Fanny Lambert

nsom driving about, pausing here and there to ask of

g

an, who was also the first director, and

ry, the right one, a spacious house built of red brick

te was pushed back; the orderly eye of Charles Bevan noticed that it wa

as a cabbage, had laid its head on the avenue-way, presenting a walk-over-me-I

ran up the three steps leading to the porch. He rang the bell, and then stood wondering at the luxuriance of t

clear to the mind of Mr Bevan. What did occur to him was that George Lambert would have the advantag

e been an admission to himself that he had committed a fault, and to admit

nd waited, a

oor which opened some two inches, disclosing a pale, bl

?" cried a voice

orge Lamber

but he's f

aspect of the place and the mysterious personage hidden by the door. He felt a great

g

s Lambe

us

rd, please. I would

Bevan's voice and appearance that he was not a dun or a robber. T

Charles to enter, and then closing the door, and barring it this time as if to keep

ed it with her apron, and declaring that she would send Miss Fan

glancing round at the books in their cases

ised now to its highest pitch, and calling "Miss Fanny, Miss[Pg

of people who extinguish their fires on the first of May. There were whips and fishing-rods, and a gun or two here and there, and books everywhere about, besides those on the shelves. The morning paper la

ng oranges as large as marrow-fat peas; through the half-open window came

he window an

arden bathed in the golden l

wide a

blown cle

day's hear

en's wer

g

ung shrivelled between the tottering poles, and close to the net he saw the for

strike it back when it fell; if it wen

er and thumb, picking her way like a cat along th

was trying to recollect who Schopenhauer was-when of a sudden the door opened and an amazingly pretty girl of the old-fashioned school of beauty entere

cock, you know[Pg 54] what, he'd kill me; I really believe he would." She put down her tennis racquet on the t

. He had also, unfortunately, left his hat on the table some yards away, and so had nothing with which to occupy his hands; he was, therefore, e

ting with people, but father loves it; he'd fight with himself, I think, if he could find no one else, and still, if you knew him, he's the sweetest-tempered person in the worl

g

d, but with this sweet-tongued and friendly beauty, it was impossible. He felt deeply exasperated at the false position in which he found himself, and was endeavouring to prepare some reply of a non-committal ch

tion costs such a lot, and there are so many people he could fight cheaply with if he wants to," she broke into an enchan

w fallen, his will[Pg 56] cried out frantically to his intellect for help, and received none. Here had he c

nny. "But as for me, I love them,

not exactly Russian and not exactly French, he had points o

d seeming therewith content Boy-Boy-such was his name-flun

e spends the whole night barking and rushing after the cats in

rtainl

n who grind scissors and things," said Miss Lambert, looking lovingly at her bargain. "He[

always shone on the topic of dogs or hors

im, he hid it in the garden and buried the bone-

h, who spoke in a muted tone as if she were announci

Bevan ro

stay to lunche

n addressing his remarks to the eyes of Miss Lambert, "I s

g Mr Bevan's hat up in t

followed he heard with a shudder Susannah attempting to hang his hat on the

g

ield plate formed the piece de résistance, there was jam which appeared frankly in a pot pictu

eized with an inspiration, appeared conveying a bottle of B?

oking girl when not defending the hall door, but her under jaw seemed like the avenue gate, half off its hing

u can get one of those little bottles of port, the ones

lped himself, Miss Lambert announcin

g

repared Susannah loses her head and often spoils things. Father generally sends him out to dig in the garden whilst she is cooking. I didn't send him to-day because he won't take orders from me, only from father. He says a ma

atively, wondering who "

t is

fter a moment's hesitation, "I don't see why I shouldn'

mean to s

to take possession

d down his k

g

grac

her; "it seemed so terrible. I never knew what a comfort he would turn out; he fetches the coals for Susan

have suffered at the hands of that pig-headed fool of a

loud, "how long has

Fanny, "but i

r-put

r Is

e debt for,

nt to

don

nt into the library, and took me on his knee, and smoked a pipe.[Pg 61] He always gets money when he sits and ha

as if he were listening to a fairy tale which he had t

" said Fanny, "and I told father n

ousin, George Lambert, had vanished. Anger is impossible to a s

te. It was hard to tell which was more attractive, her face or her voice, for the voice of Miss Lambert was one of those fatal v