Then they turned southward and walked by the side of the bay, the children chattering as they went.
"What do you think, Col. Anglesea?" inquired Elva.
"I don't know. What ought I to think?" laughingly inquired their escort.
"Well, I'll tell you. Although Greenbushes is only three miles off, we have never seen it in our lives."
"No, never! Miss Notley, Le's great-aunt, who owned the place and who left it to Le in her will, never lived here at all. She left the place in the care of old Mr. Beever, her overseer, and he and the negroes worked the land and raised the crops, and Mr. Copp, her lawyer, attended to the sale and shipping of the tobacco and--and all that, you know."
"And Miss Notley lived on her other place down in Florida. At least, she lived there all the year round except the summer months, when she always went to Europe. She died in Florida, and left Felicia--her estate there--to her Florida relations."
"Ah!" said the colonel, trying to seem interested, while really brooding over his own schemes.
"And she left Greenbushes to Le, who is the only relative by her mother's side."
"And it is a great thing for Le and Odalite, for now they can marry and settle at once."
"And as Wynnette and I shall spend half our time at Greenbushes, we mean to pick out our room and choose the paper and furniture for it."
"Oh, yes! Mr. Copp sent to New York and got illustrated catalogues from the furniture dealers and books of patterns from the paper hangers, and samples from the--the--the--oh! what do you call them, Wynnette?--the people who color the walls that are not papered, you know?"
"Yes, that is what I mean! And all sorts of things! And we are going to choose our room and have it fixed!"
"Of course! Why, it is all to be done at once--at once! It is to be completed and quite ready by the time Le gets home! Won't that be jolly? Le wrote to Odalite to do just as she pleased with the house, and wrote to Mr. Copp to advance all the money that was necessary and give her all the advice and assistance that he could. So father wrote to Mr. Copp to meet us here to-day, and he is to do it. Father would have been here, too, but he was subpoenaed this very morning to attend court. Oh! do look at that flock of wild geese, colonel! I'm glad you haven't got your gun and dogs this time!"