Then dinner was announced, and the dinner certainly
was sombre enough. A dinner before a ball in
the country never is very much of a dinner. The
ladies know that there is work before them, and keep
themselves for the greater occasion. Lady Purefoy
had gone, and Lady Penwether was not very happy in
the prospects for the evening. Neither Miss Penge
nor either of the two Miss Godolphins had entertained
personal hopes in regard to Lord Rufford, but nevertheless
they took badly the great favour shown to Arabella.
Lady Augustus did not get on particularly well with
any of the other ladies,—and there seemed
during the dinner to be an air of unhappiness over
them all. They retired as soon as it was possible,
and then Arabella at once went up to her bedroom.
“Mr. Nokes says he is a little stronger, my
Lord,” said the butler coming into the room.
Mr. Nokes had gone home and had returned again.
“He might pull through yet,” said Mr.
Hampton. Lord Rufford shook his head. Then
Mr. Gotobed told a wonderful story of an American
who had had his brains knocked almost out of his head
and had sat in Congress afterwards. “He
was the finest horseman I ever saw on a horse,”
said Hampton.
“A little too much temper,” said Captain
Battersby, who was a very old friend of the Major.
“I’d give a good deal that that mare had
never been brought to my stables,” said Lord
Rufford. “Purefoy will never get over it,
and I shan’t forget it in a hurry.”
Sir John at this time was up-stairs with the sufferer.
Even while drinking their wine they could not keep
themselves from the subject, and were convivial in
a cadaverous fashion.
The Ball
The people came of course, but not in such numbers
as had been expected. Many of those in Rufford
had heard of the accident, and having been made acquainted
with Nokes’s report, stayed away. Everybody
was told that supper would be on the table at twelve,
and that it was generally understood that the house
was to be cleared by two. Nokes seemed to think
that the sufferer would live at least till the morrow,
and it was ascertained to a certainty that the music
could not affect him. It was agreed among the
party in the house that the ladies staying there should
stand up for the first dance or two, as otherwise
the strangers would be discouraged and the whole thing
would be a failure. This request was made by Lady
Penwether because Miss Penge had said that she thought
it impossible for her to dance. Poor Miss Penge,
who was generally regarded as a brilliant young woman,
had been a good deal eclipsed by Arabella and had
seen the necessity of striking out some line for herself.
Then Arabella had whispered a few words to Lord Rufford,
and the lord had whispered a few words to his sister,
and Lady Penwether had explained what was to be done
to the ladies around. Lady Augustus nodded her
head and said that it was all right. The other
