Roberta could not help thinking that the sudden turn in the new track began with the visit of her uncle to this house, and that the old lady need not have inflicted upon her the disagreeable necessity of witnessing a hostess taking a very repulsive cold plunge; but all she said was that she hoped the families would now live together in friendly relations; and that she was sure that, if this were to be, it would give her uncle a great deal of pleasure.  She very much wanted to ask Mrs Keswick how Mr Croft happened to be here at this time, but she felt that her very brief acquaintance with the lady would not warrant the discussion of a subject like that.

“She is very much the kind of woman I thought she was,” said Roberta to herself, when, after some further hospitable remarks from Mrs Keswick, the two went to the parlor together to find Mr Croft.  But that gentleman, having been deserted by all the ladies, was walking up and down the greensward in front of the house, smoking a cigar.  Mrs Keswick went out to him, and greeted him very cordially, begging him to excuse her for not being able to see him as soon as he came.

Lawrence set all this aside in his politest manner, but declared himself very much disappointed in not seeing Mr Keswick, and also remarked that from what she had said to him on his last visit he had expected to find quite a little party here.

“I am sorry,” said the old lady, “that Junius is away, for he would be very glad to see you, and it never came into my mind to mention to you that he was obliged to be in Washington at this time.  And, as for the party, I thought afterwards that it would be a great deal cosier just to have a few persons here.”

“Oh, yes,” said Lawrence, “most certainly, a great deal cosier.”

Mrs Keswick ate supper with her guests, and behaved very well.  During the evening she sustained the main part of the conversation, giving the company a great many anecdotes and reminiscences of old times and old families, relating them in an odd and peculiar way that was very interesting, especially to Croft, to whom the subject matter was quite new.  But, although her three companions listened to the old lady with deferential attention, interspersed with appropriate observations, each one made her the object of severe mental scrutiny, and endeavored to discover the present object of her scheming old mind.  Roberta was quite sure that her invitation and that of Mr Croft was a piece of artful management on the part of the old lady, and imagined, though she was not quite sure about it, that it was intended as a bit of match-making.  To get her married to somebody else, would be, of course, the best possible method of preventing her marrying Junius; and this, she had reason to believe, was the prime object of old Mrs Keswick’s existence.  But why should Mr Croft be chosen as the man with whom she was to be thrown.  She had learned that the old lady had seen him before, but was quite certain that her acquaintance with him was slight.  Could Junius have told his aunt about the friendship between herself and Mr Croft?  It was not like him, but a great many unlikely things take place.