It will be imagined what pleasure
Mrs Milburn and Miss Filkin took in his visits, how he
propped up their standard of behaviour in all things
unessential, which was too likely to be growing limp, so
far from approved examples. I think it was a real aesthetic
satisfaction; I know they would talk of it afterward for
hours, with sighing comparisons of the "form" of the
young men of Elgin, which they called beside Hesketh's
quite outre. It was a favourite word with Mrs Milburn
--outre. She used it like a lorgnette, and felt her
familiarity with it a differentiating mark. Mr Milburn,
never so susceptible to delicate distinctions, looked
upon the young Englishman with benevolent neutrality.
Dora wished it to be understood that she reserved her
opinion. He might be all that he seemed, and again he
might not. Englishmen were so deep. They might have nice
manners, but they didn't always act up to them, so far
as she had noticed. There was that Honourable Somebody,
who was in jail even then for trying to borrow money
under false pretences from the Governor-General. Lorne,
when she expressed these views to him, reassured her,
but she continued to maintain a guarded attitude upon Mr
Hesketh, to everybody except Mr Hesketh himself.
It was Dora, as I have said, who imparted the news.
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