Page:Lesbia Newman - Dalton - 1889.djvu/147



, Marquis of Humnoddie, our heroine’s acquaintance of Ruddymere Park, was the man called to head the Bungling Coalition, a post for which his pliant and amiable disposition well fitted him. It happened just now that his wife was frequently evading the press of her social obligations in town by a run down for a day or two to Ruddymere, accompanied by her younger daughter Friga, who, unlike her sister, loved the country and hated London.

Thus it came about that Lady Friga and our heroine saw a good deal of each other in their respective homes, and further, that the more they saw, the better they liked each other. Not that Friga Hawknorbuzzard could pretend to the intellect of Letitia Blemmyketts, but she was nevertheless of a cultivated mind and a sweet, simple nature, which gave to her voluptuous style of beauty a very spiritual expression. And if she could not lead in the domain of speculative thought, she could follow; and this she was ready enough to do when her leader was such as Lesbia Newman. Hence the latter, without being unfaithful in thought to Letitia, found that the void made by the absence of her American love was in course of being filled up: the old tie was not weakened, but a new one was added to it. Her home was no longer dull to her, a zest being given to ordinary pursuits