man ! What room I should like to know ! As if Molly would n't have the pink ! You know perfectly well it 's full of earwigs , Tom . I killed ten there yesterday morning . I do n't know that I approve of this Mr . Lever 's dancing attendance . Molly 's only thirty-six . “ This gold mine seems to be a splendid chance .I 've put all my spare cash into it . They 're issuing some Preference shares now ; if Uncle Tom wants an investment ” —— Well , I suppose I shall have to screw him in somehow . Oh ! your views ! This may be a specially good chance . I ‘ m sick of these 3 per cent . dividends . When you 've only got so little money , to put it all into that India Stock , when it might be earning 6 per cent . at least , quite safely ! There are ever so many things I want . As to Molly , I think it 's high time her husband came home to look after her , instead of sticking out there in that hot place . In fact —I do n't know what Geoff 's about ; why does n't he find something in England , where they could live together . Well , I do n't believe in husband and wife being separated . That 's not my idea of married life .Ah , yes , she 's your niece , not mime ! Molly 's very —— Well , if I could n't sew at your age , Peachey , without pricking my fingers ! Tom , if I have Mr . Lever here , you 'll just attend to what I say and look into that mine ! Nonsense , Peachey ! As if they 'd go there if they did  n't want to ! I can n't put Ernest and Letty in the blue room , there 's only the single bed . Suppose I put Mr . Lever there , and say nothing about the earwigs . I daresay he 'll never notice . Then where am I to put him for goodness sake ? Rubbish , Tom , I wo n't have you turned out , that 's flat . He can have Joy 's room , and she can sleep with the earwigs . You wretched girl ! I told you never to climb that tree again . Did you know , Peachey ?She 's always up there , spoiling all her frocks . Come down now , Joy ; there 's a good child ! Well , who is to sleep there then ? Litter her up with a great girl like you , as if we 'd only one spare room ! Tom , see that she comes down — I can n't stay here , I must manage something . Tom ! To-om ! Well , how was I to know ? I do n't know what 's the matter with that child ? Well , Molly , so here you are . You 're before your time — that train 's always late . What have you done with Mr . Lever ? I shall have to put him in Peachey 's room . Tom 's got no champagne . Rubbish , Tom ! He 'll just have to put up with what he can get ! Now , I 've told your uncle , Molly , that he 's not to go in for this gold mine without making certain it 's a good thing . Mind , I think you 've been very rash . I 'm going to give you a good talking to ; and that 's not all — you ought  n't to go about like this with a young man ; he 's not at all bad looking . I remember him perfectly well at the Fleming 's dance . No , Tom , I 'm going to talk to Molly ; she 's old enough to know better . Yes , and you 'll get yourself into a mess ; I do n't approve of it , and when I see a thing I do n't approve of —— What rate of interest are these Preference shares to pay ? What did I tell you , Tom ? And are they safe ? There , you see , you call him Maurice ! Now supposing your uncle went in for some of them —— Do n't swing your hat by the brim ! Go and look if you can see him coming !Your uncle 's getting very bald . I ‘ ve only shoulder of lamb for lunch , and a salad . It 's lucky it 's too hot to eat .Here she is , Peachey ! Oh ! before I forget , Peachey — Letty and Ernest can move their things back again . I 'm going to put Mr . Lever in your room .There 's that disgusting paint pot ! Take it up at once , Tom , and put it in the tree . Not there ! Why — up — oh ! gracious ! No-oh ! So you ‘ ve got here ! Are  n't you very hot ?— Tom ! Joy , do n't you see Mr . Lever ? Do n't stand there , Tom ; clear those papers , and let Rose lay the table . Now , Ernest , go and get another chair . Put that chair down , Ernest .What 's he been talking about ? You ought n't to get so excited , Tom ; is your head bad , old man ? Here , take these papers !Peachey , go in and tell them tea ‘ ll be ready in a minute , there ‘ s a good soul ? Oh ! and on my dressing table you 'll find a bottle of Eau de Cologne . Now Tom ! What have you been up to , to get into a state like this ? That 's enough ! I want to talk to you seriously ! Dick 's in love . I 'm perfectly certain of it . You can see it all over him . If I saw any signs of Joy 's breaking out , I 'd send them both away . I simply wo n't have it . But she is n't — not yet . I 've been watching her very carefully . She 's more in love with her Mother than any one , follows her about like a dog ! She 's been quite rude to Mr . Lever . Do n't believe a word of what ?If I thought there was anything between Molly and Mr . Lever , d ‘ you suppose I 'd have him in the house ?He 's a very nice fellow ; and I want you to pump him well , Tom , and see what there is in this mine . Yes , you ‘ ve been up to something ! Now what is it ? There you are on your high horse ! I do wish you had a little common-sense , Tom ! Well , what were you looking at these papers for ? It does drive me so wild the way you throw away all the chances you have of making a little money . I 've got you this opportunity , and you do nothing but rave up and down , and talk nonsense ! You ‘ ve — WHAT ? Without consulting me ? Well , then , you ‘ ll just go and take them out again ! The idea ! As if you could trust your judgment in a thing like that ! You ‘ ll just go at once and say there was a mistake ; then we ‘ ll talk it over calmly . Well , if I 'd thought you 'd have forgotten what you said this morning and turned about like this , d'you suppose I 'd have spoken to you at all ? Now , do you ? Now Joy , come and sit down ; your mother 's been told tea 's ready ; if she lets it get cold it 's her lookout . Hand the sandwiches to Mr . Lever , Peachey . It 's our own jam , Mr . Lever . You 'd better make a good tea , Peachey ; nobody 'll get anything till eight , and then only cold shoulder . You must just put up with no hot dinner , Mr . Lever . Now I want to ask you , Mr . Lever , is this gold mine safe ? If it is n't — I simply wo n't allow Tom to take these shares ; he can n't afford it . I do n't want anything extravagant , of course ; if they 're going to pay their 10 per cent , regularly , and Tom can have his money out at any time —I only want to know that it 's a thoroughly genuine thing . Now Molly , I 'm simply asking —— Of course ! What rubbish , Tom ! As if any one ever invested money without making sure ! Now , Mr . Lever , do n't be offended ! I 'm very anxious for Tom to take the shares if you say the thing 's so good . I would  n't say a word , only Tom 's so easily taken in . You ought to know your Uncle by this time , Molly . He 's just like a child . He 'd be a pauper to-morrow if I did  n't see to things . Well , what on earth have I said ?