“It is kind of you to ask me,” replied Maggie. “Do you know,” she added, turning and fixing her curious eyes on her companion’s face, “that I am one of those poor girls who have never seen a beautiful house like yours before.”
“I am so glad you like our house,” said Merry; “but you haven’t seen it yet.”
“I am looking at it now. So this is what I am accustomed to hear spoken of as one of the ‘Homes of England’?”
“It certainly is a home,” said Merry, “and an old one, too. Parts of the Manor have been centuries in existence, but some parts, of course, are comparatively new.”
“Will you take me all over it, Miss Cardew?” asked Maggie.
“Indeed, I shall be delighted; but you must come another 19 day for that, for we want to make up some sets of tennis without any delay. We have all our afternoon planned out. There are three or four young people who may arrive any moment, so that we shall be able to make two good sets.”
“How wonderful it all is!” said Maggie, who kept on looking at the house with ever-increasing admiration, and did not seem particularly keen about tennis.
“Don’t you like tennis, Miss—Miss Howland?” said Merry.
“Oh yes,” replied Maggie after a pause; “but then I think,” she added, after yet another pause, “that I like every nice thing in all the world.”
“How delightful that must be!” said Merry, becoming more and more attracted by Maggie each moment. “And you know a lot, too, don’t you? For you have seen so much of the world.”