The children had been back two or three days, and Kink was still on the road, when one morning a telegram came from him saying that he had reached Hounslow, and Robert asked if they might all walk out to meet him, and so return home triumphantly in a body.Mrs.Avory agreed, and they trooped off, after the briefest lunch, taking Horace Campbell and the Rotherams with them.
They had been gone two or three hours, and Mrs.Avory was sitting talking with Runcie, when Eliza Pollard brought a card on the brass tray that Janet had repoussed for her mother's last Christmas present.It ran:
MR.HENRY AMORY
The Red House, Chiswick, W.
"I don't know him," said Mrs.Avory."What is he like?""Well, mum," said Eliza Pollard, "he's a short gentleman with a red face and two boys, and he seems very angry.""Ask him what he wants to see me about," said Mrs.Avory.
"I did," said Eliza Pollard, "and he said he could not tell me, but the matter was of the highest importance."Mrs.Avory took the card and descended to the drawing-room, where the visitors were waiting for her.
Mr.Amory bowed."Pardon me, madam," he said, "but I have come to know what you have done with my caravan.""Your caravan!"
"Yes, madam, my caravan.A caravan was sent as a present to my sons some three weeks or a month ago, and your family, I am creditably informed, seized and detained it.""Excuse me," said Mrs.Avory, "but we did nothing of the sort.A caravan was sent here for my children as a present, and we have simply made use of it.They have been away in it for a fortnight.It returns to-day!""Ha!" said Mr.Amory."Perhaps you will have the goodness to inform me who gave it to you?""That," said Mrs.Avory, "I can't do--"
"Ha!" said Mr.Amory.
"--because," Mrs.Avory continued, "I don't know.We have never discovered.
The giver wished to be anonymous."
Mr.Amory looked surprised, and became a shade less fierce.
"You took no steps to find out?" he asked.
"How could I? There was no clue to go upon.""I see, I see," said Mr.Amory."There has been a huge mistake.Perhaps you will allow me to read you a letter which we received a day or so ago:
"'DEAR CHILDREN, "'I have just come back, much sooner than I expected; but, finding no letter from you, I have made some inquiries as to what you have done with the caravan, and, to my amazement, cannot discover that it has ever reached you at all; and since, if it has not, this letter must be all Greek to you, I may now say that on the 23rd of June a caravan fully furnished for a journey should have arrived at your house with a letter saying it was from your friend X., as it amused me to call myself.I have been to the man whom I employed to take it to you, but he is in hospital.His wife, however, is convinced that he did take it to Chiswick all right.Please ask your father to try to discover to what house it was sent.Tomorrow evening I shall come to see you all.
"'Your affectionate UNCLE EUSTACE.
