Page:Georgie by Dorothea Deakin, 1906.djvu/81

The Goddess Girl everybody knew, but me. She refused me because she's an honorable young woman, and she's engaged to that infernal, conceited, long-legged, young puppy they call Georgie!"

I could offer no real comfort to his lacerated feelings, and, with my mind in a whirl, I left him to go and tell Drusilla all about it. I found her re-arranging the papers on my study table—a thing I had not yet dared to tell her not to do.

"Darling," said I carefully, "don't black your pretty hands with those dusty, inky things. I always arrange my own papers."

"Do you?" said she. "But not now you've got a nice little secretary. And Georgie's been in while you were out. He is so sad, poor boy. He's just gone down the village for some new blotting-paper for me, and he'll be back in ten minutes. He hoped you'd be home then, because he wants to talk to you privately. I asked him to tell his troubles to me, but he said it was impossible. I suppose your idea about Anne and—I suppose it has 65