Toney laughed.
"Oh no, not yet; but she is very angry because—another avant garde came yesterday—such a quaint little old maid whose father was at Balaclava, and then finished up all his money before he died, and she has kept her mother for years by working at a little school, and now she is going blind."
"Did one little old maid rouse her anger?"
"Somehow it did, when it really was an honour to shake hands with Miss Phipps; but I want to know if I may have the farm at once and rig it up for interviews. I could put Miss Phipps and her mother there, and she could be sort of interviewing secretary."
"But you say she can't see?"
"Her mother could see for her and they could do it between them. Mr. Staines is so slow about the lease, and he and your lawyer are having chassé croisé about everything, and—if you don't mind lending it to me straight off till it's paid for we could send an army of work-people and do it up from top to toe."
Lewis looked at her bright eager face, and he felt it was also an honour to shake hands with her, but he could say nothing but,
"Of course you shall have it, only it's giving in to Lady Dove's selfishness."
"Pups said it was not seeing through other people's eyes that made us selfish. I read last night about Brother Leo's dream, and I did wish Aunt Dove could hear it, but she would think it rubbish. He saw a lot of brothers with loads on their backs trying to cross a river, some got half-way and some nearly to the shore, but in the end all were drowned; and then he saw others with no loads and they got over easily, and St. Francis explained that the loads were the riches which they could not forsake."
"Lady Dove has a pretty good heavy load, I fancy!" said Lewis rather savagely.