In the first place,
I propose that on Monday, when you leave Lord Haverley's, you shall
both come here for a time. The Solent will be very pleasant for the
next fortnight, and we can then take a fortnight's cruise west,
and, if you like, land at Plymouth, and go straight home."
"I should be very glad," Lady Greendale said at once, rejoiced at
the thought that she would thus avoid the necessity of answering
any questions about Bertha; "and there will be no occasion at all
to speak of this at my cousin's. There might be all sorts of
questions asked, and expressions of surprise, and so on. It will be
quite time enough to write to our friends after we have been
comfortably settled at home for a time. We can talk over all that
afterwards."
"Yes, and I should think, Lady Greendale, that it would save the
trouble of two letters if, while mentioning that Bertha is engaged
to your neighbour, Major Mallett, you could add that the marriage
will come off in the course of a few weeks.
"Don't you think so, Bertha?"
"Certainly not," she said, saucily. "It will be quite time to talk
about that a long time hence."
"Well, I will put off talking about it for a short time, but, you
see, I have had a year's waiting already.
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