They talked for some little time over the proposed change, and then Evereld went to her room leaving the men to argue the matter out at still greater length over their pipes. In her own mind she began to have some vague suspicion of the reason why he was so anxious for them to accept the offer, and later on Ralph confirmed her in this idea. She was still brushing out her sunny brown hair when he came in.
“Well darling, I believe we shall have to go,” he said. “Hateful as it will be to leave Macneillie, it is of course a step upward, and he seems really anxious that we should not lose such a chance. Moreover it is not alone of us that he is thinking. It is of Miss Greville.”
“I felt somehow that it was, and yet what difference can it make to her?” said Evereld wonderingly. “I admire her more than I can tell you, but of what possible use can we be to her?”
“Well it’s hard to say, but she seems to have told Macneillie that she had taken a great fancy to you the other day when we met her at the Herefords, and then I think he said something about the possibility of some opening in London for me, and naturally she would like to help his friends. Then too from what he told me she must be awfully lonely, and though she tries to lead as retired a life as possible yet difficulties are always cropping up.”
“Where does she live?”.
“She has had a flat in Victoria Street, but is leaving, Barry Sterne told us. I think he said she had got another flat at Chelsea.”
“Could we afford to live in such a neighbourhood as Chelsea?”
“Yes, I think we might if we can find anything suitable, my salary will be better than it is now, and we could furnish by degrees.”
“Oh, Ralph! what fun!” cried Evereld her eyes lighting up at the prospect of furnishing, for she was a true woman.
“We would do it very, very economically. We would begin like Traddles and Sophy ‘on a Britannia metal footing;’ there would always be the Memorial spoons for visitors, you know.”