I expressed incoherent regret, and wished to my heart that Philippa had been there to cope with the situation.
"It began when mamma found out about Flurry's racing Sultan, and then came our dance——"
Miss Sally stopped; I nodded, remembering certain episodes of Lady Knox's dance.
"And—mamma says—she says——"
I waited respectfully to hear what mamma had said; the cob fidgeted under the attentions of the horseflies, and nearly trod on my toe.
"Well, the end of it is," she said with a gulp, "she said such things to Flurry that he can't come near the house again, and I'm to go over to England to Aunt Dora, next week. Will you tell Philippa I came to say good-bye to her? I don't think I can get over here again."
Miss Sally was a sufficiently old friend of mine for me to take her hand and press it in a fatherly manner, but for the life of me I could not think of anything to say, unless I expressed my sympathy with her mother's point of view about detrimentals, which was obviously not the thing to do.
Philippa accorded to my news the rare tribute of speechless attention, and then was despicable enough to say that she had foreseen the whole affair from the beginning.
"From the day that she refused him in the ice-house, I suppose," said I sarcastically.
"That was the beginning," replied Philippa.