Old Comrades
Copyright© 2026 by Agnes Giberne
Chapter 19: “Strictly in Confidence”
LUNCH over, the two Dorotheas hastened away to dress. Dolly would not permit the loss of a moment. Expeditious as Dorothea always was, she found Dolly in the hall, ready dressed, charming in her dark furs and golden hair. Both pallor and limpness were gone, but Dorothea did not quite like the sharp contrasts of pink and white in the small face.
“Are you sure you ought to go to-day?” she asked in a low tone, when they were off, the two Colonels bringing up the rear, arm-in-arm.
“Ought to go. Oh, why?” and the pink became crimson.
“I don’t fancy you are quite well.”
“Is that all? I fancied you meant—at least, I didn’t know what you meant. I’m only awfully tired,” said Dolly, with a forced laugh. “If it wasn’t for the skating, I should like to lie on the sofa and cry. But that would be so stupid.”
“Only, if you are not fit to go—”
“I am fit, and I mean to go.” Dolly spoke with a touch of pettishness. “It would be absurd to give in. Just laziness.”
The frozen pond lay near the centre of a large meadow, behind the Park garden. A good many people were already assembled there when the Woodlands party arrived. Dolly passed among them, nodding, smiling, shaking hands, but scarcely pausing for an instant until the edge of the pond was reached.
“How do you do, Dolly?” Mervyn said, coming up. “Why!”—and his tone showed great surprise—”Miss Tracy!”
“Didn’t you know Miss Tracy was with us?” asked Dolly.
“I really did not. Nobody has had the grace to tell me.”
Dorothea could not but be aware of the pleasure in Mervyn’s face, and the warmth of his hand-clasp. Her heart beat rather fast: yet the next moment, he was looking with evident admiration at Dolly.
“And I must not hinder that! I must do nothing to hinder that!” she told herself.
“So you are actually staying at Woodlands?” said Mervyn.
“Yes; we came yesterday. Colonel Erskine proved to be my father’s old friend.”
“Ah, I remember, —you were questioning me in the Park. I must renew acquaintance with Colonel Tracy presently. There’s Emmeline calling me to a sense of my duties. I hope yonder portly dame doesn’t mean to adventure herself on the ice. She’ll drown the whole bevy of us. Arctic frost wouldn’t sustain her weight. Have you skates, Miss Tracy? I’ll be back in a minute. Here, Edred, can you see to these ladies?”
Edred’s response to the appeal was not too cordial. He shook hands with Dolly, but hardly met her eyes; and then he bent his attention to the fastening of Dorothea’s skates. When they both looked up, Dolly was gone.
“Where can she be?” Dorothea asked. “Yes, I see! Your brother has her on the ice.”
A shadow crossed Edred’s face, marked enough to be unmistakable. “Yes,” he said briefly. “Now, will you let me help you?”
Dorothea was not a very experienced skater, and some little assistance was welcome. Edred attached himself to her side for a considerable time.
“Poor man! it is hard upon him!” thought Dorothea, “when he is longing to be with Dolly. But—if she has what she wants, I must not interfere.”
Neither Dorothea, nor Edred wore capable of difficult evolutions. They went solemnly round and round the pond, doing their best to avoid collisions. Dorothea tried in vain to get up any manner of conversation on everyday topics. She took refuge at last in Edred’s London work, mentioned the Parish, and started him in a lengthy dissertation upon the duties of churchwardens. Whether she or he thought much about what he said may be doubted; but the gravity of the two faces gave them every appearance of intent interest.
Dolly flashed past now and then, holding Mervyn’s hand. The two were executing intricate curves, with equal ease and grace. Dorothea felt certain that at all events Dolly was enjoying herself.
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