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68 Lord Brayton had soon become visible to them all, and they quickened their pace a little. He had found an empty seat behind the Colonel's wife, to whom he was talking, while only two chairs removed from him were the elder Miss Grimsons. It was natural that the Colonel's wife should introduce him, and he moved up next to Miss Cathie. This looked very like invidiousness (a quality which Mrs. Wilson particularly detested) on Miss Cathie's part, though the absence of Margery's friend, that far too attractive niece, made the invidiousness less black than it would otherwise have been.

The circuit of the cricket-field was large, the day was hot, and very soon the mothers were hot too. But maternal duty impelled them to go round to the other side of the ground, where, as Mrs. Vereker said, you get so much better a view of the play, and the procession went briskly on, the mothers walking before, the daughters following after. Mrs. Vereker continued her account of the performance of Israel in Egypt to a distracted audience, while the three daughters talked about the subject of their walk.

"He is laughing at something Miss Cathie has said," remarked Margery. "I wonder where Lucia is. She has met him before, you know."

"And didn't he fall in love with her at once?" said the loyal Nellie.

"Lucia didn't mention it."

Mrs. Majendie turned round and pointed with her bangled arm to the pitch.

"Look, what a beautiful cut, Nellie!" she said; "or was it a pull? It's four runs, anyhow. No, it isn't. How quickly they pick it up and throw it!"

"Yes, mother," said Nellie. "Oh, Helen, I do hope Lord Brayton will fall in love with her. I think he must."

Margery put in her word.

"Lucia is so unselfish," she said. "She probably hasn't come this afternoon because she is making a hat for Miss Elizabeth. She is too sweet to both her aunts. I should be simply fiendish if I had to live all alone with them."

This, again, was the fruit of Lucia's thoroughness. Her month's effort had been perfectly done: she gave the impression of entire sweetness and amiability. But the panegyric was cut short.

"There she is," said Helen Vereker.