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Updated: June 1, 2025
"Emmeline, have you no wish to know how the object of your kind sympathy, poor Lilla, parted from her father and me to day?" "I quite forgot all about it, mamma; this Oakwood hour has made me so selfish. I thought of no one but ourselves," replied Emmeline. "Gratify my curiosity now. Did Lady Helen evince any sorrow at the separation?" "Not so much as, for Lilla's sake, I could have wished.
She did not palliate her faults, but she proved that they were increased by the constant contradiction and irritation which she had to encounter. She repeated all that had passed between them the preceding day, unconsciously and cautiously condemning Grahame's excessive sternness, by relating, almost verbatim, Lilla's simply expressed wish that her father would let her love him.
The little German garden was disappearing from Miriam's eyes.... It was cruel, cruel that she was not going to wear her blouses at home, at the tennis-club... with Harriett.... It was all beginning again, after all the spring and tennis and presently boating things were going on... the smash had not come... why had she not stayed... just one more spring?... how silly and hurried she had been, and there at home in the garden lilac was quietly coming out and syringa and guelder roses and May and laburnum and... everything... and she had run away, proud of herself, despising them all, and had turned herself into Miss Henderson,... and no one would ever know who she was.... Perhaps the blouses would make a difference it must be extraordinary to have blouses.... Slommucky... untidy and slommucky Lilla's mother had called them... and perhaps they would not fit her....
I was about to exclaim "Never mind," and, in my excitement to get clear, order the men to push off, but it was Lilla's wish, and without a word I started back to fetch the cloak. It was the most painful passage I ever had in my life. It was only minutes but it seemed hours, and with my heart beating furiously, I tried to crush down the fancies that kept coming into my head.
Fortunately for us, the window was strongly barred; but I knew that some of them must be round directly; and dashing to Lilla's bridle, "Come along!" I whispered hoarsely, and I led the mule towards the nearest packing shed.
She has been so unfortunately prejudiced against her both by Annie and Miss Malison, that although I am convinced she loves her child, she never will evince any proof of it; and Lilla's unhappy temperament has, of course, increased this prejudice, which I fear will require years to remove, unless Annie be soon married, and Miss Malison removed from Lady Helen's establishment.
It was a call from Long Island, where Aunt Althea Balbian was summering. The servants had learned of Lilla's whereabouts from the Brassfields. Aunt Althea had fallen seriously ill in the night. Parr showed his downcast eyelids and lantern jaws in the doorway. "A maid is here from madam's house downtown with a steamer trunk and three suitcases."
Had not Lilla's spirits been naturally elastic, they must have bent beneath these continued and painful trials; her young heart often felt breaking, but the sense of religion, the excellent principles instilled both by Mrs. Douglas and Mrs. Hamilton now had their full effect, and sustained her amidst all.
Before, however, she departed on her visit, a fresh ebullition had taken place between the sisters in the presence of their mother, to the great terror of Lady Helen, whose irritation at Lilla's violence increased, as she could perceive nothing in Annie's words or manner to call for it.
Cecil was distraite and silent, so Lilla's vivacious tongue attracted around her the gentlemen of the group, and, without any effort of his, Major Fane found himself somewhat apart with Miss Rolleston. Though heart-whole when we first introduced him, he was now really in love with Cecil, that is to say, he approved of and wished to marry her.
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