It was Mr. Mayne who had tendered this parting hospitality to his neighbors, and he chose to be much offended at Mrs. Challoner's refusal.
"I think it is very unfriendly of your mother, when we are such old neighbors, and on our last evening, too," he said to Nan, as she entered the drawing-room that evening bringing her mother's excuses wrapped up in the prettiest words she could find.
"Mother is not quite well; she does not feel up to the exertion of dining out to-night," returned Nan, trying to put a good face on it, but feeling as though things were too much for her this evening. It was bad enough for Mr. Mayne to insist on them all coming up to a long formal dinner, and spoiling their chances of a twilight stroll; but it was still worse for her mother to abandon them after this fashion.
The new novel must have had something to do with this sudden indisposition; but when Mrs. Challoner had wrapped herself up in her white shawl, always a bad sign with her, and had declared herself unfit for any exertion, what could a dutiful daughter do but deliver her excuses as gracefully as she could? Nevertheless, Mr. Mayne frowned and expressed himself ill pleased.
"I should have thought an effort could have been made on such an occasion," was his final thrust, as he gave his arm ungraciously to Nan, and conducted her with ominous solemnity to the table.
It was not a festive meal, in spite of all Mrs. Mayne's efforts. Dick looked glum. He was separated from Nan by a vast silver epergne, that fully screened her from view. Another time she would have peeped merrily round at him and given him a sprightly nod or two; but how was she to do it when Mr. Mayne never relaxed his gloomy muscles, and when he insisted on keeping up a ceremonious flow of conversation with her on the subjects of the day?
When Dick tried to strike into their talk, he got so visibly snubbed that he was obliged to take refuge with Phillis.
"You young fellows never know what you are talking about," observed Mr. Mayne, sharply, when Dick had hazarded a remark about the Premier's policy; "you are a Radical one day, and a Conservative another. That comes of your debating societies. You take contrary sides, and mix up a balderdash of ideas, until you don't know whether you are standing on your head or your heels;" and it was after this that Dick found his refuge with Phillis.