"Oh, Toney, you are too romantic--you always were," said Mrs. Faber.
"Anyhow, you can't complain of deaf Captain Grant. He looked so cheerful, and did not want to hide his age."
Plantagenet turned over to the letter G in his book.
"Here he is; Grant, Charles, Captain. Lost hearing and work. Very small income, age sixty, only poor relations, references."
"Of course they sound uninteresting as tabulated folk. I'm sure St. Francis never tabulated people! There's a lovely story of one of the brothers, who was nursing a leper, being told to go fifteen miles off, and not liking to leave his patient, took him up on his back from dawn to sunrise all the way, and no one could believe he could have done it in the time, so everybody was awfully astonished."
"I'm thankful there are no lepers in England now, Miss Whitburn," said Mr. Russell in his drawling voice; "I'm rather afraid you might wish me to carry one of them fifteen miles if you sent me on a message. Couldn't do it, I assure you!"
"I must go back now," said Lewis, "and, short of lepers, what can I do to help you?"
"I really think we must all help to answer the letters if you will come to-morrow morning; Mr. Russell has composed a short note asking for all particulars."
"Age and pedigree! Well, Russell, I'll turn up and help to-morrow," said Lewis, nodding towards the secretary.
"There's the bell," exclaimed Mrs. Faber. "I expect Lady Dove will want her novel. Henry says I must come home to-morrow. I do hope Miss Grossman will be well enough to come down."
"I'll find time, if she is not, Chum, dear. You are such an angel! You are just like Santa Clara; isn't she, Mr. Russell?"
"I'm not acquainted with Santa Clara," he answered, "but I shall be quite willing to do anything I can for Lady Dove, Mrs. Faber, when my labours are lessened."
Toney went off with Lewis, she felt she must have a stretch after her anxieties.
"I'm so happy about that land," she exclaimed, as the two crossed the park in the twilight, "that I can't feel upset even! I shall write to my architect to-night. You do seem to make everything straight."
"Do I?" said Lewis in a low voice. Was it ever going to dawn on Toney why he tried to make everything straight? At present he feared she credited him with pure love of humanity. If only he dared speak; but, no, that money stood in the way. How he hated fifty thousand a year!