Fairfax assented.
But tears rushed to Bessie's eyes, and she would have uttered a most
decisive "No," had not Mrs. Carnegie promptly answered for her that it
was a nice plan. "Your dress is quite sufficient, Bessie," added my
lady, and she was sent up stairs to put on her hat. Did she stamp her
angry little foot as she obeyed? Probably. And she cried, for to go to
Fairfield thus was horribly against her inclination. Nevertheless, half
an hour later, when my lady had transacted the business that brought
her to Beechhurst so opportunely, Bessie found herself walking gently
along the road at her side, and on her other hand her wicked
grandfather, chatting of a variety of past events in as disengaged and
pleasant a fashion as an old gentleman of sixty-five, fallen
unexpectedly into the company of an old friend, could do. As Bessie
cooled down, she listened and began to speculate whether he might
possibly be not so altogether wicked as his recent misbehavior had led
her to conclude; then she began to think better things of him in a
general way, but unfortunately it did not occur to her that he might
possibly have conceived a liking to herself. Love, that best solvent of
difficulties, was astray between them from the beginning.
Bessie was not invited to talk, but Lady Latimer gave her a kind glance
at intervals. Yet for all this encouragement her heart went pit-a-pat
when they came in sight of Fairfield; for about the gate was gathered a
group of young ladies--to Bessie's imagination at this epoch the most
formidable of created beings.
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