. .
That day Scrap, egged on by Lotty's persuasions and also thinking
that perhaps she had sat long enough, had arisen from her chair and
cushions and gone off with Lotty and sandwiches up into the hills till
evening. Mr. Wilkins, who wished to go with them, stayed on Lady
Caroline's advice with Mrs. Fisher in order to cheer her solitude, and
though he left off cheering her about eleven to go and look for Mrs.
Arbuthnot, so as for a space to cheer her too, thus dividing himself
impartially between these solitary ladies, he came back again
presently mopping his forehead and continued with Mrs. Fisher where he
had left off, for this time Mrs. Arbuthnot had hidden successfully.
There was a telegram, too, for her he noticed when he came in. Pity he
did not know where she was.
"Ought we to open it?" he said to Mrs. Fisher.
"No," said Mrs. Fisher.
"It may require an answer."
"I don't approve of tampering with other people's
correspondence."
"Tampering! My dear lady--"
Mr. Wilkins was shocked. Such a word. Tampering. He had the
greatest possible esteem for Mrs. Fisher, but he did at times find her
a little difficult. She liked him, he was sure, and she was in a fair
way, he felt, to become a client, but he feared she would be a
headstrong and secretive client.
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