"She grows upon one, Lu," he said to his wife, when Halcyone had gone up
to put on her hat. "She is like some quiet, soothing book; she is a kind
of comfort--but she looks confoundedly pale to-day. Take her to the play
to-night, or ask some young fellows in to dinner, to cheer her up."
The drive did Halcyone good, and, to the astonishment of Cheiron who had
also read the news, she walked into his sitting-room with perfect calm.
He himself was raging with indignation and disgust.
But, when he looked into her deep eyes, his astonishment turned to pain,
for the expression in them as they burned from her lifeless face was so
pure, so pitiful and so tragic, that it left him without words for the
moment.
At last he said--when she had greeted him:
"I have been thinking, Halcyone, that I have not had a trip abroad for a
long time, but I am too old now to care about going alone. Do you think
that your aunts and these step-relations of yours would spare you to
accompany me, my dear?"
And Halcyone had to turn away to the window to hide the tears which
suddenly welled up; he was so kind and understanding always--her dear
old master!
"Yes, I am sure they would," she said in a very low voice.
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