Page:By order of the Czar.djvu/188



176 BY ORDER OF THE CZAR.

amazed and bewildered at the open doorway where the sun came streaming in like a benediction.

CHAPTER XXIII.

DOLLY IS DETERMINED TO BE HAPPY.

PHILIP had not seen Dolly since he had asked her to be his wife : it seemed an age it was only two days ago. What an eventful two days ! To Dolly they had seemed also a long time, but somewhat uneventful. Mrs. Milbanke had not refrained from remarking that it was odd Philip had not called the next day ; and on this morning of the countess' visit to Philip's studio, she had expressed some wonder as to Philip's health.

" He must be ill, rny darling," said Jenny at breakfast, after Walter had started for the city. " It is Lady For- syth's day, I will call ; you shall not go ; I will go alone ; if he is ill we ought to have had the fact made known to us ; if he is well his conduct must be explained. When I was engaged to Walter every day that I did not see him I had a letter from him."

" He must be ill," said Dolly, taking up one of the last remaining strawberries that had come up from Walter's place in Gloucestershire. "Poor Sam would' have been here every five minutes if he had been allowed."

" You must not think what Sam would have done," said Jenny. " It is not proper, and it is not wise. Why, I declare it is twelve o'clock ! Walter is later for the city every morning."

" It is all owing to my engagement," said Dolly; "be- fore it was settled he talked of nothing else, now it is set- tled he finds it an equally absorbing topic, and one would think our trip to Venice was my honeymoon, he makes so much of it."