They lost what little self-possession they had managed to acquire and
floundered miserably through the preliminaries.
But calm, sweet and composed as the most fastidious would require,
Rosalie greeted the visitors without a shadow of confusion or a sign of
gaucherie. Bonner felt a thrill of joy and pride as he took note of the
look of surprise that crept into his mother's face--a surprise that did
not diminish as the girl went through her unconscious test.
"By George!" he cried jubilantly to himself, "she's something to be
proud of--she's a queen!"
Later in the day, after the humble though imposing lunch (the paradox
was permissible in Tinkletown), Mrs. Bonner found time and opportunity
to express her surprise and her approval to him. With the insight of the
real aristocrat, she was not blind to the charms of the girl, who
blossomed like a rose in this out-of-the-way patch of nature. The tact
which impelled Rosalie to withdraw herself and all of the Crows from the
house, giving the Bonners an opportunity to be together undisturbed, did
not escape the clever woman of the world.
"She is remarkable, Wicker. Tell me about her. Why does she happen to
be living in this wretched town and among such people?"
Whereupon Bonner rushed into a detailed and somewhat lengthy history of
the mysterious Miss Gray, repeating it as it had come to him from her
own frank lips, but with embellishments of his own that would have
brought the red to her cheeks, could she have heard them.
Pages:
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225