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Updated: June 14, 2025
You said you would rather hear about the growth of the Swiss Confederacy and its relation to the Helvetia of the Ancients another day." "That was quite true," I said indignantly. "I found Miss Callis anxious to be informed without delay," said Mr. Mafferton, with a slightly rebuking accent. "She has a very open mind," he went on musingly. "Oh, wonderfully," I said. "And a highly retentive memory.
For a moment I felt quite depressed. "Did you think it was a conundrum?" I asked. "You so often remind me of Punch, Mr. Mafferton." I shouldn't have liked anyone to say that to me, but it seemed to have quite a mollifying effect upon Mr. Mafferton. He smiled and pulled his moustache in the way Englishmen always do, when endeavouring to absorb a compliment.
"Had you a pleasant journey up from Naples?" "It was rather dusty." I saw that something quite awful was going on and conversed volubly with Mrs. Portheris and Mr. Mafferton to give Dicky a chance, but in a moment I, too, felt a refrigerating influence proceeding from the floral hat and the bun for which I could not account. "Where have you been?" inquired Dicky, "if I may ask." "At Vallombrosa."
We grew quite frivolous over this phenomenon, which did not appear, and it was only after some time that we observed the Baedeker to be of 1877, and decided that the home of truth was not in old editions. It seemed to me afterwards that Mr. Mafferton had been waiting for his opportunity; he certainly took advantage of a very insufficient one.
Mafferton was to hurl him, figuratively speaking, down an abyss, but that would have been to send him into Mrs. Portheris's beckoning arms next morning, and I had little faith in any floral hat and pink bun once its mamma's commands were laid upon it. I thought of my cradle companion not tenderly, I confess and told Mr.
"She is certainly a charming girl," said Mr. Mafferton. "And so well brought up," said I. "Ye-es. Perhaps a little self-contained." "She has no need to rely upon her conversation." I observed. "I don't know. The fact is " "What is the fact?" I asked softly. "After all that has passed I think I may claim your confidence, Mr. Mafferton."
I took my bereavement in stony calm, with possibly just a suggestion about my eyebrows and under-lip that some day, on the far free shores of Lake Michigan, a downtrodden daughter would re-assert herself; poppa re-entered an intérieur darkened by a thunder-cloud on the brow of his Aunt Caroline; and we started. It was some time before Mr. Mafferton interfered in the least with the Engadine.
Portheris is an old lady of no family, because she's a connection of ours, you see. What about Isabel? Can't you tell the least bit?" "How can a fellow? She blushes just as much when he speaks to her as when I do." "But are you quite sure," I asked delicately, "whether Mr. Mafferton is interested?" "There's the worst kind of danger of it," Dicky replied impressively.
Mafferton was able to mention Lady Torquilan without any trace of his air that she was a person, poor dear, that brought embarrassment with her. Indeed, I sometimes thought he dragged her in. I asked him, in appropriate phrases, of course, whether he had decided to accept Mrs. Portheris's daughter, and he fixed mournful eyes upon me and said he thought he had, almost.
Portheris, to sit in the banquette, while Isabel was to suffer Mr. Mafferton in the coupé an arrangement which her mother viewed with entire complacency. "After all," said Mrs. Portheris to momma, "we're not in Hyde Park and young people will be young people."
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