"Good-bye, uncle," she said.
"Good-bye."
She had got as far as the door, when he whispered, brokenly: "Lass—"
Helen turned quickly towards him.
CHAPTER XVII
DESCENDANTS OF MACHIAVELLI
Yes, she turned towards him with a rapid, impulsive movement, which expressed partly her sympathy for her old uncle, and partly a feeling of joy caused by the sudden hope that he had decided to give way and buy Wilbraham Hall after all.
And the fact was that, in his secret soul, he had decided to give way; he had decided that Helen, together with Helen's cooking, was worth to him the price of Wilbraham Hall. But when he saw her brusque, eager gesture, he began to reflect. His was a wily and profound nature; he reckoned that he could read the human soul, and he said to himself: