Having neatly disposed of the linen in the smaller box, she turned her
attention to the dresses next. After passing them carefully in review,
to ascertain which was the least valuable of the collection, and to
place that one at the bottom of the trunk for the rest to lie on, she
made her choice with very little difficulty. The first gown which she
put into the box was--the brown Alpaca dress.
Meanwhile Magdalen had joined the captain downstairs. Although he could
not fail to notice the languor in her face and the listlessness of all
her movements, he was relieved to find that she met him with perfect
composure. She was even self-possessed enough to ask him for news of his
journey, with no other signs of agitation than a passing change of color
and a little trembling of the lips.
"So much for the past," said Captain Wragge, when his narrative of the
expedition to London by way of St. Crux had come to an end. "Now for the
present. The bridegroom--"
"If it makes no difference," she interposed, "call him Mr. Noel
Vanstone."
"With all my heart. Mr. Noel Vanstone is coming here this afternoon to
dine and spend the evening. He will be tiresome in the last degree;
but, like all tiresome people, he is not to be got rid of on any terms.
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