over the chi l dren.
She found him at the stables. He had just ridden his favourite grey home from Demister’s farm, and was looking handsome and immaculate in his best riding breeches and jacket, his boots gleaming like old mahogany.
“Ha llo , Patricia,” he called. “Nice to see you. I won’t keep you a moment.”
He came out of the stable, a dmiring her with his dark eyes—for she never came to Springfield without having taken particular care over her appearance. “What brings you over today?” he asked.
“Couldn’t it be just a friendly visit?” she asked teasingly.
“Quite the nicest kind of visit,” he approved.
“But it wasn’t,” she added.
“Oh. Dashed again,” he said, smiling.
“I really came over to see Caroline first; and then to ask your approval of something I want to do?”
“My approval? Whatever would justify me in approving or disapproving of anything you wanted to do?”
“The children.”
“Ah, it concerns the children. Well, what is it?”
She explained to him the fact that Caroline was able to have so little free time that she had offered to look after the children sometimes for her; but that she preferred to have David’s sanction before doing any thing definite.
“Well, of course you have my sanction. I think ifs very good of you; and you will do the children a lot of good. I hope Miss Hearst doesn’t feel I’ve been hard on her.”
“Good heavens, no. You wouldn’t hear Caroline complaining. It’s just that we all have a fondness for Caroline, you know; we have all felt so sorry for her in the past, and we would like to think that she would have good chances in life. But if she can’t have free time, she is so limited; and now that Duncan seems to be so interested in her—well ... ”
“Duncan Wescott? Is he interested in Miss Hearst?”
Patricia looked at him and laughed.
“Now, now, I’m not going to gossip. Nor am I go ing to start matchmaking—though I can tell you that a good many people in the village have already started matc hmaking ! But if there is anything in it, well, it would be a marvellous thing for Caroline, wouldn’t it? Duncan’s farm so prosperous, and such a lovely house; and, after all, Duncan himself is very handsome and distinguished, don’t you think?”
“But, good Lord, he’s too old for her. She’s just a girl.”
“But rather a serious girl after all.”
“You wouldn’t think so if you could hear her romping with the little girls sometimes, when she puts them to bed. They probably don’t know that I can hear them, but I can.”
“Well, anyway, she’s alone in the world, and she has got her future to think about, and if you don’t approve, everybody else does.”
“I should think I don’t approve,” said David. “Who is coming to look after the house and children if we lose Miss Hearst?”
“I’m sure there are other people who would be happy to take on the job,” said Patricia quietly, and he was aware of another meaning to her words, although, with this new thing about Duncan and Miss Hearst in his mind, he did not stop then to examine it. He went on: “Just when everything is going so well. And she is doing wonders in the house . ”
“Well,” said Patricia lightly, having put into his mind what she wanted to have there, “you needn’t be so worried. Their friendship may never come to anything: we don’t know how far it has progressed. We only know the rumours that fly round; and even if it did, it migh t be months and months yet. Only I feel that Caroline should have her chances.”
“Well, it’s very kind of you,” said David.
They walked together over the field towards the house, where Patricia had left her car. Evidently David’s mind was still running on what she had told him, for after a while he said:
“I don’t know why you imagine that there are other people who would be happy to take on this job. I must say nobody before Miss Hearst made much of a success of
She found him at the stables. He had just ridden his favourite grey home from Demister’s farm, and was looking handsome and immaculate in his best riding breeches and jacket, his boots gleaming like old mahogany.
“Ha llo , Patricia,” he called. “Nice to see you. I won’t keep you a moment.”
He came out of the stable, a dmiring her with his dark eyes—for she never came to Springfield without having taken particular care over her appearance. “What brings you over today?” he asked.
“Couldn’t it be just a friendly visit?” she asked teasingly.
“Quite the nicest kind of visit,” he approved.
“But it wasn’t,” she added.
“Oh. Dashed again,” he said, smiling.
“I really came over to see Caroline first; and then to ask your approval of something I want to do?”
“My approval? Whatever would justify me in approving or disapproving of anything you wanted to do?”
“The children.”
“Ah, it concerns the children. Well, what is it?”
She explained to him the fact that Caroline was able to have so little free time that she had offered to look after the children sometimes for her; but that she preferred to have David’s sanction before doing any thing definite.
“Well, of course you have my sanction. I think ifs very good of you; and you will do the children a lot of good. I hope Miss Hearst doesn’t feel I’ve been hard on her.”
“Good heavens, no. You wouldn’t hear Caroline complaining. It’s just that we all have a fondness for Caroline, you know; we have all felt so sorry for her in the past, and we would like to think that she would have good chances in life. But if she can’t have free time, she is so limited; and now that Duncan seems to be so interested in her—well ... ”
“Duncan Wescott? Is he interested in Miss Hearst?”
Patricia looked at him and laughed.
“Now, now, I’m not going to gossip. Nor am I go ing to start matchmaking—though I can tell you that a good many people in the village have already started matc hmaking ! But if there is anything in it, well, it would be a marvellous thing for Caroline, wouldn’t it? Duncan’s farm so prosperous, and such a lovely house; and, after all, Duncan himself is very handsome and distinguished, don’t you think?”
“But, good Lord, he’s too old for her. She’s just a girl.”
“But rather a serious girl after all.”
“You wouldn’t think so if you could hear her romping with the little girls sometimes, when she puts them to bed. They probably don’t know that I can hear them, but I can.”
“Well, anyway, she’s alone in the world, and she has got her future to think about, and if you don’t approve, everybody else does.”
“I should think I don’t approve,” said David. “Who is coming to look after the house and children if we lose Miss Hearst?”
“I’m sure there are other people who would be happy to take on the job,” said Patricia quietly, and he was aware of another meaning to her words, although, with this new thing about Duncan and Miss Hearst in his mind, he did not stop then to examine it. He went on: “Just when everything is going so well. And she is doing wonders in the house . ”
“Well,” said Patricia lightly, having put into his mind what she wanted to have there, “you needn’t be so worried. Their friendship may never come to anything: we don’t know how far it has progressed. We only know the rumours that fly round; and even if it did, it migh t be months and months yet. Only I feel that Caroline should have her chances.”
“Well, it’s very kind of you,” said David.
They walked together over the field towards the house, where Patricia had left her car. Evidently David’s mind was still running on what she had told him, for after a while he said:
“I don’t know why you imagine that there are other people who would be happy to take on this job. I must say nobody before Miss Hearst made much of a success of
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