--"I was--frightened: it was sudden, so unexpected. My father had never
done it before--that I know of--and he looked"--her voice broke for a
moment--"so strange, so ghost-like. I thought at first that it was the
Heron ghost which, they say, haunts the dale, though I have never seen
it."
A faint smile curved her lips and shone in her eyes, and Stafford was
so fascinated by the sudden gleam of girlishness that he had to bend
and pat Bess, who was planting dusty impression on his trousers in her
frantic efforts to gain his attention.
"I did nothing; in fact, as I walked away I was fuming because I
couldn't help you--couldn't do more."
"You did help me," she said, gravely; then she looked across the lake
to Sir Stephen's "little place." "I was admiring that new house. Don't
you think it is very beautiful, rising so white and gracefully above
the lake?"
"Ye-es," said Stafford, "Rather--conspicuous, though, isn't it?"
She laughed suddenly, and Stafford asked, with surprise: "Why did you
laugh?"
"Oh, I was thinking of my father," she said, with a delicious
frankness; "he was quite angry about it this morning.
Pages:
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92