The Real Charlotte. 159 



turf-boat pier at four o'clock, and he hoped none of you 

 were going out." 



Then he had not forgotten her ; he was going to keep his 

 word, thought Francie, with a leap of the heart, but further 

 thoughts were cut short by the sudden appearance of 

 Pamela, Christopher, and Miss Hope-Drummond at the end 

 of the ride. The treacherous slaughter of the rat was im- 

 mediately recounted to Pamela at full length by Garry, and 

 Miss Fitzpatrick addressed herself to Christopher. 



" How sweet your woods are, Mr. Dysart," she began, 

 feeling that some speech of the kind was suitable to the 

 occasion. "I declare, I'd never be tired walking in them!" 



Christopher was standing a little behind the others, look- 

 ing cool and lank in his flannels, and feeling a good deal 

 less interested in things in general than he appeared. He 

 had an agreeably craven habit of simulating enjoyment in 

 the society of whoever fate threw him in contact with, not 

 so much from a wish to please as from a politeness that had 

 in it an unworthy fear of exciting displeasure ; and so ably 

 had he played the part expected of him that Miss Hope- 

 Drummond had felt, as she strolled with him and his sister 

 through the sunshiny wood, that he really was far more in- 

 terested in her than she had given him credit for, and that 

 if that goose Pamela were not so officious in always pursuing 

 them about everywhere, they would have got on better still. 

 She did not trouble her brothers in this way, and the idea 

 that Mr. Dysart would not have come at all without his 

 sister did not occur to her. She was, therefore, by no means 

 pleased when she heard him suggest to Miss Fitzpatrick 

 that she should come and see the view from the point, and 

 saw them walk away in that direction without any reference 

 to the rest of the party. 



Christopher himself could hardly have explained why he 

 did it. It is possible that he felt Francie's ingenuous, un- 

 affected vulgarity to be refreshing after the conversation in 

 which Miss Hope-Drummond's own especial tastes and 

 opinions had shed their philosophy upon a rechauffe of the 

 society papers, and recollections of Ascot and Hurhngham. 

 Perhaps also, after his discovery that Francie had a soul to 

 be saved, he resented the absolute possession that Hawkins 

 had taken of her the night before. Hawkins was a good 



