"I must be on the alert and see that she is not
troubled unnecessarily," for being a frequent visitor, he was aware that
Gussie was not always the pleasant person she appeared to be, and he,
somehow, connected her with Dexie's present mood.
But in this case he was mistaken. The evening mail had brought Dexie a
letter from Hugh McNeil. She had heard so little of him for some time that
she began to hope (when she thought of him at all) that he had forgotten
her or had found other attractions that had effaced her from his memory.
But this unlooked-for letter told a different story, and his half-expressed
determination to seek her presence and renew his suit filled her with
dismay.
She had thrust the letter hastily into her pocket with but a rapid glance
at its contents, just as her numerous guests were ushered in; and her time
had been so engrossed that the letter itself was forgotten, though the
memory of the eager, passionate words therein was bringing up all the
unpleasant scenes that had happened in Halifax in connection with Hugh.
During the evening she had, with the help of the cook, set out a dainty
repast in the dining-room, and as she made her way into the parlor again to
invite the guests to come and partake of it, she wondered at the sound that
reached her ears, for instead of the hum of many voices one voice alone
was heard, and that was Gussie's.
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