Our Bessie Part 29

"Yes; and Edna seemed rather upset at seeing him, and so I left them."

"You have taken my breath away," exclaimed Mrs. Sefton. "Oh, Bessie, do you think---- Come and let me sit down somewhere; my sight-seeing is over What did he say to her? How did they meet? Did he speak first?"

"Don't ask me; I know nothing," replied Bessie, with an odd little laugh. "She pointed him out to me, and asked if it were her fancy; and then he saw us, and Edna looked very white, and he held out his hand and said something; and then there was that j.a.panese fan, and of course, I heard nothing more."

"You left them. That was right; you were very sensible, my dear."

"Let me tell you everything," said Bessie, feeling burdened by her secret. "I have seen Mr. Sinclair before; I met him on the Parade, and it was I who told him to come here." And she related the purport of her conversation with him.

Mrs Sefton seemed much moved. "It will come right;" she said, in an agitated voice. "My poor child will be happy again. Bessie, I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you. I love Neville like a son. It is the wish of my heart to see Edna his wife. He has brilliant prospects. He is a rising man, and immensely clever; and Edna will never care for any one else."

Bessie forgave this worldly speech on account of the motherly tone in which it was said.

"He must have taken her away; they are certainly not in this room," she said bye and bye. "Perhaps they are in the gardens; they will be quieter there."

"Never mind, we will not look for them. You must amuse yourself, Bessie, until they come of their own accord. Suppose we buy something at the Crawfords' stall. I want you to choose something pretty for each of your sisters. Throw that hideous fan away! It is not worth sixpence. Where did you pick up such an ugly thing?"

"It was the first handy article," replied Bessie. "Throw it away! No indeed! I shall keep it forever as a memento of this day."

But Mrs. Sefton, in high good-humor, vowed that she should have a prettier remembrance of the day than that. A few minutes afterward she put a lovely little work-case in Bessie's hands. It was fitted up very tastefully, and was really a most useful present; and then she proceeded to select work-bags and pretty knick-knacks for the Lambert girls.

Bessie remonstrated in vain. Mrs. Sefton had come there to spend money, and she lavished one article after another on Bessie.

"This soft white shawl will just suit your mother," she said. "And, oh!

here is a pocketbook for Dr. Lambert. Your father will find that useful.

Does your brother smoke? No? Well, we will buy that letter-case for him; and now I think we have finished."

But it was quite half an hour afterward before the truants returned.

"Here they come!" exclaimed Bessie, as Mrs. Sefton began to get restless.

"Oh, mamma, dear, I hope we have not kept you," said Edna penitently; but she blushed very prettily as she spoke, and there was no mistaking the happy look in her eyes.

"You must blame me, Mrs. Sefton," interrupted Mr. Sinclair, who also looked radiant. "There was such a crowd that I took Edna into the gardens, and we have been sitting quietly under the trees. I hope we have not really inconvenienced you and Miss Lambert."

"Not a bit," replied Mrs. Sefton cheerfully. "But we may as well go home now, as Bessie and I have made all our purchases. Will you see if the carriage be there, Neville?"

"Neville is coming back with us, mamma," observed Edna, in her old bright manner; and then Mrs. Sefton looked at her meaningly. Just then the band struck up with a military march, and Bessie lost Edna's low answer. There was nothing particular said during the drive home. Mr.

Sinclair observed he must go to his hotel to dress, and Edna questioned Bessie about her purchases.

When they reached Glenyan Mansions, Edna shut herself up with her mother, and Bessie went off to her own room and inspected her treasures, and then she dressed herself and sat down to read. Bye and bye there was a knock at the door, and Edna came in; she looked perfectly lovely with that soft look of happiness on her face.

"May I come in, Bessie? Mamma is talking to Neville in the drawing-room, and I can spare you a few minutes. Neville has told me everything. He says it is you who smoothed the way for our meeting and reconciliation.

Bessie, darling, how am I to thank you?" and Edna wrapped her arms round her and kissed her fondly.

"It is all right, then?"

"It was all right the moment I saw him; he just looked at me, and said, 'I wonder if you are glad or sorry to see me, Edna?' and I managed to gasp out the word 'Glad!' And then he took my hand and asked me to come out of the crowd, and let him talk to me quietly. It seemed to me we understood each other at once."

"Dear Edna, I congratulate you from my heart."

"Yes, and it is all owing to you; we shall neither of us forget that.

Bessie, you don't half know how good Neville is, how gentle and generous he has been. He would not let me humble myself, or ask for his forgiveness. But, oh, he has been so unhappy! His mother has been nearly dying, poor fellow, and I never knew it; and even now her health is in a critical state. It is so sad for him, for he dotes on her, and they are everything to each other. He says if it had happened, and he had not had me to comfort him, it would almost have broken his heart."

"But he will have you now."

"Yes, and it must be my one thought to make up to him for these wretched seven months. Do you know, Bessie, he seems more distressed about me than about himself. He says I am quite altered, so thin and pale. He said it so gravely that I asked him if I had grown too plain for his taste; but there--I don't mean to repeat his answer."

"He will soon find out that you are as vain as ever."

"I actually told him so, for he was so depressed at my changed appearance that I had to make one or two mischievous speeches just to rouse him, and that did him good; he punished me, though, by pointing out some of his gray hairs; but he has really grown handsomer, Bessie.

Mamma said so, too, though Neville was never really handsome. Poor mamma! she is so happy, she has been crying for joy."

The dinner-bell rang at that moment, and they were obliged to break off their talk. Mr. Sinclair had evidently found Edna's absence irksome, for he met her with a reproach at her delay; but she answered him so sweetly that he was mollified in a moment.

It was the happiest evening Bessie had had since Hatty's death; it was such a relief to see Edna's face bright with smiles, and to hear the satisfied tones of her voice, and to meet the quiet look of content on Mr. Sinclair's face. He was not a demonstrative man, and a stranger would hardly have thought his manner lover-like, but it was evident that he and Edna understood each other perfectly. After dinner he asked her to sing for him, and she went to the piano at once.

"This is your favorite song, Neville," she said, looking at him quietly, and a flush of pleasure crossed his face. If he had ever doubted the reality of her affection for him, he could not have doubted it to-night, when every moment her gentleness and soft, appealing manner seemed to plead for forgetfulness of the past, and to hold out a safer promise for the future.

"I must come and see your mother," Bessie heard her say later on. "Mamma thinks of taking rooms for the season, and then I shall see her often; shall you like that, Neville?"

"There is only one thing I should like better," he replied, and there was a smile on his face as he got up and wished them good-night; and then he said something in a low voice to Edna.

"Very well," she answered, with a bend of her graceful head, and she rose from her seat and walked to the door.

Mrs. Sefton looked after them with an indulgent smile.

"He wants a word with her alone; Edna won't refuse him anything to-night. How happy they are, Bessie! Dear Neville is so satisfied; he told me that he was struck with the improvement in Edna; he thinks her so much more womanly and so gentle, but he is troubled about her delicacy; but she will get better now all this worry is at an end." And Bessie acquiesced in this.

When Edna came back, a little while afterward, she went straight to her mother and knelt down by her chair.

"Mother dear," she said, tenderly, "Neville has forgiven me, and you must forgive me, too."

"I forgive you my darling!" in a startled tone.

"Yes, for being such a bad daughter; but I will be good; indeed, I will be good now;" and, worn out with the emotions of the day, Edna laid her head on her mother's lap and burst into tears.

Bessie, touched to the heart by this little display of feeling, went softly out of the room, and left the mother and child together.

CHAPTER XXIII.

MRS. SEFTON HAS ANOTHER VISITOR.

It was impossible for Neville Sinclair to tear himself away from Brighton for another twenty-four hours, so he telegraphed to his mother and made arrangements to take another day's holiday. He settled this before he slept that night, and presented himself at Glenyan Mansions long before the late breakfast was over. He and Bessie exchanged an amused glance as they shook hands, which was instantly detected by Edna, and she at once insisted on an explanation.