I assure you that during my stay for that fortnight in
that fine old house, I never so much as noticed a single thing that
could have affected that good opinion. And even when I look
back, knowing the circumstances, I can't remember a single thing
any of them said that could have betrayed them. I can't remember,
right up to the dinner, when Leonora read out that telegram--not
the tremor of an eyelash, not the shaking of a hand. It was just a
pleasant country house-party.
And Leonora kept it up jolly well, for even longer than that--she
kept it up as far as I was concerned until eight days after Edward's
funeral. Immediately after that particular dinner--the dinner at
which I received the announcement that Nancy was going to leave
for India on the following day--I asked Leonora to let me have a
word with her. She took me into her little sitting-room and I then
said--I spare you the record of my emotions--that she was aware
that I wished to marry Nancy; that she had seemed to favour my
suit and that it appeared to be rather a waste of money upon tickets
and rather a waste of time upon travel to let the girl go to India if
Leonora thought that there was any chance of her marrying me.
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