"Then I shall burn them again," he said, with a laugh; "the rascals ought to know better!"
"But are you quite sure they are wrong, Claude?" she said, as they went back to the window. "Are you quite sure you never bought any of the things? Have you looked them carefully through?"
"Oh, I know all about it," said Claude, in a vexed voice; "do let it alone, dear. I have plenty of money to pay them all, if necessary; so please leave me to manage my own affairs. There's a splendid leader in the 'Times' to-day, Miss Trafford; have you read it?" he said, turning to Evelyn, and beginning a conversation with her on the politics of Europe.
Alice Fitzgerald left the window, took her work out of her pocket, and sat on a low stool by the fire; but she did not recover her usual good spirits for some time afterwards.
[CHAPTER IX.]
WAS THE PROMISE BINDING?
FROM this time, as the spring advanced, Evelyn began to grow much stronger, and the doctors seemed very hopeful that she would soon be able entirely to leave off her invalid habits. She was strong enough to go upstairs and downstairs quite comfortably; and although she still spent a good deal of time on her couch, it was more because Sir William insisted upon it than because she felt it really necessary.
I began to think that my stay at Alliston Hall was drawing to a close, for when Evelyn was able to return to the gay and active life that she had led before her illness, she would not need me any longer; but when I once hinted at something of the kind to her, she vehemently declared that I should never leave her, and that she should be ill again directly, if I were to go away.