The meats have been of his worst lately." Then with a glance
at the paper, "Your uncle's books must be dusted; I quite forgot it; I
will set Susan to work this morning."
"But," said Leila, "he does hate that, Aunt Ann. The last time she
succeeded in setting together 'Don Juan' and 'St. Thomas a Kempis.'"
Ann laughed, and said with some of her old sense of humour, "It might do
them both good--dust them yourself."
"I will," said Leila, liking the task.
"And when you ride this afternoon, see Mrs. Lamb. The cook tells me
that she hears of that scamp, her son, as in the army--a nice kind of
soldier." A half-dozen other errands were mentioned, and they parted,
Ann adding, "There is no mail to-day."
They met again at lunch. "It is too bad, Leila, Billy was given the
letters and forgot them and went a-fishing. There was a letter for you
from Mark Rivers about your uncle. Does he think me a child? I read it."
"You read it, Aunt!" exclaimed Leila astonished at this infraction of
their household law.
"Of course I read it. I knew it must be about James." Leila made no
reply, but did not like it.
"Here it is, my dear. I fear James is in a more serious state than I was
led to believe by their first letters. There is also a letter from John
to you." She did not ask to see it, and Leila took both missives and
presently went away to the stables.
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