Chapter the Tenth

Austin returned in plenty of time to spend a few minutes loitering in the garden after he had dressed for dinner.  It was a favourite habit of his, and he said it gave him an appetite; but the truth was that he always loved to be in the open air to the very last moment of the day, watching the colours of the sky as they changed and melted into twilight.  On this particular evening the heavens were streaked with primrose, and pale iris, and delicate limpid green; and so absorbed was he in gazing at this splendour of dissolving beauty that he forgot all about his appetite, and had to be called twice over before he could drag himself away.

“Well, and did you have an interesting visit?” asked Aunt Charlotte, when dinner was halfway through.  “You found Mr St Aubyn at home?”

Austin had been unusually silent up till then, being somewhat preoccupied with the experiences of the afternoon.  He wanted to ask his aunt all manner of questions, but scarcely liked to do so as long as the servant was waiting.  But now he could hold out no longer.

“Yes—­even more interesting than I hoped,” he answered.  “I had plenty of delightful chat with St Aubyn, and then a visitor came in.  It’s that that I want to talk about.”

“A visitor, eh?” said Aunt Charlotte, her attention quickening.  “What sort of a visitor?  A lady?”

“Yes, an old lady,” replied Austin, “who——­”

“Did she come in an open fly?” pursued Aunt Charlotte, helping herself to sauce.

“Why, how did you know?  I believe she did,” said Austin.  “She had driven over from Cleeve.”

“Well, then, I must have seen her,” said Aunt Charlotte.  “A queer-looking old person in a great bonnet.  I happened to be walking through the village, and she stopped the fly to ask me the way to the Court, and I remember wondering who she could possibly be.  I suppose it was she whom you met there.”

“What, was it you she asked?” exclaimed Austin, opening his eyes.  “She told us the driver didn’t know the way, and that she’d enquired—­oh dear, oh dear, how funny!”

“What’s funny?” demanded Aunt Charlotte, abruptly.

“Oh, never mind, I can’t tell you, and it doesn’t matter in the least,” said Austin, beginning to giggle.  “Only I shouldn’t have known it was you from her description.”

“Why, what did she say?” Aunt Charlotte was getting suspicious.

“My dear auntie, she didn’t know who you were, of course,” replied Austin, “and she bore high testimony to the respectability of your appearance, that’s all.  Only it’s so funny to think it was you.  It never occurred to me for a moment.”

“What did she say, Austin?” repeated Aunt Charlotte, sternly.  “I insist upon knowing her exact words.  Of course it doesn’t really matter what a poor old thing like that may have said, but I always like to be precise, and it’s just as well to know how one strikes a stranger.  It wasn’t anything rude, I hope, for I’m sure I answered her quite kindly.”