An hour or two later his man came to take him home to lunch. “I shall not go back so early as usual,” he said, as he left the sleigh at Pinewood. “Come for me half an hour later.”
At the lunch table he did once glance at the place where Vivienne sat quietly eating her baked potatoes and roast beef, and listening with an amused air to Judy’s semi-sarcastic remarks.
Mrs. Colonibel, busy with some thoughts of her own, scarcely spoke, and Colonel Armour and Valentine were not present.
“Will you be good enough to come to the library for a few minutes,” said Armour, letting his blue eyes rest for an instant on Vivienne as they left the table.
With a murmured reply in the affirmative, she passed by him as he held open the door for her.
“He looks as if he were going to scold her,” said Judy turning to her mother. “Do you know whether he thinks that she has been doing anything out of the way?”
“No,” said Mrs. Colonibel, coming out of her reverie; “I don’t; but I know that he scarcely approves of anything that she does. He fairly hates her.”
“Does he?” chuckled Judy with a sly glance at her mother. “She is not afraid of him at any rate. I admire her, mamma—she’s so cool and sweet. Don’t you wish you were like her?” and with an impertinent laugh the girl slipped by her.
“I shall not detain you long,” Armour was saying to Vivienne in the library. “I only want to give you this,” and he took an envelope from his pocket, “and to ask you to pardon me for my thoughtlessness in not handing it to you before.”
Vivienne blushed painfully and put back his proffered hand with the question, “Is it money?”