I must see Wordsworth's grave, and Wordsworth's
house.'
'You shall see them both, but they are in opposite directions--one at
your elbow, the other a four mile walk. Which will you see first? We'll
toss for it,' taking a shilling from a pocketful of loose cash, always
ready for moments of hesitation. 'Heads, house; tails, grave. Tails it
is. Come and have a smoke, and see the poet's grave. The splendour of
the monument, the exquisite neatness with which it is kept, will astound
you, considering that we live in a period of Wordsworth worship.'
Hammond hesitated, and looked at Lady Lesbia.
'Aren't you coming?' called Maulevrier from the lawn. 'It was a fair
offer. I've got my cigarette case.'
'Yes, I'm coming,' answered the other, with a disappointed air.
He had hoped that Lesbia would offer to show him the poet's grave. He
could not abandon that hope without a struggle.
'Will you come with us, Lady Lesbia? We'll suppress the cigarettes!'
'Thanks, no,' she said, becoming suddenly frigid. 'I am going to
practice.'
'Do you never walk in the morning--on such a lovely morning as this?'
'Not very often.
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