A sudden sound made him turn to see Colonel de Vigne and his daughter enter.
They came forward to greet him and Bathurst. Rose was smiling; her eyes were softly bright.
"How happy she looks!" was the thought that occurred to him, but it was only a passing thought. It vanished in a moment as he heard her accost Bathurst.
"How is our poor little Dinah by this time?"
"You had better ask this gentleman," airily responded Bathurst. "He has elected to make himself responsible for her welfare."
Rose's delicate brows went up, but very strangely Scott no longer felt in the least disconcerted. He replied to her unspoken query without difficulty.
"Dinah felt that she could not face the gossips," he said, "and as Isabel was badly wanting her, they have gone away together. Except for old Biddy, they will be quite alone, and it will do them both all the good in the world."
Rose's brow cleared. "What an excellent arrangement!" she murmured sympathetically. "And--your brother?"
Scott smiled. "Needless to say, he is not of the party. His plans are somewhat uncertain. He may go abroad for a time, but I doubt if he banishes himself for long when the London season is in full swing."
Rose's smile answered his. "I think he is very wise," she said. "When Easter is over, we shall probably follow his example. I hope we shall have the pleasure of meeting you when we are all in town."
"Ha! So do I," said the Colonel. "You must look me up at the Club--any time. I shall be delighted."
"You are very kind," Scott said. "But I go to town very rarely, and I never stay there. My brother is far more of a society man than I am."
"You will have to come out of your shell," smiled Rose.
"Quite so--quite so," agreed the Colonel. "It isn't fair to cheat society, you know. If we can't dance at your brother's wedding, you might give us the pleasure of dancing at yours."
Bathurst uttered a careless laugh. "I've just been accusing him of cutting his brother out," he said lightly. "But he denies all knowledge of the transaction."
"Oh, but what a shame!" interposed Rose quickly. "Mr. Studley, we won't listen to this gossip. Will you come up to my sitting-room, and show me that new game of Patience you were talking about yesterday? Bring your drink with you!"