And Octavius Milburn had held the gate
open because it was more convenient to hold it open than
to leave it open. He had not a political view in the
world that was calculated to affect his attitude toward
a practical matter; and his opinion of Lorne was quite
uncomplicated: he thought him a very likely young fellow.
Milburn himself, in the Elgin way, preferred to see no
great significance of this sort anywhere. Young people
were young people; it was natural enough that they should
like each other's society. They, the Milburns, were very
glad to see Mr Murchison, very glad indeed. It was frequent
matter for veiled humorous reference at the table that
he had been to call again, at which Dora would look very
stiff and dignified, and have to be coaxed back into the
conversation. As to anything serious, there was no hurry;
plenty of time to think of that. Such matters dwelt under
the horizon; there was no need to scan them closely; and
Mr Milburn went his way, conscious of nothing more than
a comfortable gratification that Dora, so far as the
young men were concerned, seemed as popular as other
girls.
Dora was not in the drawing-room. Young ladies in Elgin
had always to be summoned from somewhere. For all the
Filkin instinct for the conservation of polite tradition,
Dora was probably reading the Toronto society weekly--
illustrated, with correspondents all over the Province--
on the back verandah and, but for the irruption of a
visitor, would probably not have entered the formal
apartment of the house at all that evening.
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