Lady Helen Douglas was a very nice-looking girl, not exactly pretty,
but her gray eyes were capable of many shades of emotion. They were
large, and full of intelligence. Her complexion was almost colorless.
She had a slim, graceful figure. Her jet-black hair, which she wore
softly coiled round her head, was also thick and beautiful. Sibyl used
to like to touch that hair, and loved very much to nestle up close to
the graceful figure, and take shy peeps into the depths of the eyes
which seemed to hold secrets.
"You do look nice," said Sibyl, speaking in a semi-whisper, but in a
tone of great ecstasy, "and so does Mr. Rochester. Do you know, I
always call him nice Mr. Rochester. Watson is so interested in him."
"Who is Watson?" asked Lady Helen.
"Don't you know, he is our footman. He is very nice, too; he is full
of impulses, and they are all good. I expect the reason he is so
awfully interested in _dear_ Mr. Rochester is because they are both
having love affairs. You know, Watson has a girl, too, he is awfully
fond of; I 'spect they'll marry when father comes back with all the
gold. You don't know how fond I am of Watson; he's a very great,
special friend of mine. Now here's the carriage. Let's all get in.
Aren't you both glad you're coming, and coming together, both of you
_together_, to visit Silverbel. It's a 'licious place; there are all
kinds of little private walks and shrubberies, and seats for two under
trees. Two that want to be alone can be alone at Silverbel. Now let's
all get into the carriage."
Poor Rochester and Lady Helen at that moment thought Sibyl almost an
_enfant terrible_. However, there was no help for it. She would have
her say, and her words were bright and her interest of the keenest. It
mattered nothing at all to her that passers-by turned to look and
smiled in an amused way.
Mrs. Ogilvie was in an excellent humor. All the way down she talked to
Lady Helen of the bazaar which she had already arranged was to take
place at Silverbel during the last week in August.
"I had meant to put it off until my husband returned," she remarked
finally, "but on reflection that seemed a pity, for he is scarcely
likely to be back before the end of October, and by then it would be
too late; and, besides, the poor dear Home for Incurables needs its
funds, and why should it languish when we are all anxious, more than
anxious, to be charitable? Mr. Acland, my lawyer, is going to pay a
deposit on the price of the estate, so I can enter into possession
almost immediately. I am going to get Morris & Liberty to furnish the
place, and I shall send down servants next week. But about the
bazaar. I mean it to be perfect in every way. The stalls are to be
held by unmarried titled ladies. Your services, Lady Helen, must be
secured immediately."
"Oh, yes," cried Sibyl, "you are to have a most beautiful stall, a
flower stall: what do you say?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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