"It's about Saturday. I've just remembered that Georgie and I--not you,
you know--are going away for the week, end. Will you tell Mrs Lucas how
sorry I am?"
Georgie went back to the music room, where Lucia had just got both her
arms waving. But at the sight of his face she dropped them and took a
firm hold of herself.
"Well, what is it?" she said.
Georgie gave the message, and she got off the sofa, rising to her feet,
while her mind rose to the occasion.
"I am sorry that Miss Bracely will not see our tableaux," she said.
"But as she was not acting in them I do not know that it makes much
difference."
A deadly flatness, although Olga's absence made no difference,
descended on the three. Lucia did not resume her arm-work, for after
all these years her acting might be supposed to be good enough for
Riseholme without further practice, and nothing more was heard of the
borrowing of the axe from the Ambermere Arms. But having begun to
thread her pearl-beads, she finished them; Georgie, however, cared no
longer whether the gold border of King Cophetua's mantle went quite
round the back or not, and having tacked on the piece he was working
at, rolled it up. It was just going to be an ordinary party, after all.
His cup was empty.
But Lucia's was not yet quite full, for at this moment Miss Lyall's
pony hip-bath stopped at the gate, and a small stableboy presented a
note, which required an answer.
Pages:
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226