IN THE SHADOW
see my water garden. I will tell you of the incident on the way. Are you two children coming with us?"
"I—I think not. I have some letters to get ready for the post," replied Virginia uncertainly. For some unaccountable reason she disliked hearing the rescue discussed at any time; with the wise, examining eyes of Leyden upon her, she felt that it would be insupportable. She felt a shrinking—a nervousness—the sensation which a woman wears with her surgeon.
Manning was absent, having gone to London; Virginia had a suspicion that he had accepted a rather undesirable invitation to avoid the dinner to which Dessalines was asked.
The day wore on, poisoned for Virginia by disquieting anticipations of the evening. She said nothing to Giles concerning this, but kept him near her. In the afternoon Leyden drove with Lady Maltby; Virginia learned that besides being an old friend he was regularly commissioned by Sir Henry and several of his neighbors who were interested in horticulture, to inspect their gardens and greenhouses and keep them supplied with such plants as he thought would be desirable.
Just before the dinner hour Virginia descended to find the others of the household awaiting the arrival of the guests, Lady Woodville and her sister, Miss Byng, and Dessalines. The two former arrived shortly after Virginia went down. Lady Woodville and her sister, neighbors; the former a widow, the latter a spinster, were unexciting; both handsome, well born, not interesting. It would have been an indignity to have called either pretty; they were useful, as are all such, in chinking the spaces between the larger blocks.
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