“How strange!” she murmured. “How familiar everything is!”
At that moment, Tommy Dudgeon came in from the shop; and, on seeing Miss Owen in the old arm-chair, he stopped short, and uttered a cry.
“I beg your pardon, miss; I thought——”
It was in that very chair, standing in exactly the same spot as now, that little Marian had been accustomed to sit, when she used to come in and delight the two little bachelors with her quaint sayings, and queen it over them in her pretty wilful way. For her sake, the old chair had been carefully preserved.
“You thought I was taking a liberty, no doubt, sir,” said Miss Owen, jumping to her feet, with a merry laugh; “and quite right too.”
Tommy was horrified at the bare suggestion of such a thing. He begged her to sit down again, and she laughingly complied, insisting that he should sit in the opposite chair. Presently John came in, and stood looking calmly on. He was visited by no disturbing memories. Having chatted gaily, for a few minutes, with the two little men, Miss Owen took her leave.
“It’s all so strange!” she thought, as the carriage bore her swiftly away.
Then she knitted her brows, and clenched her hands in her lap.
“Oh,” she half-audibly exclaimed, “what if I have been here before? What if——” and she shivered with the excitement of the thought.