18 A Mental Struggle.
looking, he might take his place with honour in any society
in Cliri.-tendom. Some faint resemblance can be traced to
his gentle mother in the darkness of his grey blue eye?.
His hair would be curly, and a rich, soft, sunny brown, if
his barber would allow one to see it; and his heavy golden
moustache coders,rather than conceals, the almost feminine
sweetness of his mouth.
Perhaps, on the whole, his face would be rather too
beautiful for a man, had not a certain touch of firmness,
that marks the squareness of the lower jaw, suggested an
amount of will lurking beneath his calm exterior that
entirely does away with the idea that weakness can form
any part of his character. In his smile there is a special
charm : it lights up with a strange suddenness each perfect
feature, and rests lingeringly, even after the cause of it has
died away, in his large and kindly eyes.
" So they have come ? " says Miss Heriot, turning to
Patricia as the latter enters her room dressed for dinner.
" Sit down a moment."
She dismisses her maid with a little gesture, and then
looks again at Patricia.
" Y''es, the blow has descended," says Patricia -with a
little laugh. "A heavy one, too, as the men look preter-
naturally big. 'My knowledge has been gained from a
surreptitious glance at them from behind my bedroom-
blind, so that I can't describe them very accurately. You
will be late, Imogen, if you linger so long over trifles. One
bracelet is quite as 'j^ooA as another—sometimes.''
" None will be better still," returns Imogen, pushing the
gold bangles from her. " I dare say the women of their
party wull be a little blaze of diamonds. There, go ! I
shall follow you directly."
Patricia is introduced. Is a little astonished, a little
relieved, and finally is so far won over to the side of the
enemy as to find herself in the middle of a very animated
discu-sion with old 3Ir. Brown.
It is one minute past eight o'clock, and Sir Hugh grows
fidgety.
" Why, where is Imogen ?" he asks, a little im¬
patiently, turning to his younger daughter. "She is
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