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Updated: June 28, 2025
"I'm afraid it must do," I returned, with equal firmness disguised under a smile. Phil apologized for me as she gave me a squeeze of the hand. "We've been very happy together, Nell and I," she explained, "but we have never had much excitement. This is our first chance, and we shall be well chaperoned by Lady MacNairne." "Yes; but she is the aunt of the stranger young man."
As she sat down, making a footstool of Tibe, and displaying two exquisitely shod feet in brand new suède shoes, Miss Rivers appeared, pale and interesting. "I do hope you're better, my poor child," purred the Chaperon. "Oh, thank you, dear Lady MacNairne, I shall be quite right now we've started."
Poor Fleda MacNairne was whisked away before the breaking-up of the house-party, and that is the last I have seen of her, but not the last I've heard. Once in a while I get a letter, amusing, erratic, like herself; and in such communications she doesn't scruple to chronicle other flirtations which have followed hard on mine.
Sir Alexander MacNairne, with his quick temper, and his ignorance of the Dutch character as well as the Dutch language, and the privileges of Kermess week, was making matters worse for us, instead of better, when Jonkheer Brederode dashed in and saved the situation.
It was only as I knew they were slowly, inexorably closing behind us that I could bring myself to look back. There was "Wilhelmina" just coming into sight round the point, Alec MacNairne gesticulating wildly, a figurehead "come alive," and furious. "Great Scott, but that was a narrow shave!" I sighed in ecstasy. "He's out of it now."
"Because you're a scoundrel and a hypocrite," said he. This interruption I scorned to notice, save by proceeding as I had intended to proceed. "And you insult me. What do you mean, Sir Alec MacNairne?"
If Robert had been on board at this juncture he would probably have wished to box his cousin's ears, but I had no such desire, though mine were tingling. Perhaps he'd given the impression that I had boasted an intention to meet her within a given time, and she took this for my brutal way of carrying out the boast. "What is a Jonkheer?" the pseudo Lady MacNairne demanded of Starr.
I supposed Nell would join with me, as Lady MacNairne did, if only enough for civility, but she wouldn't say a word. However, though she pretended to be more interested in examining the car than listening to our conversation, she was pale, with the air of having a headache.
"I can't grin, and I won't bear it," replied Lady MacNairne. "Dearest Ronny, you are a man, and we look to you to get us away from here." Poor Mr. Starr stared wildly out to sea, as if he would call a bark of some sort from the vasty deep; but there was nothing to be seen except an endless expanse of gray water.
I was on the point of asking him what had become of Sir Alexander MacNairne, with whom we had left him violently shaking hands, when I remembered that Lady MacNairne had said he was a "relation of hers by marriage," so I thought, since there was evidently trouble of some sort between him and Jonkheer Brederode, I had better not bring up the subject in her presence.
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