Claridge, who
had also been bereaved years ago and left with two perfect ducks of
children, four and five years old, to whom Claribel took
instinctively (the elder ones sniffed a little, disliking "kids").
Then about Christmas time, 1906, Dad told them that Mrs. Claridge
was going to make him happy by coming to tend his motherless
children; was going to be his wife. Francis, the eldest, stomped
about the garden at Ware and swore he would go back to Rugby during
the holidays; Elspeth, the gaunt girl of fourteen and Agnes, a
dreamy and endearing child, cried themselves to sleep in each
other's arms. Claribel, however, quite approved. And whether they
liked it or not, in January, 1907, the marriage took place--at the
Registrar's--and Beryl came to live for a short time at Ware,
bringing ducksome Margery and adorable Podge. In less than a month
Beryl had won over all her step-children, except Francis, who held
out till Easter, but was reduced to allegiance by the hampers she
sent to him at Rugby--; in three months they had all moved to a much
sweller house on the Chelsea Embankment. Father--Beryl voted "Dad" a
little lower-middle class--Father had somehow become connected with
some great business establishment of which Mother was the head.
Together they were making pots of money. Francis would go to
Sandhurst, Elspeth to a finishing school in Paris (her ambition),
and the others would spend the fine months of the year rollicking
with Margery and Podge on the Sussex coast.
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