"Thank you," said Mrs. Lovel. "Yes, I shall be glad to lie down for a little. I do hope Philip is not tiring himself--not that he is likely to; he is so strong. Thank you, Miss Lovel, I will lie down for a little. Yes, of course I brought the pedigree--and--and--a very quaint house; even the new part looks old to me!"
Mrs. Lovel tripped out of the room, and the two old ladies looked at one another.
"What do you think of her, Katharine?" inquired Miss Griselda. "You are dying to speak, so let me hear your sentiments at once!"
"I don't quite like her," said Miss Katharine. "She seems very tired and very nervous, and perhaps it is unfair and unkind to say anything about her until she is rested. I can't honestly say, however, that my first impression is favorable, and she may be much nicer when she is not so tired and not so nervous. I don't like her much at present, but I may afterward. What are your opinions, Griselda?"
"Katharine," said Miss Griselda, "you are the most prosaic and long-winded person I know. You don't suppose for an instant that I am going to say what I think of Mrs. Lovel to-day. After all, it is the boy in whom we are interested. Time alone can show whether these two are not another couple of impostors. Now, I wonder where that child Rachel has taken herself!"
Kitty and Philip ran off together hand in hand. They were about the same height, but Kitty's fair, healthy, flushed face showed in strong contrast to Phil's pallor, and her round and sturdy limbs gave promise of coming health and beauty; whereas Phil's slight form only suggested possible illness, and to a watchful eye would have betokened a short life. But the boy was wiry and just now he was strongly excited. It was delightful to be in the real country and more than delightful to go out with Kitty.
"You are my cousin, aren't you?" said the little maid, favoring him with a full, direct glance.
"I suppose so," he answered. "Yes, I suppose so. I don't quite know."
"Don't say that!" she replied. "I hate people who are not quite sure about things. I want to have a real boy cousin to play with. Two or three make-believes came here, but they went away again. Of course we all found them out at once, and they went away. I do trust you are not another make-believe, Philip. You're very pale and very thin, but I do hope what's of you is real."