"We _must go_ to that place," she said afterwards to Nina; "we cannot
help ourselves. For my part I feel perfectly indifferent as to where we
live. It is like a choice of prisons--simple endurance for the time
being. It is like taking medicine. I will take it because I _must_;
but I'm not going to have it dressed up with sugar-plums and pretend
it's nice."
"But what do you mean by `for the time being'?" asked Nina timidly.
To this Lettice would not reply; perhaps, though she would not own it,
her ideas were really vague on the subject.
Arthur had to be up early the morning he left; and, thanks to their late
talk the night before, Nina overslept herself, and Lettice, seeing her
looking so tired and pale, had not the heart to wake her. She looked
pale and heavy-eyed herself when Arthur found her waiting to give him
his breakfast, and he felt sorry for her, and perhaps a little
conscience-smitten for some of the things he had said of her.
"We shall see you again before _very_ long," she said; "for surely no
difficulty will be put in the way of your spending your holidays with
us."
"Of course not. Who would dream of such a thing?" he said.
"I don't know," replied Lettice wearily; "everything has gone so
strangely. I ask myself what next?"
"Lettice," said Arthur simply, "don't exaggerate; but, to make sure, I
will speak of it to Godfrey."
"Better you than I, certainly."
"He likes Nina very much," went on Arthur innocently, almost as if
thinking aloud. "And he thinks her so very pretty."
"Does he? Did he say so?" said Lettice quickly; and a curious
expression, which Arthur did not observe, passed over her face.
"Oh, ever so many times. He thinks her almost an angel, I believe;" and
Lettice would have liked to hear more, but there was no time.
"Arthur, you will do your best, will you not?" were her last whispered
words to her brother. "Remember, if you don't succeed, it will break my
heart; and I believe," in a still lower voice, "it would have broken
papa's and mamma's."
A look of intense pain came into the poor boy's eyes, and he did not
speak. Then with sudden resolution he turned to his sister.
"Yes," he said, though his voice was unlike itself, "I will do _my
best_."