Lady Clanroyden, with an unwilling sense of duty, devoted herself to
Mrs. Andrews. That simpering matron fell into a vein of confidences
and in five brief minutes had laid bare her heart. Then came the
narrative of her recent visit to the Marshams, and the inevitable
mention of the Hestons.
"Oh, you know the Hestons?" said Lady Clanroyden, brightening.
"Very well indeed." The lady smiled, looking round to make sure that
Lewis was not in the room.
"Julia is here, you know. Julia, come and speak to your friends."
A dark girl in mourning came forward to meet the expansive smile of Mrs.
Andrews. Earnestly the lady hoped that she remembered the single brief
meeting on which she had built a fictitious acquaintance, and was
reassured when the newcomer shook hands with her pleasantly. Truth to
tell, Lady Julia had no remembrance of her face, but was too
good-natured to be honest.
"And how is your dear mother? I was so sorry to hear from a mutual
friend that she had been unwell." How thankful she was that she read
each week various papers which reported people's doings!
A sense of bewilderment lurked in her heart. Who was this Lewis
Haystoun who owned such a house and such a kindred? The hypothesis of
money made in coal seemed insufficient, and with much curiosity she set
herself to solve the problem.
"Is Mr. Haystoun coming back to tea?" she asked by way of a preface.
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