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He had fairly gentlemanly manners, also; though, in Delaine's opinion, he was too self-confident on his own account, and too boastful on Canada's, But he was a man of humble origin, son of a farmer who seemed, by the way, to be dead; and grandson, so Delaine had heard him say, through his mother, of one of the Selkirk settlers of 1812 no doubt of some Scotch gillie or shepherd.
She was still smarting under the boy's furious outburst of the night before when, through a calculated indiscretion of Delaine's, the notion that Anderson had presumed and might still presume to set his ambitions on Elizabeth had been presented to him for the first time. "My sister marry a mining engineer! with a drunken old robber for a father! By Jove!
He thrust it into his pocket and continued to pace up and down in the patch of half-cleared ground at the back of the Ginnells' house. He perfectly understood that Delaine's letter was meant to warn him not to be too officious in Lady Merton's service. "Don't suppose yourself indispensable and don't at any time forget your undesirable antecedents, and compromising situation.
"No you won't for your sister's sake. I'll see all arrangements are made." Philip made no direct reply. He lay staring at the ceiling till at last he said "Delaine's going. He's going to-morrow. He gets on Elizabeth's nerves." "Did he say anything to you about me?" said Anderson. Philip flushed. "Well, I daresay he did." "Make your mind easy, Gaddesden.
On those conditions, I hold my tongue." "Pompous ass!" Anderson found it a hard task to keep his own pride in check. It was of a different variety from Delaine's, but not a whit less clamorous. Yet for Lady Merton's sake it was desirable, perhaps imperative, that he should keep on civil terms with this member of her party.
It was said that he had gone to Italy; but some few persons knew that it was his intention to start from Genoa for the United States, in order that he might attend a celebration at Harvard University in honour of a famous French Hellenist, who had covered himself with glory in Delaine's eyes by identifying a number of real sites with places mentioned in the Odyssey.
Delaine's booming voice, and the frequent Latin passages interspersed with stammering translations of his own, in which he appeared to be interminably tangled, would be enough the Canadian thought to account for a subdued demeanour; and there was, moreover, a sudden thunderous heat in the afternoon.
Once or twice Arthur Delaine's clumsy hints occurred to her. Was there, indeed, some private matter weighing on the young man's mind? She would not allow herself to speculate upon it; though she could not help watching the relation between the two men with some curiosity. It was polite enough; but there was certainly no cordiality in it; and once or twice she suspected a hidden understanding.
And he hurried on, refusing Delaine's help, carrying the thin body apparently with ease along the path and up the steps to the hotel. The guide had already been sent flying ahead to warn the household. Thus, by one of the commonplace accidents of travel, the whole scene was changed for this group of travellers.
"I wonder why that should strike you so much the telephones, I mean?" Delaine's tone was stiff. He had thrown himself back in his chair with folded arms, and a slight look of patience. "After all, you know, it may only be one dull person telephoning to another dull person on subjects that don't matter!" Elizabeth laughed and coloured. "Oh! it isn't telephones in themselves.
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