on the silk of her gown. "A nice pair to succeed my son! A nice pair for me to live with for the rest of my days!" A faint colour crept into her cheeks. Between their puckered lids her eyes stared straight ahead. "I wanted Jim," she said, more to herself than to Patricia. "It ought to be his, all of it! Clement! He's only half a man!"
Patricia said nothing. The note of hatred in Emily's voice was inexplicable and rather shocking.
"And his father," said Emily, with concentrated venom, "was just such another! I've always hated 'em—the whole pack of them! Jim's the only one worth tuppence." She pulled the shawl more tightly about her shoulders and said: "I won't see anyone else. If any of those Mansells call, you can send them about their business."
Both Agatha Mansell and her daughter called during the course of the day, but although Agatha insisted upon seeing Patricia, she accepted without comment the message that Mrs. Kane felt unable to receive visitors.
Betty Pemble, however, assured Miss Allison that she quite understood and gave into her charge an untidy posy of mixed flowers, the touching offering of her children, who (according to her account) had thought of it quite by themselves upon being told the sad news of Uncle Silas' death.
"I just told them that dear Uncle Silas has gone away on a long journey," she said. "They're such mites, you know, and I've never let them hear about Death or have ugly toys or stories about ogres and things. I mean, I do frightfully believe in keeping their little minds free from everything but happy, beautiful things, don't you?"
"A waste of time," pronounced Agatha. "Children are singularly heartless creatures."
Not from conviction, but with the object of preventing Mrs. Pemble from entering upon an involved argument in support of her offspring's sensibilities, Miss Allison made haste to take the flowers and to agree that all ugly things should be kept from the young.
Betty, who had hitherto believed Miss Allison to be hard and "what-I-call-unsympathetic" was pleased and told her earnestly that when one of his Pemble aunts had sent Peter a golliwogg for Christmas she had instantly taken it away from him and given him instead a sweet little woolly lamb.
"Yes," said Agatha magisterially, "and had I been his mother I should have given him a good spanking for screaming from sheer temper as he did. I well remember the occasion. Not that I see what a golliwogg has to do with Silas Kane's death."
She turned to Patricia and desired her to recount the precise circumstances of the accident. She did not appear to believe that Patricia was unable to gratify her curiosity, for she continued to question her long after Patricia had confessed almost entire ignorance. Her manner was so majestic and her voice so overpoweringly cultured that Patricia found herself apologising for knowing so little. It did not occur to her until that masterful presence was withdrawn that Agatha Mansell, who despised gossip and considered accidental deaths sensational and therefore vulgar, had been oddly anxious to possess herself of all the facts of the case.
Two more callers visited Cliff House to leave cards and sympathetic messages. One was Paul Mansell, who contrived to waylay Miss Allison in the garden and to pay her unseasonable addresses; the other was Oscar Roberts, who said naively that, having enjoyed the old lady's hospitality, he wanted to do the civil thing.
Mr. Harte, having looked Paul Mansell over with the mercilessly critical eyes of the youthful male, informed Miss Allison dispassionately that he seemed to be a pretty good tick. Oscar Roberts, however, whom he encountered in the drive, instantly won his approbation.
Unlike Emily, Mr. Harte had no prejudice against Americans. America for him was an Eldorado populated in its wilder regions by venal sheriffs and heroic cowboys; and in its towns by bootleggers, gangsters, kidnappers and G men. That another side to American life might exist he was
Patricia said nothing. The note of hatred in Emily's voice was inexplicable and rather shocking.
"And his father," said Emily, with concentrated venom, "was just such another! I've always hated 'em—the whole pack of them! Jim's the only one worth tuppence." She pulled the shawl more tightly about her shoulders and said: "I won't see anyone else. If any of those Mansells call, you can send them about their business."
Both Agatha Mansell and her daughter called during the course of the day, but although Agatha insisted upon seeing Patricia, she accepted without comment the message that Mrs. Kane felt unable to receive visitors.
Betty Pemble, however, assured Miss Allison that she quite understood and gave into her charge an untidy posy of mixed flowers, the touching offering of her children, who (according to her account) had thought of it quite by themselves upon being told the sad news of Uncle Silas' death.
"I just told them that dear Uncle Silas has gone away on a long journey," she said. "They're such mites, you know, and I've never let them hear about Death or have ugly toys or stories about ogres and things. I mean, I do frightfully believe in keeping their little minds free from everything but happy, beautiful things, don't you?"
"A waste of time," pronounced Agatha. "Children are singularly heartless creatures."
Not from conviction, but with the object of preventing Mrs. Pemble from entering upon an involved argument in support of her offspring's sensibilities, Miss Allison made haste to take the flowers and to agree that all ugly things should be kept from the young.
Betty, who had hitherto believed Miss Allison to be hard and "what-I-call-unsympathetic" was pleased and told her earnestly that when one of his Pemble aunts had sent Peter a golliwogg for Christmas she had instantly taken it away from him and given him instead a sweet little woolly lamb.
"Yes," said Agatha magisterially, "and had I been his mother I should have given him a good spanking for screaming from sheer temper as he did. I well remember the occasion. Not that I see what a golliwogg has to do with Silas Kane's death."
She turned to Patricia and desired her to recount the precise circumstances of the accident. She did not appear to believe that Patricia was unable to gratify her curiosity, for she continued to question her long after Patricia had confessed almost entire ignorance. Her manner was so majestic and her voice so overpoweringly cultured that Patricia found herself apologising for knowing so little. It did not occur to her until that masterful presence was withdrawn that Agatha Mansell, who despised gossip and considered accidental deaths sensational and therefore vulgar, had been oddly anxious to possess herself of all the facts of the case.
Two more callers visited Cliff House to leave cards and sympathetic messages. One was Paul Mansell, who contrived to waylay Miss Allison in the garden and to pay her unseasonable addresses; the other was Oscar Roberts, who said naively that, having enjoyed the old lady's hospitality, he wanted to do the civil thing.
Mr. Harte, having looked Paul Mansell over with the mercilessly critical eyes of the youthful male, informed Miss Allison dispassionately that he seemed to be a pretty good tick. Oscar Roberts, however, whom he encountered in the drive, instantly won his approbation.
Unlike Emily, Mr. Harte had no prejudice against Americans. America for him was an Eldorado populated in its wilder regions by venal sheriffs and heroic cowboys; and in its towns by bootleggers, gangsters, kidnappers and G men. That another side to American life might exist he was
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