I gave a start of surprise. Minnie looked down at me half maliciously.
“There, you see,” she said archly again, “at Dr. Ivor you change colour. I told you you’d remember him!”
I grew pale with astonishment.
“Minnie dear,” I said, holding her hands very tight in my own, “it wasn’t that, I assure you. I’ve forgotten him, utterly. If ever I knew a Dr. Ivor, if ever I flirted with him, as you seem to imply, he’s gone clean out of my head. His name stirs no chord—recalls absolutely nothing. But I want to know about that Athletic Meeting. Was my poor father there that day? And did he take a set of photographs?”
Minnie clapped her hands triumphantly.
“I KNEW you remembered!” she cried. “Of course, Cousin Vivian was there. We drove over in a break. You MUST remember that. And he took a whole lot of instantaneous photographs.”
My hand trembled violently in my cousin’s. I felt I was now on the very eve of a great discovery.
“Minnie,” I said, tentatively, “do you think your papa would drive us over some day and—and show us the place again?”
“Of course he would, dear,” Minnie answered, with a gentle pressure of my hand. “He’d be only too delighted. Whatever you choose. You know you were always such a favourite of daddy’s.”
I knew nothing of the sort; but I was glad to learn it. I drew Minnie out a little more about the Athletics and my visit to Berry Pomeroy. She wouldn’t tell me much: she was too illusive and indefinite: she never could get the notion out of her head, somehow, that I remembered all about it, and was only pretending to forgetfulness. But I gathered from what she said, that Dr. Ivor and I must have flirted a great deal; or, at least, that he must have paid me a good lot of attention. My father didn’t like it, Minnie said; he thought Dr. Ivor wasn’t well enough off to marry me. He was a distant cousin of ours, of course—everything was always “of course” with that dear bright Minnie—what, didn’t I know that? Oh, yes, his mother was one of the Moores of Barnstaple, cousin Edward’s people. His name was Courtenay Moore Ivor, you know—though I knew nothing of the sort. And he was awfully clever. And, oh, so handsome!