Charlton strode about the room again in much perturbation. Then came in Fleda, looking as bright as if dollars had been counted by the thousand, and bearing his boots.
"What on earth did you do that for?" said he angrily. "I could have gone for them myself."
"No harm done," said Fleda lightly,--"only I have got something else instead of the thanks I expected."
"I can't conceive," said he, sitting down and sulkily drawing on his foot-gear, "why this piece of punctiliousness should have made any more difficulty about bringing me my boots than about blacking them."
A sly glance of intelligence, which Charlton was quick enough to detect, passed between Fleda and Hugh. His eye carried its question from one to the other. Fleda's gravity gave way.
"Don't look at me so, Charlton," said she laughing;--"I can't help it, you are so excessively comical!--I recommend that you go out upon the grass-plat before the door and turn round two or three times."
"Will you have the goodness to explain yourself? Who did black these boots?"
"Never pry into the secrets of families," said Fleda. "Hugh and I have a couple of convenient little fairies in our service that do things unknownst."
"I blacked them, Charlton," said Hugh.
Capt. Rossitur gave his slippers a fling that carried them clean into the corner of the room.