Nell of Shorne Mills

"The phaëton is ready, my lady; and Sir Archie says are you going to

drive, or is he? because, if so, he will change his gloves, so as not to

keep your ladyship waiting."

"I don't care--oh, he can drive," said Lady Wolfer. She spoke as if the

message, acting as a kind of reminder, had helped her to recover her

usual half-careless, half-defiant mood. "About this dinner, Nell; will

you ask Lord Wolfer if there is any one he would like asked, and add

them to the list? Where did I leave it? Oh, it's in the library."

Nell went down for it, and, as she opened the door, Sir Archie came

forward with an eager and anxious expression on his handsome face--an

expression which changed to one of slight embarrassment as he saw that

it was Nell.

"The list? Ah, yes; here it is. I'm afraid it's not fully made out; but

there's plenty of time. Is Lady Wolfer nearly ready?"

Nell went away with a vague feeling of uneasiness. Had Lady Wolfer been

telling Sir Archie of her "trouble"? If so, why did she not tell her

husband? But perhaps she had.

Nell had no time to dwell upon Lady Wolfer's incoherent speech, for the

coming dinner party provided her with plenty to think about. She had

hoped that she herself would not be expected to be present, but when on

the following evening she expressed this hope, Lady Wolfer had laughed

at her.

"My dear child," she said, "don't expect that you are going to be let

off. Of course, you don't want to be present; neither do I, nor any of

the guests. Everybody hates and loathes dinner parties; but so they do

the influenza and taxes; but most of us have to have the influenza and

pay the taxes, all the same."

"But I haven't a dress," said Nell.

"Then get one made. Send to Cerise and tell her that I say she is to

build you one immediately. Anyway, dress or no dress, you will have to

be present. Why, I shouldn't be at all surprised if my husband refused

to eat his dinner if you were not."

Nell laughed.

"And I know that Lord Wolfer would not notice my presence or my

absence," she said.

Lady Wolfer looked at her rather curiously, certainly not jealously, but

gravely and wistfully.

"My dear Nell, don't you know that he thinks very highly of you, and

that he considers you a marvel of wisdom and cleverness?"