lle was barely dressed, she always slept late, had her breakfa

a basket and some roses, and five minutes later strolled into

he garden and nervousl

telle's hands, took her by the w

s soft and innocent as a cream-fed kitten. Winn cleared his throat. It made him feel rather religi

he said, "my

murmured. He dropped them. "Wi

a moment's pause, "woul

es to his. They weren't soft, but the

but, Winn-it's so

you, I wanted you. I don't know how you feel, of course; but-well-I'm sure yo

s; she behaved exquisitely. She was,

remble in her voice, "if I do m

funniest, most unlikely thing in the world: he got down on his kn

much as ever you'll le

e'd been horribly rough-and done lots of things she would have hated (he forgot to mention that he'd ever done anything worth doing as well); he explained that he didn't know any women a bit

utes, then she asked him if he didn't think

from his k

very soon and went away, so that Mrs. Fanshawe didn't ne

ided on four bridesmaids and four pages; she was so small

se. Winn was extraordinarily kind to her; he let her settle everything she liked and gave her exactly the ring she wanted-an immense emerald set with diamonds. He wasn't in the least parti

e could look up a man he knew at the War Office. Certainly they s

couldn't have one without having a row with the other. Estelle wanted Lord Arlington, but when she pressed the point, Winn gave her a most extraordinary sharp look and said, "I thought I told you I wanted that boy

tant shivering was going

ring her engagement was the short half hour in w

lked two miles across the fields in what l

ld in the hall. They were square-toed and hob

her hand; "in the country, it's the ruin of them unless you wear paper soles," she glanced searchingly at Mrs. Fansha

her. "London's a poor place," she observed, "and very shoddy. When my friends the Malverns lived here, they had old oak and rather nice chintzes

my dear, ain't you?" she demanded. "And I dare say you can't

lly murmured. It flashed through her mind that with Lady Staines you mu

emanded. "Well, I'm sure it's very kind of you. All the Staines have tempers, but Winn's is quite the worst. I don't want to exaggerate, but I really don't think you could match i

But my dear Lady Staines," she ur

and a C.B. for something or other, I never know what, in China; and he got his Majority extraordinarily young for special services-or he wouldn't have been able to marry you, my dear, for his father won't help hi

I must be getting back to give Sir Peter his. I shall be late as it is, and I shall probably hear him swearing all down the drive. We shall all be seeing more than eno

er-in-law to the door. She had not

ry hard, but there was a spark of some kind, behind the hardness; if the eyes

ou like him?"

r Lady Staines, believ

he said. "But how much heart have you got? You see his happiness and yours depend on that. The

before," she asserted with serene untruthfulness (she felt sure this

ves in your pretty face! Well, it is pretty, I

ut she tapped her lightly on the shoulder and

fully. "He's rushed his fence and there's a ditch