The emphasis upon certain words made Dean's speech as impertinent as she
desired. But Jean only laughed, and as Coventry's step was heard behind
them, she ran downstairs, saying blandly, but with a wicked look, "I
won't stop to thank you now, lest Mr. Coventry should bid me
good-morning, and so increase Miss Beaufort's indisposition."
Dean's eyes flashed as she looked after the girl with a wrathful face,
and went her way, saying grimly, "I'll bide my time, but I'll get the
better of her yet."
Fancying himself quite removed from "last night's absurdity," yet
curious to see how Jean would meet him, Coventry lounged into the
breakfast room with his usual air of listless indifference. A languid
nod and murmur was all the reply he vouchsafed to the greetings of
cousin, sister, and governess as he sat down and took up his paper.
"Have you had a letter from Ned?" asked Bella, looking at the note which
her brother still held.
"No" was the brief answer.
"Who then? You look as if you had received bad news."
There was no reply, and, peeping over his arm, Bella caught sight of the
seal and exclaimed, in a disappointed tone, "It is the Sydney crest. I
don't care about the note now. Men's letters to each other are not
interesting."
Miss Muir had been quietly feeding one of Edward's dogs, but at the name
she looked up and met Coventry's eyes, coloring so distressfully that he
pitied her. Why he should take the trouble to cover her confusion, he
did not stop to ask himself, but seeing the curl of Lucia's lip, he
suddenly addressed her with an air of displeasure, "Do you know that
Dean is getting impertinent? She presumes too much on her age and your
indulgence, and forgets her place."
"What has she done?" asked Lucia coldly.
"She troubles herself about my affairs and takes it upon herself to keep
Benson in order."
Here Coventry told about the letter and the woman's evident curiosity.
"Poor Dean, she gets no thanks for reminding you of what you had
forgotten. Next time she will leave your letters to their fate, and
perhaps it will be as well, if they have such a bad effect upon your
temper, Gerald."
Lucia spoke calmly, but there was an angry color in her cheek as she
rose and left the room. Coventry looked much annoyed, for on Jean's face
he detected a faint smile, half pitiful, half satirical, which disturbed
him more than his cousin's insinuation. Bella broke the awkward silence
by saying, with a sigh, "Poor Ned! I do so long to hear again from him.
I thought a letter had come for some of us. Dean said she saw one
bearing his writing on the hall table yesterday."
"She seems to have a mania for inspecting letters. I won't allow it. Who
was the letter for, Bella?" said Coventry, putting down his paper.