"Yes. I have been intimate with the Challoners ever since I was a boy.
Lady Laura was always charming; but I think her marriage with Fred
Armstrong—who worships the ground she walks on—and the possession of Hale
Castle have made her absolutely perfect."
"And you know her sister, Lady Geraldine, of course?"
"O yes, I know Geraldine."
"Do you know Mr. Fairfax, the gentleman to whom she is engaged?"
"Well, yes; I am supposed to have some knowledge of that individual."
Something in his smile, and a certain significance in his tone, let in a sudden light upon Clarissa's mind.
"I am afraid I am asking very foolish questions," she said. "You are Mr.
Fairfax?"
"Yes, I am George Fairfax. I forgot that I had omitted to tell you my name that night."
"And I had no idea that I was speaking to Mr. Fairfax. You were not expected till quite late this evening."
"No; but I found my business in London easier to manage than I had supposed it would be; so, as in duty bound, I came down here directly I found myself free. When I arrived at the Castle, I was told of this picnic, and rode off at once to join the party."