He was followed closely by the Colonel, who, taking his
stand on the hearth-rug, treated the company to a few remarks,
couched in a strain of unwonted eulogy. In the whole course of his
life he had never passed a more pleasant ten days, though, to be
sure, he had been a little mistrustful at first. As to the outcome
of the experiment, if they all made even moderate use of the
counsels they had received from the Marchesa, the future of cookery
in England was now safe. He was not going to propose a formal vote
of thanks, because anything he could say would be entirely
insufficient to express the gratitude he felt, and because he
deemed that each individual could best thank the Marchesa on his or
her behalf.
There was a momentary silence when the Colonel ceased, and then a
clearing of the throat and a preliminary movement of the arms gave
warning that Mrs. Gradinger was going to speak. The unspoken
passage from Racine evidently sat heavily on her chest. Abstracted
and overwrought as he was, these symptoms aroused in Sir John a
consciousness of impending danger, and he rushed, incontinent, into
the breach, before the lady's opening sentence was ready.
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