The+summer+in+Taplow

Their play was running through August,and Michael had taken a house at Taplow so that they could spend the summer there.Julia had a scheme in her head which during the fortnight Tom was to spend at Taplow she thought she could easily work.Julia looked forward to Tom's visit to Taplow with excitement.It would be lovely to go on the river with him in the morning and in the afternoon sit about the garden with him.With Roger in the house she was determined that there should be no nonsense between her and Tom;decency forbade.But it would be heaven to spend nearly all day with him.When she had matinees he could amuse himself with Roger.But things did not turn out at all as she expected.It had never occurred to her that Roger and Tom would take a great fancy to one another.After all it was very natural that Tom should like to play about with Roger.They belonged to the same generation.It was the first day of his holiday,she must let him enjoy himself;there was a whole fortnight more.He would soon get sick of being all the time with a boy of seventeen.Roger was sweet,but he was dull;she was not going to let maternal affection blind her to that.She must be very careful not to show that she was in the least put out.From the beginning she had made up her mind that she would never make any claim on Tom;it would be fatal if he felt that he owed something to her.On Sundays they had a good many people down for the day,actors and actresses,an occasional writer,and a sprinkling of some of their grander friends,Julia found these parties very amusing and she knew that people liked to come to them.On the first Sunday after Roger's arrival there was a great mob,Roger was very polite to the guests.He did his duty as part host like a man of the world.Thus the week went by.Michael,Roger and Tom enjoyed themselves.They bathed,they played tennis,they played golf,they lounged about on the river.Julia was alone all that time.