across the bed.
“I’ve been turning out my cupboards,” Aunt Horry told her, declining, however, to meet her eyes, “and I’ve found all this stuff that I must have picked up sometime somewhere or other. It struck me that this ivory silk is the very thing to make up into an absolutely perfect evening dress for you, and I could I imagine you looking quite enchanting in this pale pink.”
She picked it up and mad e as if to hold it up against her guest, but Karen’s clear blue eyes looked at her accusingly. She was not greatly surprised, for Mrs. Montagu-Jackson had been hinting so frequently lately that she would like to take her on a shopping expedition, offering as the excuse the fact that it was so long since she had shopped for anyone young, and that it made her so happy to see young things really well dressed.
“And as you’re going to be my niece before very long, I don’t see why we shouldn’t have a wonderful time buying you an outfit—so what do you say?” she had asked.
Karen’s cheeks had first burned with embarrassment, and then she had shaken her head fiercely.
“I wouldn’t even dream of allowing you to do anything of the sort,” she had said. “You’ve already been far too kind to me—far too kind! ”
“ Rubbish!” Aunt Horry had exclaimed mildly. She had not looked acutely disappointed but as if the answer she had received was one she had expected. “Well, we’ll have to think up some other way of providing you with new clothes ,” she had concluded, with a sigh of frustration.
“I don’t need new clothes,” Karen had declared. “At least —” And then in a rising panic she had said to herself that the sooner the deception she was practicing was ended, and she was back in London, the better. She was being basely unfair to people who were good to her, and she would have to let Iain know her decision very soon. Now that she was quite well again there was no excuse for her remaining where she was. “At least , ” she had repeated, “I don’t need them so badly that I’m going to let you provide them for me. ”
Aunt Horry’s eyebrows rose, and she had looked at the slim figure of determ i nation in front of her with a faintly puzzled frown .
“But you are going to marry Iain, aren’t you ?”
“I—I—”
“ Aren’t you?”
Karen had remembered the promise she had made to the man who had befriended her, and she had swallowed something in her throat, and then nodded her head.
“Yes, but we haven’t discussed when we’re going to get married, or anything like that. It ’ s merely—merely —”
“Merely a n engagement! Well, my dear, that’s all; it could have been as you’ve only just begun to pick up your strength after being so unwell, but talk of m a rriage is bound to crop up before very long now. And you must have some clothes to get married in. You can’t expect a man to buy them for you until he becomes a husband, although I’ve no doubt at all that Iain would be delighted —”
“Oh, no!” Karen had exclaimed in horror. “I wouldn’t accept a thing from, him—not anything like that!”
“And even if you’re not going to get married you, still need clothes,” her hostess had declared, with a return of her mildness, “and it doesn’t seem to me that you earn enough to keep yourself alive, let alone buy other necessities. From all you’ve told me about that flatlet affair of yours in London, and the way you’ve lived , I’d never h a ve an easy moment if you ever thought seriously of going back to it. And I’d see that you didn’t go b ack to it,” with a sudden firmness. “Whatever happens about Iain, I’m quite determined that someone has got to do something about you in future!”
Karen had felt such a rush of gratitude—almost pathetic gratitude—to her heart that she had almost choked, and she could only mutter. “You’re terribly kind!—you’re far too kind! ” and rush from the room.
And now here was Mrs.
“I’ve been turning out my cupboards,” Aunt Horry told her, declining, however, to meet her eyes, “and I’ve found all this stuff that I must have picked up sometime somewhere or other. It struck me that this ivory silk is the very thing to make up into an absolutely perfect evening dress for you, and I could I imagine you looking quite enchanting in this pale pink.”
She picked it up and mad e as if to hold it up against her guest, but Karen’s clear blue eyes looked at her accusingly. She was not greatly surprised, for Mrs. Montagu-Jackson had been hinting so frequently lately that she would like to take her on a shopping expedition, offering as the excuse the fact that it was so long since she had shopped for anyone young, and that it made her so happy to see young things really well dressed.
“And as you’re going to be my niece before very long, I don’t see why we shouldn’t have a wonderful time buying you an outfit—so what do you say?” she had asked.
Karen’s cheeks had first burned with embarrassment, and then she had shaken her head fiercely.
“I wouldn’t even dream of allowing you to do anything of the sort,” she had said. “You’ve already been far too kind to me—far too kind! ”
“ Rubbish!” Aunt Horry had exclaimed mildly. She had not looked acutely disappointed but as if the answer she had received was one she had expected. “Well, we’ll have to think up some other way of providing you with new clothes ,” she had concluded, with a sigh of frustration.
“I don’t need new clothes,” Karen had declared. “At least —” And then in a rising panic she had said to herself that the sooner the deception she was practicing was ended, and she was back in London, the better. She was being basely unfair to people who were good to her, and she would have to let Iain know her decision very soon. Now that she was quite well again there was no excuse for her remaining where she was. “At least , ” she had repeated, “I don’t need them so badly that I’m going to let you provide them for me. ”
Aunt Horry’s eyebrows rose, and she had looked at the slim figure of determ i nation in front of her with a faintly puzzled frown .
“But you are going to marry Iain, aren’t you ?”
“I—I—”
“ Aren’t you?”
Karen had remembered the promise she had made to the man who had befriended her, and she had swallowed something in her throat, and then nodded her head.
“Yes, but we haven’t discussed when we’re going to get married, or anything like that. It ’ s merely—merely —”
“Merely a n engagement! Well, my dear, that’s all; it could have been as you’ve only just begun to pick up your strength after being so unwell, but talk of m a rriage is bound to crop up before very long now. And you must have some clothes to get married in. You can’t expect a man to buy them for you until he becomes a husband, although I’ve no doubt at all that Iain would be delighted —”
“Oh, no!” Karen had exclaimed in horror. “I wouldn’t accept a thing from, him—not anything like that!”
“And even if you’re not going to get married you, still need clothes,” her hostess had declared, with a return of her mildness, “and it doesn’t seem to me that you earn enough to keep yourself alive, let alone buy other necessities. From all you’ve told me about that flatlet affair of yours in London, and the way you’ve lived , I’d never h a ve an easy moment if you ever thought seriously of going back to it. And I’d see that you didn’t go b ack to it,” with a sudden firmness. “Whatever happens about Iain, I’m quite determined that someone has got to do something about you in future!”
Karen had felt such a rush of gratitude—almost pathetic gratitude—to her heart that she had almost choked, and she could only mutter. “You’re terribly kind!—you’re far too kind! ” and rush from the room.
And now here was Mrs.
Similar Books
