He is very
clever, too, is in the government now, and always hanging about after
Mildred. He wants to marry her, you know, and I expect that he will at
last, but I hope he won't. I don't like him; he always looks at one as
though one were dirt."
"The deuce he does!" ejaculated Arthur, his heart filling on the
instant with envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness towards
Lord Minster. He had not the slightest wish to marry Mildred himself,
but he boiled at the mere thought of anybody else doing so. Lady
Florence was right, there is a difference between ladies and
landscapes.
At that moment Mildred herself arrived, but so disgusted was he that
he would scarcely speak to her, and on arriving at the landing stage
he at once departed to the hotel, and even tried to get out of coming
to dinner that night, but this was overruled.
"Good," said Mildred to herself, with a smile; "I have found out how
to vex him."
At dinner that evening Lord Minster, who had of course taken his
hostess in, opened the conversation by asking her how she had been
employing herself at Madeira.
"Better than you have at St.
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