There was no mistaking the sudden flutter and agitation in his manner,
and the heightened color in his wizen little face. Even the reptile
temperament of Noel Vanstone warmed under the influence of the sex: he
had an undeniably appreciative eye for a handsome woman, and Magdalen's
grace and beauty were not thrown away on him.
"Will you go indoors, sir, and rest?" asked the housekeeper, repeating
her quest ion.
"Not yet, Lecount," said her master. "I fancy I feel stronger; I fancy
I can go on a little." He turned simpering to Magdalen, and added, in a
lower tone: "I have found a new interest in my walk, Miss Bygrave. Don't
desert us, or you will take the interest away with you."
He smiled and smirked in the highest approval of the ingenuity of his
own compliment--from which Captain Wragge dexterously diverted the
housekeeper's attention by ranging himself on her side of the path and
speaking to her at the same moment. They all four walked on slowly. Mrs.
Lecount said nothing more. She kept fast hold of her master's arm, and
looked across him at Magdalen with the dangerous expression of inquiry
more marked than ever in her handsome black eyes.
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