“Oh! I thought you meant the light without. Well, she may be fascinating—to men, but as I am only a woman, I cannot be expected to appreciate that. You see we look more to other things.”
“Ah. Well, so far as I am a judge she seemed to me to be pretty well set up in them also. She has a marvellous voice, is certainly a first-class violinist, and I should say extremely well-read, especially in Norse literature.”
“Oh! I daresay she is a genius as well as a beauty.”
“I gather,” said the Colonel with a smile, “that you do not like Miss Fregelius. As my acquaintance with her is limited, would you think me rude if I asked why?”
“How can I be expected to like her, seeing——” and she paused.
“Seeing what, Miss Layard?”
“What, haven’t you heard? I thought it was common property.”
He shook his head. “I have heard nothing. Go on, pray, this is quite interesting.”
“That she led on that silly brother of mine until he proposed to her—yes, proposed to her!—and then refused him. Stephen has been like a crazy creature ever since, moaning, and groaning, and moping till I think that he will go off his head, instead of returning thanks to Providence for a merciful escape.”
The Colonel set his lips as though to whistle, then checked himself.