“Mr. Duncan is at home and can take care of his brothers;” I replied quietly.
“Well, they want much addition to the neighborhood. That young one was a master-hand at mischief. I should have wanted a good deal of money to pay me.”
“Good-night;” I said rather abruptly, “I must be going.”
“Why don’t you come in? I haven’t seen your ma in an age. Nobody drops in when I am sick, though if I do say it myself, I’ve always been neighborly. No one can say I ever went on the other side like the publican.”
“Indeed they could not,” I thought to myself with a smile.
All this made me later than I expected to be. As I came up the road I saw Fanny and Mr. Duncan walking slowly to meet me.
Something dreadful flashed into my mind at that moment and made my face scarlet. I remembered that in my talk with Louis I had spoken of the probability of Stephen’s marrying Fanny. What if he had repeated that bit of idle gossip? Stuart would have done so from pure love of teasing.
“Why, Rose, how you have hurried! You are as red as your reddest namesake. Do stop and cool off a moment, child!”
That from Fanny did not make me any paler. I felt the contrast very keenly. She tall and elegant, with her graceful self-possession, and I such a little budget! I don’t know why I should have cared just at that moment, but I felt mortified enough to cry.
Mr. Duncan put out his hand. I just touched the tips of his fingers.