XXIV
Guy and Hugo were not at Yearsly that week-end; they were sorry they could not come, Cousin Delia said.
She welcomed Walter, giving him both her hands, and looked at him hard, as his mother had looked at me; but she did not ask him questions. Some people said that Cousin Delia was hard to talk to, for she never asked you the ordinary things; she did not ask people how their relations were, as some women always do. She took people as they were, and left them alone; and she talked, when she did talk, about anything that was in her mind, or yours, at the moment.
She showed Walter some gems, Greek gems, in the library; he told her about them, their dates, and where they were made. He did not say they were decadent, or ‘too late,’ as I expected. He was polite to Cousin Delia, and treated her with respect.
He said:
‘She is not at all like her sons.’
I said:
‘Oh, Walter, I think her so like them both.’
He did not get on very well with Cousin John; that did not surprise me; Cousin John might seem dull to anyone who did not know him well.
I took him to Joseph and Mathew, and the Elliots at the farm. He was awkward with them all, and did not know what to say. They shook hands with us, and wished us joy, but they were not hearty, and as we turned away, I heard Elliot say to his wife:
‘I aye thought it would have been Mr. Hugo!’
I don’t think Walter heard what he said.
I took Walter to the Temple, and into the High Wood. He made love to me and kissed me, and called me pretty names; I would not have thought he could say the things he did, and I was glad he did; but I did not show him the Happy Tree, nor the Frog Pond, nor the Jasmine Gate.