Chapter 11 - Page 2

she's not used to such things, and I think she was frightened. But
there wasn't a scratch or a shadow of a bruise on her. Even that
wouldn't have happened if I'd been with her. It was when I was
ill and my sister Anne took my place. Ann thought at first that
she'd been playing with a little boy she had made friends with--but
she found out that the boy hadn't come that morning--"

"A boy!" Andrews was sharp enough to detect a new and interested
note. "What boy?"

"She wouldn't have played with any other child if I'd been there"
said Andrews, "I was pretty sharp with Anne about it. But she said
he was an aristocratic looking little fellow--"

"Was he in Highland costume?" Feather interrupted.

"Yes, ma'am. Anne excused herself by saying she thought you must
know something about him. She declares she saw you come into the
Gardens and speak to his Mother quite friendly. That was the day
before Robin fell and ruined her rose-coloured smock and things.
But it wasn't through playing boisterous with the boy--because
he didn't come that morning, as I said, and he never has since."

Andrews, on this, found cause for being momentarily puzzled by the
change of expression in her mistress' face. Was it an odd little
gleam of angry spite she saw?

"And never has since, has he?" Mrs. Gareth-Lawless said with a
half laugh.

"Not once, ma'am," answered Andrews. "And Anne thinks it queer
the child never seemed to look for him. As if she'd lost interest.
She just droops and drags about and doesn't try to play at all."

"How much did she play with him?"

"Well, he was such a fine little fellow and had such a respectable,
elderly, Scotch looking woman in charge of him that Anne owned up
that she hadn't thought there was any objections to them playing
together. She says they were as well behaved and quiet as children
could be." Andrews thought proper to further justify herself by
repeating, "She didn't think there could be any objection."

"There couldn't," Mrs. Gareth-Lawless remarked. "I do know the
boy. He is a relation of Lord Coombe's."

"Indeed, ma'am," with colourless civility, "Anne said he was a
big handsome child."

Feather took a small bunch of hothouse grapes from her breakfast
tray and, after picking one off, suddenly began to laugh.

"Good gracious, Andrews!" she said. "He was the 'shock'! How
perfectly ridiculous! Robin had never played with a boy before
and she fell in love with him. The little thing's actually pining
away for him." She dropped the grapes and gave