“It’s no use looking for her, Charles. She won’t be in yet. Olivia never did care a straw for your comfort or for mine.”
Olivia turned to Mr. Brander, and held out her hand with a doleful shake of the head.
“There,” she said, “isn’t that more eloquent than the longest description? There’ll be an end to everything now she’s come!”
Fortunately it had grown by this time so dark that under her umbrella the hot blushes which mounted to Olivia’s cheeks as soon as this speech had escaped her lips could not be seen. Giving Mr. Brander her hand very hastily, and not leaving him time for something, he half hesitated, but wanted to say, she turned, and with a hasty “Good-bye; thank you very much for coming,” ran round towards the front of the house.
CHAPTER IX.
When Olivia had come as near as she could to the porch without being seen from thence, she stopped, in the hope that Mrs. Denison, who was still grumbling at her step-daughter’s non-appearance, would go indoors, and give her a chance of enveloping her father in a warm hug, and of snatching a stolen interview with him unknown to the ruling powers.
In a few moments, to the girl’s great delight, Mrs. Denison said, impatiently, “Well, I can’t stand here in the snow, just because your daughter chooses to insult me by absenting herself when I am expected.”
“My dear, my dear,” expostulated papa’s mild tones, “Olivia is the best creature in the world. She wouldn’t think of insulting you or anybody. But how could she guess that we should come by an earlier train than the one we said?”
“Well, I’m not going to catch cold even for the best creature in the world, and I should advise you not to either. Are you coming in?”
“Not directly, I think, my dear. I want a little air after that stuffy railway carriage. And really, you know, those children do quarrel so——”