Lady Cleeve took quite a liking for Mrs. Ducie: who indeed charmed all without conscious effort. She was a great favourite with the Vicar, and after dinner he sat by her side for an hour. Philip's eyes were turned towards her very frequently, but his attentions to her were not more marked than those he paid to any other of his mother's guests.
"A pity poor old Downes could not be here!" remarked Captain Lennox to Miss Winter, in the course of the evening. "That gout is sure to attack one at an unseasonable time."
Ella smiled at the last sentence, as she made room for the Captain on the sofa. "I hope Dr. Downes is not breaking," she said, "but he has not looked well lately."
"Oh, he is all right: it was only this fit of gout coming on. The last time I saw him he broke into a lamentation over the loss of his gold snuff-box: it's not often he speaks of it. That was a curious thing, by the way."
"Very," assented Ella. "I was away at the time, but I heard about it on my return. It put me in mind of the loss of my aunt's jewels."
"Why, that's what it put me in mind of; very forcibly, too," returned Captain Lennox. "I said so to Philip Cleeve."
Both of them turned their eyes on Philip as the Captain spoke. To Ella it seemed that Philip was strangely restless and excited to-night. His eyes sparkled and his face looked flushed. "Foolish boy! he has been drinking too much wine," was her thought; and Mr. Bootle was evidently of the same opinion.
But they were mistaken. Philip had been in the same restless and excited mood yesterday, and would be again to-morrow. Captain Lennox was probably the only person present who could have guessed at the real cause of it.
"I wonder," resumed Ella, "whether the Doctor will ever find his snuff-box again?"
"Ah, that's doubtful," said the Captain, gravely shaking his head. "Not if it was taken by an ordinary thief."