CHAPTER TWO

After reading Helen's letter, Meg, or Margaret as she was often called, passed it to her aunt without speaking for a moment. But then, no longer able to control herself, she spoke.

"I don't know what to say, auntie. We met Mr and Mrs Wilcox while visiting Germany last spring," she said, laughing a bit to herself, "Everything's happening so ... " Meg paused for a moment.

"Suddenly?" added her aunt.

"I can't really say."

"But Margaret ... "

"We had gone to see the large church in the town of Speyer, but when we arrived we found that it had long been destroyed. It was there that we ran into the Wilcoxes, who'd also come to see the church and were equally disappointed. We had lunch together and got on with one another quite well. They seemed to like us and even invited us to come visit them. I would have gone with Helen, but Tibby became ill. Helen was planning to return on Saturday, but for some reason she has delayed it to Monday."

The silence of the neighborhood rose up after she finished speaking. They lived in Wickham Place; a quiet area, thanks to the high row of buildings that stood between their home and the busy street beyond. Eventually, this row of lower, older houses would be torn down and replaced with a new set of high apartment buildings, as that was the unfortunate direction in which London seemed to be heading.

"Well, what are these Wilcoxes like?" asked Aunt Munt. "Are they our kind of people? Do they enjoy art and literature? What's the age of this young Paul fellow?"

"I don't know, auntie. I think that I ought to go down there and see her right away."

"But why?" asked Aunt Munt.

Mrs Munt could not understand the relationship between her two nieces. Margaret knew this, but could not explain it to her in any clear way. She felt that she should be near her sister at such an important moment in her life.

"Dear Margaret, I feel that it would be better if I were to go instead of you," suggested Aunt Munt. "I don't mean to make you feel badly, but I feel that you might make mistakes there and say the wrong things, possibly offending the Wilcoxes."

"No, I must go. I will say nothing, actually. Helen's love will do all the talking," Margaret responded.

"But these things need time. They can't be rushed. Just let me go to Howards Place to have a look around. I think that I am quite able to decide what's good or not for my nieces."

Margaret thought about how quickly her sister tended to make decisions. She wanted to go to her, but her brother's illness seemed to be getting worse. Then she made up her mind.

"All right, auntie. You go, and take a letter from me with you. There's a train that leaves London around eleven o'clock. But auntie, please don't talk to the Wilcoxes about Helen's relationship with their son. Just talk with Helen herself."

Later, that morning, Aunt Munt bought her ticket and boarded the train in first class. Margaret, after watching the train leave the station, returned home and found a telegram from Helen waiting for her there.

Never mind. Relationship ended. Don't tell anyone.—Helen

But there was no way to stop Aunt Munt's arrival. It was too late.

(end of section)