She was standing beside Hebe as she spoke, and Hebe looked up to answer her.
“I hope—” she began, then stopped abruptly.
“There is your sister,” she said, but a curious expression came over her face, as she went on, “and—Archie Dunstan.—What an intrusion! How dared he?” she went on, to herself, in a lower tone. Stasy did not catch the words. She only saw the annoyance, almost indignation, on Hebe’s face.
But the next few minutes cleared up a good deal. Blanche hastened to her mother to tell of Herty’s accident and Mr Dunstan’s kindness, and Mrs Derwent was, naturally, eager in her thanks. Then she hurried in to see her boy for herself, and Blanche turned to Mr Dunstan.
“You said you wanted to see Lady Hebe; she is over there—standing by the other table.”
“Oh yes, thank you,” he answered. But he did not seem in any desperate hurry to speak to his old friend.
“I was thinking,” he began again, “that I might perhaps be of use about the doctor. It may be erring on the safe side to let him have a look at the boy’s ankle. I am driving home from East Moddersham, so I could easily stop at Blissmore on the way.”
“Thank you,” said Blanche. “I will see what my mother says.”
“Does she want to get rid of me?” thought Archie to himself.
However that may have been, Miss Derwent certainly gave him no excuse for lingering near her, so he strolled across to where Hebe was standing alone for the moment, as the girls had again dispersed.