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When he was gone, I wished I had not done it without knowing why, either. I heard his Christian name for the first time to-day. Mrs. Staveley said to me: "We are going to have a dinner-party. Shall I ask Philip Dunboyne?" I said to Mrs. Staveley: "Oh, do!" She is an old woman; her eyes are dim. At times, she can look mischievous. She looked at me mischievously now.
But Lady Staveley understood his manner and his nature, and liked him almost the better for his abruptness. "She has spoken to me, Mr. Orme; she has told me of what passed between you on the last day that you were with us." "And yet you are surprised that I should have gone! I wonder at that, Lady Staveley. You must have known " "Well; perhaps I did know; but sit down, Mr. Orme.
To this accusation I will not plead, but will ask my accusers whether in their life's travail they have met no such ladies as Lady Staveley? But such as she was, whether good or bad, she had no desire whatever that her daughter should withdraw herself from the world, and give up to sick women what was meant for mankind.
Staveley; I mean nothing of the kind; and you are very impertinent to express such a supposition. What have I done or said to make you suppose that I have lost my heart to you?" "As you have mine, it is at any rate human nature in me to hope that I might have yours." "Psha! your heart! You have been making a shuttlecock of it till it is doubtful whether you have not banged it to pieces.
And so you're going to look after your charge with your limbs still in bandages?" "Just so;" and then he took up the two letters and read them again, while Staveley still sat on the foot of the bed. "I wish I knew what to think about it," said Felix. "About what?" said the other. And then there was another pause, and another reading of a portion of the letters.
Then came the second Friday after Graham's departure, and Lady Staveley observed, as she and her daughter sat at dinner alone, that Madeline would eat nothing but potatoes and sea-kale. "My dear, you will be ill if you don't eat some meat." "Oh no, I shall not," said Madeline with her prettiest smile. "But you always used to like minced veal."
"Tom," she said, going up to him, and speaking in a low voice, "I have come back again." And she stood before him as a suppliant. Yes, Lady Staveley had known it before. She had given a fairly correct guess at the state of her daughter's affections, though she had not perhaps acknowledged to herself the intensity of her daughter's feelings.
These congress meetings did not begin before eleven, so that for those who were active time for matutinal exercise was allowed. Augustus Staveley was the only son of the judge who on that day was to defend the laws of England from such attacks as might be made on them by a very fat advocate from Florence.
Lady Staveley was more than ordinarily affectionate to her daughter, and in that way made known the thoughts which were oppressing her; but she did so in no other way. All this Madeline understood, and thanked her mother with the sweetest smiles and the most constant companionship.
He had, in truth, known Madeline Staveley for many years, almost since they were children together; but lately, during these Christmas holidays especially, there had not been between them that close conversational alliance which so often facilitates such an overture as that which Peregrine was now desirous of making.
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