When they entered the drawing-room, they found Miss Cameron alone.
Funkelstein advanced, and addressed a few words to her in German, which
Hugh’s limited acquaintance with the language prevented him from catching.
At the same moment, Mr. Arnold entered, and Funkelstein, turning to him
immediately, proceeded, as if by way of apology for speaking in an unknown
tongue, to interpret for Mr. Arnold’s benefit:
“I have just been telling Miss Cameron in the language of my country, how
much better she looks than when I saw her at Sir Edward Lastons.”
“I know I was quite a scare-crow then,” said Euphra, attempting to laugh.
“And now you are quite a decoy-duck, eh, Euphra?” said Mr. Arnold,
laughing in reality at his own joke, which put him in great good-humour
for the whole time of dinner and dessert.
“Thank you, uncle,” said Euphra, with a prettily pretended affectation of
humility. Then she added gaily:
“When did you rise on our Sussex horizon, Herr von Funkelstein?”
“Oh! I have been in the neighbourhood for a few days; but I owe my meeting
with you to one of those coincidences which, were they not so pleasant—to
me in this case, at least—one would think could only result from the
blundering of old Dame Nature over her knitting. If I had not had the good
fortune to meet Mr. Sutherland the other evening, I should have remained
in utter ignorance of your neighbourhood and my own felicity, Miss
Cameron. Indeed, I called now to see him, not you.”
Hugh saw Mr. Arnold looking rather doubtful of the foreigner’s fine
speeches.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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