'But there is nothing about him in the poem. Did you make him for yourself?'
'Why, he is Ferdinand Travis!' exclaimed Wilmet.
'What, is it a real man? I thought it was somebody in a story.'
'I see!' said Angela quietly. 'He is watching his armour the night before he was baptized.'
For the child had never forgotten the adult baptism, though she had been little more than four years old at the time; but she was one of those little ones to whom allegory seems a natural element, with which they have more affinity than with the material world.
However, the mention of Ferdinand Travis led to the history of the fire at the hotel, and of his recovery; Alice declared that 'everything nice' seemed to happen at Bexley, and was laughed at for her peculiar ideas of niceness; but there was something in the feminine prattle that was wonderfully new and charming to Geraldine, while, on the other hand, the visitor was conscious of a stimulus and charm that she had never previously experienced; and the eager tongues never flagged till Felix came in. He had evidently taken pains with his toilette, in honour of the unusual event; and the measured grave politeness of his manners renewed Alice's scared punctilious dignity of demeanour, and entire consciousness that she was a major's daughter and he a bookseller.
But Felix had brought in some exciting Eastern news; and Alice put on an air capable, as one connected with India and the army, but she soon found out the deficiency of her geography, and was grateful for the full clear explanations, while her amour propre was gratified by finding that her familiarity with a few Indian terms was valuable. Before the end of the evening all were at ease, and she was singing with Felix and Wilmet at the old piano.
No sooner had the door shut on her when the maid came to fetch her, than a storm fell on Wilmet.
'So that's what you call rather nice-looking?'
'Well, she is under-sized and very brown, but I did think you would have allowed that she was rather pretty.'