“Well, I never knew such impudence!” cried Lady Rea, indignantly.
“You will sing now to oblige me,” said Vanleigh; but for the time, Tiny declined, and Fin was carried off to the piano by Sir Felix.
“Do you know ‘Won’t you tell me why, Robin?’” said Sir Felix, beaming down at the little maiden.
“Yes,” said Fin, sharply.
“Then do sing it.”
“I shall sing ‘Maggie’s Secret’ instead,” said Fin, sending the colour flushing into her sister’s face, as she rattled it out, with tremendous aplomb given to the words—
So I tell them they needn’t come wooing to me.
Meanwhile, Trevor went on pouring his troubles into Lady Rea’s attentive ears, as Sir Hampton prosed, Aunt Matty dozed with a smile on her countenance, Pepine snoozed in her lap in a satin tent made of his mistress’s fan, and Poor Tiny longed for the hour when she could be alone.
“Lady Rea,” said Trevor, at last, “I will not attempt to conceal my feelings—I think you can guess them, when I tell you that my trouble is that your daughter passed me in the wood talking to—questioning the little girl I have mentioned, and I read that in her face which seemed to say that she despised me.”
“Then that’s what’s made Tiny so low-spirited for the last few days,” said Lady Rea.