“Thank you; I had no idea that I was of so much importance,” he returned, lightly.
“Didn’t you?” she asked, sweeping him a coy look from beneath her long, dark lashes. “You have something to learn yet, then. But how long will you be away? Surely not six months, as Uncle Will said this morning.”
“Yes, I think so. I do not wish to hurry, and I mean to get a pretty thorough idea of what the United States are like. I think I shall be away until July or August.”
“Oh, Rupert, don’t! It will be too lonely and wretched for anything without you!” Lillian burst forth, impetuously, and in an agitated voice.
“Why, Lillian!” he exclaimed, astonished, and bestowing a puzzled look upon her downcast, agitated countenance; “will you miss me like that?”
“Did you expect you could go away for so long and not be missed?” she asked, tremulously.
“I confess I had not thought much about it,” he replied, gravely; “but I suppose, as we have all been brought up together, and had so much in common, that no one of us could go away without being missed. However, you will have Percy.”
“But Percy is soon to go to the Grange, and will be so taken up with his interests there that we shall see but very little of him. Oh, Rupert, I wish there was no such place as America!” Lillian concluded, with quivering lips.
“Bless you, little sister! I never thought that my going away would upset you like this,” Rupert said, laying his hand lightly on her shoulder, and really moved to see how she was taking it to heart.
“Little sister!” she repeated, flushing crimson, and drawing her figure to its full height.