“Well, I had this delicious morning to myself, and in the afternoon we played tennis at the Athertons’. There were no visitors, but we girls played by ourselves, and I had a long talk with Grace Donnerton. I liked her better than ever; but just as she was talking to me about her sister’s hospital, Maud Atherton disturbed us by telling us tea was ready.
“The next morning Edna drove me over to Kimberley—such a lovely drive; and the ponies were so frisky and went so well. We called at a beautiful old house, called Kimberley Hall—I never saw such a place—and had luncheon there. Mrs. Blondell, our hostess, is such a dear old lady, with pretty white curls, and such a sweet old face. Her husband is such a handsome old man; but he is quite deaf, and no one seems to make him hear anything except his wife, and she goes up and speaks to him in a low, distinct voice, and tells him things, and he brightens up at once. He is such a courtly old man, and pays little old-fashioned compliments. He took Edna’s hand and said, ‘We do not often see a pretty young face, my dear, but it is a very pleasant sight. I remember your mother when she was a girl, and a fine, handsome creature she was. I think her daughter does her credit, eh, Dolly?’ And Dolly—that is the dear old lady’s name—put her pretty old hand on his arm, and said, ‘She does indeed, Rupert, and she has got a look of our Maisie about her;’ and then they looked at each other in such a way.
“Edna explained it to me as we drove home. She said they had one child, a beautiful girl, who lived until she was seventeen, and then died of some wasting disease. She had been dead fifteen years, but the old couple had never got over her loss. ‘I am there often,’ Edna went on, ‘but I have never once been without hearing Maisie’s name mentioned; they are always talking about her. One day Mrs. Blondell took me upstairs and showed me all her things. There were her little gowns, most of them white, folded in the big wardrobe. ‘She was to have worn this at her first ball,’ said the poor woman, pulling down a lace dress; it looked quite fresh somehow, only the satin slip was a trifle discolored. There were the shoes, and the silk stockings, and a case of pearls, and the long gloves. ‘She would have looked lovely in it,’ she went on, smoothing out the folds with her tremulous fingers. ‘Rupert says she would have made hearts ache. Thank you my dear, you are very kind,’ for I could not help hugging the dear old thing. It made me cry, too, to hear her. ‘I go there very often because they like to see me; they will have it I am like Maisie, but I am not half so pretty.’ And Edna laughed, though her eyes were moist, and touched up Jill rather smartly.
“We had some people to dinner that evening, so Edna made me put on my Indian muslin, which she said looked very nice. She wore a soft white silk herself, which suited her admirably. She has some beautiful dresses which she showed me; she says her mother thinks nothing too good for her, and showers presents on her. She gets tired of her dresses before they are half worn out. I was half afraid she was going to offer me one, for she looked at me rather wistfully, but I made a pretext to leave the room. I enjoyed myself very much that evening. The curate took me in to dinner, and I found him very clever and amusing, and he talked so much that, though I was very hungry, I could hardly get enough to eat; but Edna, who declared that she had had no dinner either, brought me up a great plate of cake when we went to bed. Edna sang beautifully that evening, and the curate—his name is Horton—sung too, and Florence Atherton brought her violin. I had never heard a lady play the violin before, but Edna tells me I am old-fashioned, and that it is all the rage at present, and certainly Miss Atherton played extremely well.
“Good-bye for the present, dear Hatty; I will add more to-morrow. This is a sort of journal, you know, not a letter, and I shall write a little bit each day.
“‘Do be nice and lengthy,’ you said, and I am sure I am carrying out your wish.”
“Thursday morning.
“Well, here I am again sitting at my writing-table, pen in hand, and ‘the top of the morning to ye, darlint,’ as Biddy used to say; but my Hatty will be still asleep, I know, as she is not one of the strong ones, poor little Hatty! Such a wonderful thing happened to me yesterday—I actually had a riding-lesson. Do tell father that, for he knows how I used to envy Tom when Colonel Miles gave him a mount. It happened in this way. Edna was talking at breakfast time about her ride in the Row, and Mr. Sefton said suddenly, ‘How would you like to learn to ride, Miss Lambert?’ and not thinking he meant anything by the question, I said, ‘I should like it of all things. I do long for a good gallop.’
‘Oh, you must not gallop before you trot,’ he returned, quite seriously; ‘Edna, if you still have your old habit by you, I don’t see why I should not give Miss Lambert a lesson. Old Whitefoot is doing nothing for her living.’
“Well—would you believe it?—he was quite in earnest, and Edna, who is very good-natured, seemed to think it a good bit of fun, for she jumped up from the table and told her brother to bring Whitefoot round in half an hour; and then she made me go upstairs with her and put on a beautiful blue habit, which seemed to me quite new; but she said she had a much better one made for her last season. It fitted me tolerably, and only required a little alteration to be perfect—and I assure you I hardly knew myself in it, I looked so nice; but a dark habit is always so becoming. Edna looks like a picture in hers.