The
minister conscientiously searched for the chair he had promised to
fetch to Fanny Dodge; but it never once occurred to him to bring
Fanny out to the cool loveliness of mingled moon and lantern-light.
There was no unoccupied chair, as he quickly discovered; but he came
presently upon Lydia Orr, apparently doing nothing at all. She was
standing near Mrs. Black's boundary picket fence, shielded from the
observation of the joyous groups about the little tables by the
down-dropping branches of an apple-tree.
"I was looking for you!" said Wesley Elliot.
It was the truth; but it surprised him nevertheless. He supposed he
had been looking for a chair.
"Were you?" said Lydia, smiling.
She moved a little away from him.
"I must go in," she murmured.
"Why must you? It's delightful out here--so cool and--"
"Yes, I know. But the others-- Why not bring Miss Dodge out of that
hot room? I thought she looked tired."
"I didn't notice," he said.... "Just look at that flock of little
white clouds up there with the moon shining through them!"
Lydia glided away over the soft grass.
"I've been looking at them for a long time," she said gently. "I must
go now and help cut more cake."
He made a gesture of disgust.
"They're fairly stuffing," he complained. "And, anyway, there are
plenty of women to attend to all that. I want to talk to you, Miss
Orr."
His tone was authoritative.
She turned her head and looked at him.
"To talk to me?" she echoed.
Pages:
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94