She made up her mind to give him up. She would go home in the
morning, make her peace with them all, and never see Louis Akers
again.
She slept after that, and at ten o'clock Elinor wakened her with
the word that her father was downstairs. Elinor was very pale. It
had been a shock to her to see her brother in her home after all
the years, and a still greater one when he had put his arm around
her and kissed her.
"I am so sorry, Howard," she had said. The sight of him had set
her lips trembling. He patted her shoulder.
"Poor Elinor," he said. "Poor old girl! We're a queer lot, aren't
we?"
"All but you."
"An obstinate, do-and-be-damned lot," he said slowly. "I'd like to
see my little girl, Nellie. We can't have another break in the
family."
He held Lily in much the same way when she came down, an arm around
her, his big shoulders thrown back as though he would guard her
against the world. But he was very uneasy and depressed, at that.
He had come on a difficult errand, and because he had no finesse he
blundered badly. It was some time before she gathered the full
meaning of what he was saying.
"Aunt Cornelia's!" she exclaimed.
Pages:
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284