“I’m sure you want some tea,” said Briggs with eager hospitality to Lotty.  He thought her delightful,—­freckles, picnic-untidiness and all.  Just such a sister would he—­

“This is cold,” he said, feeling the teapot.  “I’ll tell Francesca to make you some fresh—­”

He broke off and blushed.  “Aren’t I forgetting myself,” he said, laughing and looking round at them.

“Very natural, very natural,” Mr. Wilkins reassured him.

“I’ll go and tell Francesca,” said Rose, getting up.

“No, no,” said Briggs.  “Don’t go away.”  And he put his hands to his mouth and shouted.

“Francesca!” shouted Briggs.

She came running.  No summons in their experience had been answered by her with such celerity.

“‘Her Master’s voice,’” remarked Mr. Wilkins; aptly, he considered.

“Make fresh tea,” ordered Briggs in Italian.  “Quick—­quick—­” And then remembering himself he blushed again, and begged everybody’s pardon.

“Very natural, very natural,” Mr. Wilkins reassured him.

Briggs then explained to Lotty what he had explained twice already, once to Rose and once to the other two, that he was on his way to Rome and thought he would get out at Mezzago and just look in to see if they were comfortable and continue his journey the next day, staying the night in an hotel at Mezzago.

“But how ridiculous,” said Lotty.  “Of course you must stay here.  It’s your house.  There’s Kate Lumley’s room,” she added, turning to Mrs. Fisher.  “You wouldn’t mind Mr. Briggs having it for one night?  Kate Lumley isn’t in it, you know,” she said turning to Briggs again and laughing.

And Mrs. Fisher to her immense surprise laughed too.  She knew that any other time this remark would have struck her as excessively unseemly, and yet now she only thought it funny.

No indeed, she assured Briggs, Kate Lumley was not in that room.  Very fortunately, for she was an excessively wide person and the room was excessively narrow.  Kate Lumley might get into it, but that was about all.  Once in, she would fit it so tightly that probably she would never be able to get out again.  It was entirely at Mr. Briggs’s disposal, and she hoped he would do nothing so absurd as go to an hotel—­he, the owner of the whole place.

Rose listened to this speech wide-eyed with amazement.  Mrs. Fisher laughed very much as she made it.  Lotty laughed very much too, and at the end of it bent down and kissed her again—­kissed her several times.

“So you see, my dear boy,” said Mrs. Fisher, “you must stay here and give us all a great deal of pleasure.”

“A great deal indeed,” corroborated Mr. Wilkins heartily.

“A very great deal,” repeated Mrs. Fisher, looking exactly like a please mother.

“Do,” said Rose, on Briggs’s turning inquiringly to her.

“How kind of you all,” he said, his face broad with smiles.  “I’d love to be a guest here.  What a new sensation.  And with three such—­”