The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia ScarlettMacKenzie, Compton
General
The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett
MacKenzie, Compton
Fiction
Sylvia returned to her book, wondering more than ever how she could have
supposed a year ago that she could follow Victoria Worsley along the
pathway of her simple and happy life.
The whole family from Arbour End came to London for the ten days before
term began, and Sylvia stayed with them at a hotel. Gladys and Enid had
to get their new frocks, and certain gaps in Hercules's education had to
be filled up, such as visiting the Zoo and the Tower of London and the
Great Wheel at Earl's Court. Sylvia and the twins searched in vain for
the Hall of a Thousand and One Marvels, but they found Mabel selling
Turkish Delight by herself at a small stall in another part of the
Exhibition. Sylvia thought the best way of showing her penitence for the
heartless way she had treated her was to buy as much Turkish Delight as
could possibly be carried away, since she probably received a percentage
on the takings. Mabel seemed to bear no resentment, but she was rather
shy, because she mistook the twins for Sylvia's sisters-in-law and
therefore avoided the only topic upon which she could talk freely, which
was men. They left the florid and accommodating creature with a callow
youth who was leaning familiarly across the counter and smacking with a
cane his banana-colored boots; then they ate as much Turkish Delight as
they could and divided the rest among some ducks and the Kaffirs in the
kraal.
Sylvia also visited Hornton House and explained to Miss Ashley why she
had demanded the banishment of Gertrude from Green Lanes.
"Poor Gertrude, she was very much upset," Miss Ashley said.
Sylvia, softened by the memories of a so happy year that her old school
evoked, made up her mind not to carry on the war against Gertrude. She
felt, too, a greater charity toward Philip, who, after all, had been the
cause of her being given that so happy year, and she went back to
Hampshire with the firm intention of encouraging this new mood that the
last four months had created in her. Philip was waiting on the platform
and was so glad to see her again that he drove even more absent-mindedly
than usual, until she took the reins from him and whipped up the horse
with a quite positive anticipation of home.
Sylvia learned from Philip that the visit of Miss Horne and Miss Hobart
had influenced other lives than their own, for it seemed that Miss
Horne's announcement of their attendance in future at Mr. Dorward's
empty church had been fully carried out. Not a Sunday passed but that
they drove up in the governess-car to Mass, so Philip said with a wry
face for the word; what was more, they stayed to lunch with the vicar,
presided at the Sunday-school, and attended the evening service, which
had been put forward half an hour to suit their supper.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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