When I had seen them all
at home my father carried me off there to tea."
"I observed that you were not at the evening service. The Musgraves and
those people drink tea at five o'clock: you must be ready for your
supper now. Mr. Logger, will you be so good as to ring the bell?"
Bessie was profoundly absorbed in her own happiness, but Lady Latimer's
manner, and still more the tone of her voice, struck her with an
uncomfortable chill. "Thank you, but I do not wish for anything to eat,"
she said, a little surprised.
The bell had rung, however, and the footman appeared. "Miss Fairfax will
take supper--she dined in the middle of the day," said Lady Latimer, but
nothing could be less hospitable than the inflection of her speech as
she gave the order.
"Indeed, indeed, I am not hungry; we had chicken and tongue to tea,"
cried Bessie, rather shamefaced now.
"And matrimony-cake and hot buttered toast--"
"No, we had no matrimony-cake," said Bessie, who understood now that my
lady was cross; and no one could be more taunting and unpleasant than my
lady when she was cross.
The footman had taken Miss Fairfax's remonstrative statement for a
negative, and had returned to his own supper when the drawing-room bell
rang again: "Why do you not announce Miss Fairfax's supper? Is it not
ready yet?"
"In a minute, my lady," said the man, and vanished. In due time he
reappeared to say that supper was served, and Lady Latimer looked at her
young guest and repeated the notice.
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