precipitate, too rash, too ill-advised, too sudden, as Lucia would say.
She ought to have known that Lucia, with her August parties coming on,
would have jumped at a Guru, and withheld him for her own parties,
taking the wind out of Lucia's August sails. Lucia had already suborned
Georgie to leave this note, and begin to filch the Guru away. Mrs
Quantock saw it all now, and clearly this was not to be borne. Before
she answered, she steeled herself with the triumph she had once scored
in the matter of the Welsh attorney.

"Dear Georgie," she said, "no one would be more delighted than I if my
Guru consented to take you as a pupil. But you can't tell what he will
do, as he said to me today, apropos of myself, 'I cannot come unless
I'm sent.' Was not that wonderful? He knew at once he had been sent to
me."

By this time Georgie was quite determined to have the Guru. The measure
of his determination may be gauged from the fact that he forgot all
about Lucia's garden-party.

"But he called me his friend," he said. "He told me I had a clean white
soul."

"Yes; but that is his attitude towards everybody," said Mrs Quantock.
"His religion makes it impossible for him to think ill of anybody."

"But he didn't say that to Rush," cried Georgie, "when he asked for
some brandy, to be put down to you."

Mrs Quantock's expression changed for a moment, but that moment was too
short for Georgie to notice it. Her face instantly cleared again.