Poor, poor child!--At first sight he, like the Roughsedges, had thought
her pale and depressed. Then he had given his message. "Marsham has
arrived!--turned up at Overton a couple of hours ago--and told us to say
he would follow us here after luncheon. He wired to Lady Felton this
morning to ask if she would take him in for the Sunday. Some big
political meeting he had for to-night is off. Lady Lucy stays in
town--and Tallyn is shut up. But Lady Felton was, of course, delighted
to get him. He arrived about noon. Civility to his hostess kept him to
luncheon--then he pursues us!"
Since then!--no lack of sparkle in the eyes or color in the cheek! Yet
even so, to Sir James's keen sense, there was an increase, a sharpening,
in Diana's personality, of the wistful, appealing note, which had been
always touching, always perceptible, even through the radiant days of
her Tallyn visit.
Ah, well!--like Dr. Roughsedge, only with a far deeper urgency, he, too,
for want of any better plan, invoked the coming lover. In God's name,
let Marsham take the thing into his own hands!--stand on his own
feet!--dissipate a nightmare which ought never to have arisen--and
gather the girl to his heart.
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