"Ella does not find him so--and, Flossie, I don"t like to hear you say such things, even in Ella"s absence."

"Oh, I never abuse him to Ella; it wouldn"t be any use: she"s firmly convinced that he"s perfection--at least she was before she went away."

"Why? do you mean that she has altered?--have you seen any sign of it, Flossie?"

Mrs. Hylton made this inquiry sharply, but not as if such a circ.u.mstance would be altogether displeasing to her.

"Oh, no; only she hasn"t seen him for so long, you know. Perhaps, when she comes to look at him with fresh eyes, she"ll notice things more. Ah, here _is_ George, just getting out of a hansom--so he has played truant for once! There"s one thing I _do_ think Ella might do--persuade him to shave off some of those straggly whiskers. I wonder why he never seems to get a hat or anything else like other people"s!"

Presently George was announced. He was slightly above middle height, broad-shouldered and fresh-coloured; the obnoxious whiskers did indeed cover more of his cheeks than modern fashion prescribes for men of his age, and had evidently never known a razor; he wore a turn-down collar and a necktie of a rather crude red; his clothes were neat and well brushed, but not remarkable for their cut.

"Well, my dear George," said Mrs. Hylton, "we have seen very little of you while Ella has been away."

"I know," he said awkwardly; "I"ve had a lot of things to look after in one way and another."

"What? after your work at the office was over!" cried Flossie incredulously.

"Yes--after that; it"s taken up my time a good deal."

"And so you couldn"t spare any to call here--I see!" said Flossie.

"George," she added, with a sudden diversion, "I wonder you aren"t afraid of catching cold! How _can_ you go about in such absurdly thin boots as those?"

"These?" he said, inspecting them doubtfully--they were strong, sensible boots with notched and projecting soles of ponderous thickness--"why, what"s the matter with them, Flossie, eh? Don"t you think they"re strong enough for walking in?"

"No, George; they"re the very things for an afternoon dance, and quite a lot of couples could dance in them, you see. But for walking--ah, I"m afraid you sacrifice too much to appearances."

"I don"t, really!" George protested in all good faith; "now _do_ I, Mrs.

Hylton?"

"Flossie is making fun of you, George; you mustn"t mind her impertinence."

"Oh, is that all? Do you know, I really thought for the moment that she meant they were too small for me! You like getting a rise out of me, Flossie, don"t you?"

And he laughed with such genuine and good-natured amus.e.m.e.nt that the young lady felt somehow a little small, and almost ashamed, although it took the form of suppressed irritation. "He really ought not to come here in such things," she said to herself; "and I don"t believe that, even now, he sees what I meant."

Just at this point Ella came in, with the least touch of shyness, perhaps, at meeting him before witnesses after so long an absence; but she only looked the more charming in consequence, and, demure as her greeting was, her pretty eyes had a sparkle of pleasure that scattered all George Chapman"s fears to the winds. Even Flossie felt instinctively that straggly-whiskered, red-necktied, thick-booted George had lost none of his divinity for Ella.

They did not seem to have much to say to one another, notwithstanding; possibly because Ella was called upon to dispense the tea which had just been brought in. George sat nursing the hat which Flossie found so objectionable, while he balanced a teacup with the anxious eye of a juggler out of practice, and the conversation flagged. At last, under pretence of renewing his tea, most of which he had squandered upon a Persian rug, he crossed to Ella: "I say," he suggested, "don"t you think you could come out for a little while? I"ve such lots to tell you and--and I want you to go somewhere with me."

Mrs. Hylton made no objection, beyond stipulating that Ella must not be allowed to tire herself after her journey, and so, a few minutes later, Miss Hylton came down in her pretty summer hat and light cape, and she and George were allowed to set out.

Once outside the house, he drew a long breath of mingled relief and pleasure: "By Jove, Ella, I am glad to get you back again! I say, how jolly you do look in that hat! Now, do you know where I"m going to take you?"

"It will be quietest in the Gardens," said Ella.

"Ah, but that"s not where you"re going now," he said with a delicious a.s.sumption of authority; "you"re coming with me to see a certain house on Campden Hill you may have heard of."

"That will be delightful. I do want to see our dear little house again very much. And, George, we will go carefully over all the rooms, and settle what can be done with each of them. Then we can begin directly; we haven"t too much time."

"Perhaps," he said with a conscious laugh, "it won"t take so much time as you think."

"Oh, but it _must_--to do properly. And while I"ve been away I"ve had some splendid ideas for some of the rooms--I"ve planned them out so beautifully. You know that delightful little room at the back?--the one I said should be your own den, with the window all festooned with creepers and looking out on the garden--well----?"

"Take my advice," he said, "and don"t make any plans till you see it.

And as for plans, these furnishing fellows do all that--they don"t care to be bothered with plans."

"They will have to carry out ours, though. I shall love settling how it is all to be--it will be such fun."

"You wouldn"t call it fun if you knew what it was like, I can tell you."

"But I _do_ know. Mother and I rearranged most of the rooms at home only last year--so you see I have some experience. And what experience can _you_ have had, if you please?"

Ella had a mental vision as she spoke of the house in Dawson Place when George lived with his mother and sisters--a house in which furniture and everything else were commonplace and _bourgeois_ to the last degree, and where nothing could have been altered since his boyhood; indeed she had often secretly pitied him for having to live in such surroundings, and admired the filial patience that had made him endure them so long.

"I"ve had my share, Ella, and I should be very sorry for you to have all the worry and bother I"ve been through over it!"

"But when, George? How? I don"t understand."

"Ah, that"s my secret!" he said provokingly; "and you know, Ella, if we began furnishing now, it would take no end of a time, with all these wonderful plans of yours, and--and I couldn"t stand having to wait till next November for you--I couldn"t do it!"

"Mother thinks the marriage need not be put off now," said Ella simply, "and we shall have six weeks till then; the house can be quite ready for us by the time we want it."

"Six weeks!" he said impatiently, "what"s six weeks? You"ve no idea what these chaps are, Ella! And then there are all your own things to get, and they would take up most of your time. No, we should have had to put it off, whatever you may say. And that would mean another separation--for, of course, you would go away in August, and I should have to stay in town: the office wouldn"t give me my fortnight twice over--honeymoon or no honeymoon!"

Ella looked completely puzzled. "But what are you trying to prove _now_, George?"

"I was only showing you that, even though you have come back earlier, we couldn"t possibly have got things ready in time, if I hadn"t----" but here he stopped. "No, I want that to be a surprise for you, Ella; you"ll see presently," he added.

Ella"s delicate eyebrows contracted. "I like to be prepared for my surprises, please, George. Tell me now."

They had turned up one of the quiet streets leading to the hill. They were so near the house that George thought he might abandon further mystery, not to mention that he was only too anxious to reveal his secret.

"Well, then, Ella, if you must have it," he said triumphantly, "the house is very nearly ready _now_--what do you think of that?"

"Do you mean that--that it is furnished, George?"

"Papered, painted, decorated, furnished--everything, from top to bottom!

I thought that would surprise you, Ella!"

"I think," she answered slowly, "you might have told me you were doing it."

"What! before it was all done? That would have spoilt it all, dear. I should have written, though, if you hadn"t been coming home so soon. And now it"s finished I must say it looks uncommonly jolly. I"m sure you"ll be pleased with it--it looks quite a different place."

She tried to smile: "And did you do it all yourself, George?"

"Well, no--not exactly. I flatter myself I know how to see that the work"s properly done, and all that; but there are some things I don"t pretend to be much of a hand at, so I got certain ladies to give me some wrinkles."

Ella felt relieved. She was disappointed, it is true--hurt, even, at having been deprived of any voice in the matter. She had been looking forward so much to carrying out her pet schemes, to enjoying her friends" admiration of the wonders wrought by her artistic invention.