Part 35 (2/2)
The girls went for a ride after lunch, and the rest of the delightful day pa.s.sed swiftly. Sylvia counted the hours. Whenever she looked at the clock her face grew a little sadder. Half-hour after half-hour of the precious time was going by. When should she have such a grand treat again? At last it was time to go up-stairs to dress for dinner.
”Now, you must come to my room, Sylvia,” said Evelyn. ”Yes, I insist,”
she added, ”for I was in reality your first friend.”
Sylvia was quite willing to comply. She soon found herself in Evelyn's extremely pretty blue-and-silver room. How comfortable it looked-how luxurious, how sweet, how refres.h.i.+ng to the eyes! The cleanliness and perfect order of the room, the brightness of the fire, the calm, proper look of Read as she stood by waiting to dress Evelyn for dinner, all impressed Sylvia.
”I like this life,” she said suddenly. ”Perhaps it is bad for me even to see it, but I like it; I confess as much.”
”Perhaps, Miss Leeson,” said Read just then in a very courteous voice, ”you will not object to Miss Audrey lending you the same dress you wore the last time you were here? It has been nicely made up, and looks very fresh and new.”
As Read spoke she pointed to the lovely Indian muslin robe which lay across Evelyn's bed.
”Please, Read,” said Evelyn suddenly, ”don't stay to help me to dress to-night; Sylvia will do that. I want to have a chat with her; I have a lot to say.”
”I will certainly help Evelyn if I can,” replied Sylvia.
”Very well, miss,” replied Read. ”To tell you the truth, I shall be rather relieved; my mistress requires a fresh tucker to be put into the dress she means to wear this evening, and I have not quite finished it.
Then you will excuse me, young ladies. If you want anything, will you have the goodness to ring?”
The next moment Read had departed.
”Now, that is right,” said Evelyn. ”Now we shall have a cozy time; there is nearly an hour before we need go down-stairs. How do you like my room, Sylvia?”
”Very much indeed. I see the second bed has gone.”
”Oh yes. I do not mind a sc.r.a.p sleeping alone now; in fact, I rather prefer it. Sylvia, I want so badly to confide in you!”
”To confide in me! How? Why?”
”I want to ask you about Jasper. Oh yes, she wants to see me. I can manage to slip out about nine o'clock on Tuesday next; we are not to dine down-stairs on Tuesday night, for there is a big dinner party. She can come to meet me then; I shall be standing by the stile in the shrubbery.”
”But surely Lady Frances will not like you to be out so late!”
”As if I minded her! Sylvia, for goodness' sake don't tell me that you are growing goody-goody.”
”No; I never was that,” replied Sylvia. ”I don't think I could be; it is not in me, I am afraid.”
”I hope not; I don't think Jasper would encourage that sort of thing.
Yes, I have a lot to tell her, and you may say from me that I don't care for school.”
”Oh, I am so sorry! It is incomprehensible to me, for I should think that you would love it.”
”For some reasons I might have endured it; but then, you see, there is that awkward thing about the Ruskin book.”
”The Ruskin book!” said Sylvia. She turned white, and her heart began to beat. ”Surely-surely, Evelyn, you have had nothing to do with the tearing out of the first pages of _Sesame and Lilies_!”
”You won't tell-you promise you won't tell?” said Evelyn, nodding her head, and her eyes looking very bright.
<script>