There was a long, meditative silence before she resumed. "I don't
know what I've been dreaming of that it didn't occur to me before. Papa
and Mr. Davenant both said that I hadn't considered all the sides to the
question; and I suppose that's what they were thinking of. It seems so
obvious--now."
She adjusted her veil and picked up her parasol as though about to take
leave; but when she rose it was only to examine, without seeing it, a
plaque hanging on the wall.
"If papa were to take Mr. Davenant's money," she said, after long
silence, without turning round, "then his clients would be as well off
as before, wouldn't they?"
"I presume they would."
"And now, I suppose, they're very poor."
"I don't know much about that. None of them were great heiresses, as it
was. Miss Prince, who keeps the school, told your cousin Cherry
yesterday that the Rodman girls had written her from Florence, asking if
she could give them a job to teach Italian. They'll have to teach away
like blazes now--anything and everything they know."
She turned round toward him, her eyes misty with distress.
"See this bit of jade?" he continued, getting up from his chair. "Real
jade that is.
Pages:
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214