CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Opinions

October 1st—The wedding will take place around Christmas. Milicent Hargrave seemed quite surprised by the offer of marriage.

"Well Helen, I am glad to see you so happy, but I am surprised that you agreed. I didn't realise you liked him so much."

"Why so?"

"Because you are far better than him in every way—and there's something careless and wild about him. I feel uncomfortable in his presence."

"You are timid, Milicent, but that's no fault of his," I said coldly.

Miss Wilmot seemed astonished when she heard the news.

"And so, Helen, you are to be Mrs Huntingdon."

"Yes," I replied. "Don't you envy me?"

"Oh, dear, no!" she exclaimed. "I shall soon be Lady Lowborough, and then, perhaps, you will envy me."

"I shall envy no one."

Mr Huntingdon's friends were more disappointed with our news than mine were. This morning, he received letters from his friends, who were quite upset that Mr Huntingdon would soon be leaving them and their careless and wild habits.

"Helen, do you know what you've done to me? I wrote to my friends the other day to tell them of my happy news, and instead of receiving a warm congratulation, they wrote me bitter letters of regret that I will soon leave them. Hattersley is so upset that he has promised to marry the first woman he meets because he's afraid that now his days of freedom and carelessness are over."

Our happy days here are soon to end, as the guests will return to their homes in less than two weeks. What am I to do without my dear Arthur Huntingdon?

(end of section)