By this time he would have been intimate with
the sisters. He might--but here Malcolm leapt rather impatiently
from his couch. What was the good of thinking over past mistakes! He
had been a fool, and stood in his own light--that was all. During
breakfast he was very cheerful, and seemed in such excellent spirits
that the passing thought occurred to Elizabeth that Mr. Herrick was
not sorry that his visit had ended.
"We are not clever enough for him," she said to herself regretfully;
but Malcolm's next speech dispelled this idea.
Dinah had just expressed her regret at losing him.
"I have no wish to go, I assure you," was his reply; "I have never
spent a happier week in my life. But you know in another two or
three weeks I hope to be settled at the Crow's Nest. We shall be
near neighbours then." He looked at Elizabeth as he spoke. It struck
him that she was a little embarrassed. Her colour rose, and there
was a slight pucker in her brow, as though something perplexed her;
but the next minute it was gone.
"In that case we must fix the date for the Templeton Bean-feast,"
she remarked briskly.
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