Part 59 (1/2)
”Oh, father! How can you say such things to me?” she cried, a break in her voice.
”Good G.o.d, my dear, isn't it natural for a father to want to see his daughter well provided for?”
She turned away.
”I am contemplating a visit to the States shortly,” he remarked, following after her.
She whirled on him. ”What!”
”Young Wrandall has asked me over for a month or two about the first of the year. His people are in Scotland now, I hear.”
”Are you THROUGH with India?” she asked in a very low voice.
”Resigned,” said he succinctly.
”TRULY?”
He flushed and muttered an oath. She understood. He had been ”kicked out!”
”h.e.l.lo!” called out a sprightly voice from the gathering darkness, and the next moment Leslie joined them. ”Have dinner with us to-night, Hetty? Just the three of us. Please do.”
”No, thank you, Mr. Wrandall. I am getting ready to leave to-morrow.
Packing and all that sort of thing.”
”Did Colonel Castleton tell you that I'm off for New York on Sat.u.r.day?
Mother and Viv are to get the boat at Southampton. I thought you'd be interested to know what's just turned up over there?”
”What has happened?” she cried quickly.
Leslie hesitated. A curious gleam stole into his eyes. Was it of triumph?
”Father's got rather old-fas.h.i.+oned ideas about certain things,” he observed, by way of preface. ”He writes that Sara is contemplating a second venture into the state of wedded bliss.”
Hetty stared at him. ”I--I don't believe it,” she said flatly. ”How can it be possible? She sees no one.”
He laughed. ”You're wrong there,” said he mendaciously. ”She's been seeing a great deal of a certain mutual friend of ours--all summer long.”
”You mean?”
”Brandon Booth. Father says that rumour has it they are to be married after the holidays. I fancy he needed consolation, after what happened to him earlier in the year. He was pretty hard hit, believe me.” After a moment, he went on boldly: ”I ought to be in a position to sympathise with him, I suppose, but I don't. It isn't in me to--”
”You say they are to be married?” cried Hetty, dazed and bewildered.
They had fallen behind Colonel Castleton, who walked on stiffly ahead of them.
Leslie treated her to his most engaging smile.
”Looks very Goochy, doesn't it? I'm coming to believe more than ever that blood will tell. Sara knew what she was doing when she cleared her decks for action a few months ago. 'Gad, I understand now why she was so eager to bring off the--well, another match we know about. Pretty canny, eh?”