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The mother of the young 'Grundys' countered him at once: In practice she agreed that they were out of place, but theoretically she could not see why they should not climb. An American standing near threw all into confusion by saying he guessed that it might be liable to develop their understandings. Lennan made for the front door.
The fellow, with his cast-down eyes, and his well-parted hair, seemed to Lennan to be saying: "Yes, sir it is quite natural that you should take the note out of eyeshot, sir BUT I KNOW; fortunately, there is no necessity for alarm I am strictly confidential." And this was what the note contained: "You promised to ride with me once you DID promise, and you never have.
His voice, when he vouchsafed a greeting, was rather high and not unpleasant, with a touch of lazy drawl. They stayed but a few minutes, and going down those dimly lighted stairs again, Sylvia remarked: "How prettily she said good-bye as if she were putting up her face to be kissed! I think she's lovely. So does that young man. They go well together." Rather abruptly Lennan answered: "Ah!
Where is our young friend Lennan off to, with his luggage looking like a lion cub in trouble?" She answered in a voice that she tried to make clear and steady: "There must be something wrong; or else it is his sister's wedding."
And suddenly he came on young Lennan himself, sitting on a stone and dabbing away with his fingers at a lump of putty stuff. The Colonel hesitated. Apart from obvious reasons for discomfiture, he had that feeling towards Art common to so many of his caste. It was not work, of course, but it was very clever a mystery to him how anyone could do it!
And Lennan waited, his eyes fixed on those blossoms so like to little blue butterflies and strange-hued crickets, tethered to the pale green stems. In this room she passed her days, guarded from him. Once a week, at most, he would be able to come there once a week for an hour or two of the hundred and sixty-eight hours that he longed to be with her. And suddenly he was conscious of her.
On seeing him, Lennan had risen, dropping his handkerchief over what he was modelling but not before the Colonel had received a dim impression of something familiar. The young man was very red the Colonel, too, was conscious suddenly of the heat. He held out his hand. "Nice quiet place this," he stammered; "never seen it before. I called at your hotel."
And Lennan murmured: "She wasn't able; she's not quite " and could have sunk into the shining floor. Youth with its touching confidence, its eager trust! This was the way he was fulfilling his duty towards Youth! When they had passed into the ballroom he went back to his position against the wall. They were dancing Number Three; his time of waiting, then, was drawing to a close.
And if you want to ride with her to get the hang of it, I can always mount you." When he had gone, Lennan remained staring at his unfinished sheep-dogs in the gathering dusk. Again that sense of irritation at contact with something strange, hostile, uncomprehending! Why let these Dromores into his life like this? He shut the studio, and went back to the drawing-room.
What distortion! Was it really the same man standing there with those bright, doubting eyes, with grey already in his hair? Yes, romance was over! And she sat silent, looking out into the street that little old street into which she looked day and night. A figure passed out there, came to the door, and rang. She said softly: "Here is Mark Lennan!"
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