Finally, in the midst of commonplaces which, to his apprehension, were verging upon flatness, a bold inspiration disclosed itself—as splendid as the Dent du Midi revealing its glaciers above the mounting sunrise—in his brain.
“We should all be charmed if you would come up and dine with us tonight,” he said, under the abrupt impulsion of this idea. “It's been such an age since we wanderers have had the privilege of company at our table!”
The felicity of these phrases from his lips attracted his admiring attention, even while he waited in suspense for an answer to them.
The ladies exchanged a look. “Yes,” said Miss Madden, after the slightest of pauses, “we shall be very happy.”
Shortly thereafter Thorpe took his leave, and went downstairs and out. He wandered about till luncheon time, observing the mountains across the lake from various standpoints, and, as it were, with new eyes. He was interested in them in a curious new fashion; they seemed to say things to him. His lip curled once at the conceit that he was one of the Alps himself.
CHAPTER XII
IT did not happen until three days later that Thorpe's opportunity to speak alone with Lady Cressage came.
In this brief period, the two parties seemed to have become fused in a remarkable intimacy. This was clearly due to the presence of the young people, and Thorpe congratulated himself many times each day upon the striking prescience he had shown in bringing them.
Both the ladies unaffectedly liked Julia; so much so that they seemed unwilling to make any plans which did not include her. Then it was only a matter of course that where she went her brother should go—and a further logical step quite naturally brought in their willing uncle. If he had planned everything, and now was ordering everything, it could not have gone more to his liking.