She raised her eyebrows.
“Possibly.”
He suddenly drew back, and went to the other side of the carriage. Claudia, in the pony-cart, had lost her interest in the match. She made only monosyllabic replies, but she was listening intently to Mrs Leslie’s remarks, more than one of which related to Miss Arbuthnot. Finally she said—
“I wonder whether the report about her is true? It would be curious if she and Arthur married in the same year.”
“Why curious?”
“Because at one time— Oh, well,” she added with a laugh, “you can cross-question Arthur.”
Claudia made no answer; she seemed to be taken up with a wild gallop of the ponies across the ground.
As they drove home they passed the Thornton carriage, and were stopped by a sign from its mistress.
“Captain Fenwick has gone,” she said, “and has half promised that you will all dine with us after the inspection to-morrow. Will you?”
Mrs Leslie hesitated and accepted. Miss Arbuthnot, who had nodded to Claudia, now leaned forward.