And Howard, too, was a visitor at Ashley House.
At first, there was a great prejudice against Howard in the Morton family. Ethel could not bear to hear his name, for it was painfully associated in her mind with poor Digby’s death.
But after a time, through the quiet influence of Madeleine’s conversations about Howard and Martin’s evident affection for him, this prejudice died away, and Martin was invited to bring his friend to Ashley House.
Acquaintance ripened into a true and earnest friendship, and, under the influence of the young people, Mr. Morton found sources of happiness which he never had dreamed life could yield to him; and even Mrs. Morton had so far thrown off her listlessness, as to be able to take an interest in their plans and purposes.
It was a lovely summer evening, toward the end of July, that the party of friends were all together upon the lawn; they had drawn the garden chairs up, and, after the game of croquet in which Madeleine and Howard had succeeded in beating Ethel and Martin, were prepared to devote the remainder of the evening to chat. Seeing this, Mr. Morton had put away his book, and drawn up his chair beside them, while Mrs. Morton, regardless of falling dews and rising damp, had followed the example of her husband.
“Now,” said Mr. Morton, “short holidays, like this Saturday afternoon, are good; but are not long holidays better? And now that everybody is thinking of taking a trip somewhere or other, should not we ‘do as Rome does,’ and think of the same thing?”
“I suppose, sir, we all have been thinking of it, more or less, for the past year,” said Martin; “and I for one must think of it seriously, for my holidays are fixed by official rules, and begin very soon.”
“And yours, Howard?” inquired Mr. Morton.
“I can take a holiday now, or later,” he answered. “But I do not generally get a month straight off, as these government officials do. However, I shall try for a longer holiday this year than I had last.”
“Well, now,” said Mr. Morton, drawing up his chair more closely to the group, “don’t you think we might make up a party, and all go somewhere together?”