At the same time Lady Earle wrote
to say that her husband was so ill that it was impossible for her
to look for any lady to supply Mrs. Vyvian's place. The
consequence was that, for the first time in their lives, the
young girls were left for a few weeks without a companion and
without surveillance.
Chapter XVII
One beautiful morning in May, Lillian went out alone to sketch.
The beauty of the sky and sea tempted her; fleecy-white clouds
floated gently over the blue heavens; the sun shone upon the
water until, at times, it resembled a huge sea of rippling gold.
Far off in the distance were the shining white sails of two
boats; they looked in the golden haze like the brilliant wings of
some bright bird. The sun upon the white sails struck her fancy,
and she wanted to sketch the effect.
It was the kind of morning that makes life seem all beauty and
gladness, even if the heart is weighed down with care. It was a
luxury merely to live and breathe. The leaves were all springing
in the woods; the meadows were green; wild flowers blossomed by
the hedge-rows; the birds sang gayly of the coming summer; the
white hawthorn threw its rich fragrance all around, and the
yellow broom bloomed on the cliffs.
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