“But he had not the slightest reason to expect to find me there,” said Cicely, “and he must have known Geneviève was with his mother; I have mentioned it several times in my letters to him, I am sure, and of course his mother will have done so too.”
“You don’t know that he has got all your letters, and of course he might not remember every little thing in them,” persisted Mrs. Methvyn. “Very likely when he got to the hotel, and asked for his father and mother, the people would mention there being a young lady with them, and he would hasten in, quite expecting to see you. I can thoroughly understand how it has been.”
Cicely smiled, but said no more about it.
“I must write to Geneviève at once,” said Mrs. Methvyn, seating herself at her writing-table.
“Won’t you wait till to-morrow, mother?” said Cicely persuasively. “If Geneviève has written off hastily in a fit of fancying she was not wanted, she will very probably have changed her mind again by this time, and Trevor and she will be quite good friends. I dare say you will have another letter saying something of the kind, to-morrow morning.”
“Do you think so?” said Mrs. Methvyn irresolutely;—“well, then, perhaps I may as well wait. If I wrote at once, I should certainly tell Geneviève how exceedingly absurd I think her.”
Cicely proved a true prophet. There did come another letter from Geneviève the next day, begging her aunt to forgive her hasty request, and saying that she would be quite happy to stay with her friends till they too came home.
“I was not happy when I wrote before, dear aunt,” she said, “because it appeared to me that Mr. Fawcett when he arrived was not well pleased to see me; but now he tells me that he was only surprised, for, though he knew I had been with his mother, he thought I had returned, there is a long time. Now, however, I understand how it was, and I shall not any more be ill at ease.”
“What a little goose Geneviève is,” said Cicely laughing; “she will make Trevor quite conceited if she studies his manner so.”
There was no mention of Geneviève in Mr. Fawcett’s letter to his fiancée beyond the words, “I was surprised to find your cousin with my mother, I thought she had gone home some time ago; I wish you were here.” And Cicely read the passage to her mother, who was much gratified by the testimony it bore to her sagacity.