That was the day
before Robin fell and ruined her rose-coloured smock and things.
But it wasn't through playing boisterous with the boy--because
he didn't come that morning, as I said, and he never has since."
Andrews, on this, found cause for being momentarily puzzled by the
change of expression in her mistress' face. Was it an odd little
gleam of angry spite she saw?
"And never has since, has he?" Mrs. Gareth-Lawless said with a
half laugh.
"Not once, ma'am," answered Andrews. "And Anne thinks it queer
the child never seemed to look for him. As if she'd lost interest.
She just droops and drags about and doesn't try to play at all."
"How much did she play with him?"
"Well, he was such a fine little fellow and had such a respectable,
elderly, Scotch looking woman in charge of him that Anne owned up
that she hadn't thought there was any objections to them playing
together. She says they were as well behaved and quiet as children
could be." Andrews thought proper to further justify herself by
repeating, "She didn't think there could be any objection."
"There couldn't," Mrs. Gareth-Lawless remarked. "I do know the
boy. He is a relation of Lord Coombe's."
"Indeed, ma'am," with colourless civility, "Anne said he was a
big handsome child."
Feather took a small bunch of hothouse grapes from her breakfast
tray and, after picking one off, suddenly began to laugh.
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