Then dinner was announced, and the dinner certainly was sombre enough.  A dinner before a ball in the country never is very much of a dinner.  The ladies know that there is work before them, and keep themselves for the greater occasion.  Lady Purefoy had gone, and Lady Penwether was not very happy in the prospects for the evening.  Neither Miss Penge nor either of the two Miss Godolphins had entertained personal hopes in regard to Lord Rufford, but nevertheless they took badly the great favour shown to Arabella.  Lady Augustus did not get on particularly well with any of the other ladies,—­and there seemed during the dinner to be an air of unhappiness over them all.  They retired as soon as it was possible, and then Arabella at once went up to her bedroom.

“Mr. Nokes says he is a little stronger, my Lord,” said the butler coming into the room.  Mr. Nokes had gone home and had returned again.

“He might pull through yet,” said Mr. Hampton.  Lord Rufford shook his head.  Then Mr. Gotobed told a wonderful story of an American who had had his brains knocked almost out of his head and had sat in Congress afterwards.  “He was the finest horseman I ever saw on a horse,” said Hampton.

“A little too much temper,” said Captain Battersby, who was a very old friend of the Major.

“I’d give a good deal that that mare had never been brought to my stables,” said Lord Rufford.  “Purefoy will never get over it, and I shan’t forget it in a hurry.”  Sir John at this time was up-stairs with the sufferer.  Even while drinking their wine they could not keep themselves from the subject, and were convivial in a cadaverous fashion.

CHAPTER XXIV

The Ball

The people came of course, but not in such numbers as had been expected.  Many of those in Rufford had heard of the accident, and having been made acquainted with Nokes’s report, stayed away.  Everybody was told that supper would be on the table at twelve, and that it was generally understood that the house was to be cleared by two.  Nokes seemed to think that the sufferer would live at least till the morrow, and it was ascertained to a certainty that the music could not affect him.  It was agreed among the party in the house that the ladies staying there should stand up for the first dance or two, as otherwise the strangers would be discouraged and the whole thing would be a failure.  This request was made by Lady Penwether because Miss Penge had said that she thought it impossible for her to dance.  Poor Miss Penge, who was generally regarded as a brilliant young woman, had been a good deal eclipsed by Arabella and had seen the necessity of striking out some line for herself.  Then Arabella had whispered a few words to Lord Rufford, and the lord had whispered a few words to his sister, and Lady Penwether had explained what was to be done to the ladies around.  Lady Augustus nodded her head and said that it was all right.  The other