Jam and marmalade were both on the well-laden, old-fashioned board, but though Maud was helping herself to the latter, Leo resolutely declined. She was sure she was being watched; perhaps it was thought surprising that she could swallow food at all? Her hand trembled, and the spoon fell from the saucer of her cup. General Boldero looked up quickly, and the look was like a missile flung at her.
Obedient to command, Valentine Purcell had called three times at Boldero Abbey during the month succeeding Leonore's arrival. Val had quite entered into the spirit of the thing. He was fond of making calls at all times, and only needed the slightest hint to betake himself to any house in the neighbourhood.
It is true that the veriest trifle would also throw him off the track; a fieldmouse in the path was a lion,--but given no fieldmouse, he might be trusted to reach his destination, and when reached, the only difficulty was to get him away from it. Wherever he was, there would he take root; and having no claims elsewhere, it did not occur to him that other people's time was more precious than his own.
Accordingly he had spent, satisfactorily to himself, the best part of three afternoons with the Boldero girls, and though Mrs. Stubbs had been invisible on each occasion, he had got on quite well without her--indeed rather chuckled at the reflection that it would in consequence be necessary for him to turn up again ere long at the Abbey.
Mrs. Purcell was not so complacent, however. "Dear me, how extraordinary, Val."
"Very extraordinary, ma'am." Val shook his head wisely, and looked for more. His grandmother was so clever she would be sure to think of something more to say, some explanation of the strangeness.
"They spoke of her, of course?"--she threw out, after a meditative pause. "You gathered that she was there, and----"
"Oh, aye, they spoke of her. That's to say I heard old Sue say something about 'Leonore,' and when Maud came in--she wasn't there at first--the others asked where she had been, and she said, 'We went somewhere or other'. 'We' couldn't have been any one else, you know; they never go out with the general. Besides--stop a bit--why, of course, the footman took away her tea on a tray."