Of course she had only one
topic--the success of her operations with regard to Gordon. "Mamma has
undertaken Blanche," she wrote, "and I am devoting myself to Mr. W. It
is really very interesting." She told Bernard all about it in detail,
and he also found it interesting; doubly so, indeed, for it must be
confessed that the charming figure of the mistress of his affections
attempting to heal a great social breach with her light and delicate
hands, divided his attention pretty equally with the distracted, the
distorted, the almost ludicrous, image of his old friend.
Angela wrote that Gordon had come back to see her the day after his
first visit, and had seemed greatly troubled on learning that Bernard
had taken himself off. "It was because you insisted on it, of course,"
he said; "it was not from feeling the justice of it himself." "I told
him," said Angela, in her letter, "that I had made a point of it, but
that we certainly ought to give you a little credit for it. But I could
n't insist upon this, for fear of sounding a wrong note and exciting
afresh what I suppose he would be pleased to term his jealousy. He asked
me where you had gone, and when I told him--'Ah, how he must hate me!'
he exclaimed.
Pages:
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323