Page:Anthony Hope - The Dolly Dialogues.djvu/101

 'very soft it was. Dear me! I was just twenty.'

'How old was she?' asked Miss Phyllis.

'One's first love,' said I, 'is never any age. Everything went very well. Happiness was impossible. I was heart-broken, and the governess was far from happy. Ah, happy, happy times.'

'But you don't seem to have been happy,' objected Miss Phyllis.

'Then came a terrible evening'

'She ought to be a person of active habits,' called Mrs. Hilary.

'I think so, yes, Cousin Mary. Oh, what happened, Mr. Carter?'

'And an early riser,' added Mrs. Hilary.

'Yes, Cousin Mary. What did happen, Mr. Carter?'

'My mother came in during the French hour. I don't know whether you have observed, Miss Phyllis, how easy it is to slip into the habit of entering rooms when you had better remain outside. Now, even my friend ArchHowever, that's neither here nor there. My mother, as I say, came in.'

'Church of England, of course, Phyllis?' called Mrs. Hilary.

'Oh, of course, Cousin Mary,' cried little Miss Phyllis.

'The sect makes no difference,' I observed. 'Well, my sisters, like good girls, began to repeat the irregular verbs. But it was no use. We were discovered. That night, Miss Phyllis, I nearly drowned myself.'