Aloud she said,—
'Well, I suppose I must congratulate you. And I will not stay out here after your marriage; you will have one of your family at the ceremony, which ought to comfort you.'
'You will like her as a sister, will you not?' asked Walter, with anxiety in his eyes, as he turned and faced his sister.
'Oh yes. I thought she was a nice little thing. Not much character, I suppose; but you men prefer that style of woman. She struck me as a lady.'
'Rather!' And with a short laugh Walter put his beloved pipe in his mouth, and with a sigh of relief at getting through his news, sank into a lounge chair, prepared to give his full confidence to his sister, now that the worst was over.
But Gwen disappointed him by rising carelessly from her seat.
'I am very tired. Your early hours here make the day interminable. Good-night.'
She passed into the house humming the air of a song, but once in her room her expression changed.
'He will marry and have a large family, and only just make his farming pay to support them all. He has no ambition, no desire to make his fortune and come back to England. It means a thorough colonial life for always. Oh, what fools men are!'
She paced her room with clenched hands.