"
"Miss Earle is quite right," said Lord Airlie. "A ball during
the season in London is a toil; here it would be nothing but a
pleasure."
"Then a ball let it be," said Lord Earle. "Lillian, make out a
list of invitations, and head it with Sir Harry and Lady Laurence
of Holtham Hall. That reminds me, their eldest son, Gaspar, came
home yesterday from Germany; do not forget to include him."
"Little Gaspar," cried Lady Helena--"has he returned? I should
like to see him."
"Little Gaspar," said Lord Earle, laughing, "is six feet high
now, mother. You forget how time flies; he is taller than
Lionel, and a fine, handsome young fellow he is. He will be
quite an acquisition."
Lord Earle was too much engrossed to remark the uneasiness his
few words had caused. Lord Airlie winced at the idea of a rival
a handsome man, and sentimental, too, as all those people
educated in Germany are!
"I can not understand what possesses English people to send their
sons abroad for education," he said to Beatrice--"and to Germany
of all places in the world."
"Why should they not?" she asked.
Pages:
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316