He listened to her
open-mouthed while she rattled on, mainly to fill up the gaps in his own
remarks; and when she paused, he bluntly complimented her on her
information. "Oh, that was papa!" said Diana, with a smile and a sigh.
"He taught me all he could about the Army, though he himself had only
been a Volunteer. There was an old _History of the British Army_ I was
brought up on. It was useful when we went to India--because I knew so
much about the regiments we came across."
This accomplishment of hers proved indeed a god-send; the young man
found his tongue; and the visit ended much better than it began.
As he said good-bye, he looked, round the drawing-room in wonderment.
"How you've altered it! The Vavasours made it hideous. But I've only
been in this room twice before, though my people have lived here thirty
years. We were never smart enough for Lady Emily."
He colored as he spoke, and Diana suspected in him a memory of small
past humiliations. Evidently he was sensitive as well as shy.
"Hard work--dear young man!" she said, with a smile, and a stretch, as
the door closed upon him. "But after all--_'que j'aime le militaire'!_
Now, shall we go back to work?"
There were still some books to unpack.
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