The princess here rose. It was time to go to the assembly, of which she was a patroness, and whither nearly all the party present were bound.
CHAPTER X
Mordaunt Ballinger's luncheons at the Lawyers' Club, and his introductions to various magnates of the money-market, had led to his mind being tossed and buffeted on a sea of railroads, and mines, and joint-stock companies, until it had settled—as much from exhaustion, perhaps, as anything—on "real estate" in one of the rapidly rising cities of the Far West. This seemed as safe an investment, to bring in a large return for his money, as he could find. He felt sure Mrs. Frampton would think so. Still, as his aunt, whose acuteness in money matters he regarded with an almost superstitious trust, not wholly unmixed with dread, was to join them in the course of a few weeks, the young man resolved to defer the purchase of the shares offered him until he could visit Pueblo, and investigate on the spot the condition and prospects of the estate in question.
He came into his sister's room, a morning or two after the Van Winkle dinner, holding an open letter in his hand.
"I've heard from Aunt Su. She has got my letter, and seems in an awful stew about my investing money here. Well, I wrote yesterday to tell her I should do nothing till she came. She thinks she can sail the middle of February, and join us in Boston. By the bye, have you written to Mrs. Courtly?"
"No. I was waiting for you to tell me what time to propose to go to her. I suppose we shall only be there a few days before we go to Boston?"
"Well, that depends. I believe the Planters are going to her next week. We may as well offer ourselves at the same time."
Grace smiled.
"Certainly." Then, with a malicious glance into her brother's face, "Perhaps Mrs. Courtly would invite Miss Hurlstone, too, if I mentioned her. They are friends, I know."
"Well, don't mention her, then. She is a very nice girl, and all that, but—I'd rather she didn't come."