“Lord Culduff is not able to dine with us,” said Colonel Bramleigh, making the apology as well to himself as to the company.
“No, papa,” said Marion; “he hopes to appear in the drawing-room in the evening.”
“If not too much tired by his long walk,” broke in Jack.
“What walk are you dreaming of?” asked Marion.
“An excursion he made this morning down the coast, sketching or pretending to sketch. Nelly and I saw him clambering up the side of a cliff—”
“Oh, quite impossible; you must be mistaken.”
“No,” said Nelly, “there was no mistake. I saw him as plainly as I see you now; besides, it is not in these wild regions so distinguished a figure is like to find its counterpart.”
“But why should he not take his walk? why not sketch, or amuse himself in any way he pleased?” asked Temple.
“Of course it was open to him to do so,” said the Colonel; “only that to excuse his absence he ought not to have made a pretext of being ill.”
“I think men are 'ill' just as they are 'out,'” said Temple. “I am ill if I am asked to do what is disagreeable to me, as I am out to the visit of a bore.”