The final close might be
delayed, but it was not to be averted. Before Easter they had left London
for Hartledon, that he might have country air. Lord Hartledon's eldest
sister, Lady Margaret Cooper, came there with her husband; and on this
day the other sister, Lady Laura Level, had arrived from India. Lady
Margaret was an invalid, and not an agreeable woman besides; but to Laura
and Anne the meeting, after so many years' separation, was one of intense
pleasure. They had been close friends from childhood.
They were all gathered together in the large drawing-room after luncheon.
The day was a wet one, and no one had ventured out except Sir James
Cooper. Accustomed to the Scotch mists, this rain seemed a genial shower,
and Sir James was enjoying it accordingly. It was a warm, close day, in
spite of the rain; and the large fire in the grate made the room
oppressive, so that they were glad to throw the windows open.
Lying on a sofa near the fire was the invalid boy. By merely looking at
him you might see that he would never rally, though he fluctuated much.
To-day he was, comparatively speaking, well. Little Maude was threading
beads; and the two others, much younger, stood looking on--Reginald
and Anne. Lady Margaret Cooper, having a fellow-feeling for an invalid,
sat near the sick boy. Lord Hartledon sat apart at a table reading, and
making occasional notes.
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