Don't come. Keep him after dinner for some little time, for then's my
opportunity of talking to Jane, and give him at least three glasses of
port. Gracious it's time to dress, and the Lord prosper us."
Georgie found himself the last to arrive, when he got back to Olga's
and all three of them shook hands rather as people shake hands before a
funeral. They went into dinner at once and Olga instantly began, "How
many years did you say your admirable Atkinson had been with you?" she
asked Colonel Boucher.
"Twenty; getting on for twenty-one," said he. "Great nuisance; 'pon my
word it's worse than a nuisance."
Georgie had a bright idea.
"But what's a nuisance, Colonel?" he asked.
"Eh, haven't you heard? I thought it would have been all over the place
by now. Atkinson's going to be married."
"No!" said Georgie. "Whom to?"
Mrs Weston could not bear not to announce this herself. "To my
Elizabeth," she said. "Elizabeth came to me this morning. 'May I speak
to you a minute, ma'am?' she asked, and I thought nothing more than
that perhaps she had broken a tea-cup. 'Yes,' said I quite cheerfully,
'and what have you come to tell me?'"
It was getting almost too tragic and Olga broke in.
"Let's try to forget all about it, for an hour or two," she said. "It
was nice of you all to take pity on me and come and have dinner,
otherwise I should have been quite alone.
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