" He sighed
heavily. "Well, I must be getting along. You'll catch your death of
cold standing out here. We ought to have been together all this
time, you know. It would have been better for both of us."
He kissed her again and left her. She slowly returned into the
house. Curiously, he had made her happier by his visit. Her pluck
returned. She needed it. Grace was now stirred by the most active of
all her passions--fear.
Nevertheless Grace and Paul behaved very well. Maggie understood the
shock that visit must have given them. She watched Grace imagining
the excited stories that would flow from the lips of Miss Purves and
Mrs. Maxse. She was determined, however, that Grace and Paul should
not suffer in silence--and Uncle Mathew must be vindicated.
At supper that night she plunged:
"Uncle Mathew's been very ill," she began, "for a long time now. He
wasn't himself this afternoon, I'm afraid. He was very upset at some
news that he'd just had. And then meeting so many strangers at once-
-"
Maggie saw that Grace avoided her eyes.
"I don't think we'll discuss it, Maggie, if you don't mind.
Pages:
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726