"Yes," said Miss Vernon, as her grandfather paused, "You must be tired. Do you know Captain Egerton; you seem to have infused new life into grandpapa, he has not walked so much for months, and yet he is quite fresh. I hope nurse will let us have dinner soon."
"How did that very dignified person find out I was chronicled in Debrett?" I asked. "I was amused and surprised at hearing myself so solemnly announced."
"Nelly seemed troubled in her mind with some indistinct recollections of you, and asked me if your brother was not a great lord, but I could not resolve her doubts, so——"
"Yes," broke in the Colonel, "she made the same enquiry of me, and I told her, her surmises were correct to the best of my belief; she piques herself on her knowledge of rank and precedence."
"What a relief it must be to her to think there is at last some good to counterbalance the crying evil of poor Mr. and Mrs Winter's degrading society: people like nurse are such strange mixtures—she would respect a gentleman in rags if he had a high-sounding name, and excuse his unpardonable extravagance—while she utterly despises a man of talent and respectability, because he earns money instead of wasting it!"
"Not a word against my sheet anchor, Nelly," exclaimed the Colonel.
"Oh!" said his granddaughter, "I am her warmest admirer, and—"
Here Nurse appeared in propriâ personâ, and announced dinner. "Give Kate your arm, Egerton: I wish I had a fair lady to escort myself."
"Did you communicate your fears for my brother's health, when your nurse enquired for him?" I asked, as we crossed the hall to the dining room.
"De grâce," said Miss Vernon, "let that rest; we have little to reproach each other with. We both behaved very badly."