"Certainly, dear. Lord Grayleigh, you cannot imagine how we spoil this little woman now that she is lying on her back. I suppose it is because she is so good and patient. She never murmurs, and she enjoys herself vastly. Is not this a pretty room?"
"Beautiful," replied Lord Grayleigh, in an abstracted tone. He sank into a chair near the window, and glanced out at the smoothly kept lawn, at the flower-beds with their gay colors, and at the silver Thames flowing rapidly by. Then he looked again at the child. The child"s grave eyes were fixed on his face; there was a faint smile round the lips but the eyes were very solemn.
"I will come back again, presently," said Mrs. Ogilvie. "By the way, Sib darling, Lord Grayleigh is coming to our bazaar, the bazaar for which you are dressing dolls."
"Nursie is dressing them," replied Sibyl in a weak voice--the mother did not notice how weak it was, but Lord Grayleigh did. "It somehow tires me to work. I "spect I"m not very strong, but I"ll be better perhaps to-morrow. Nursie is dressing them, and they are quite beautiful."
"Well, I"ll come back soon; you mustn"t tire her, Lord Grayleigh, and you and I have a great deal to talk over when you do come downstairs."
"I must return to town by the next train," said Lord Grayleigh; but Mrs. Ogilvie did not hear him. She went quickly away to join the friends who were waiting for her in the sunny garden.
"Lord Grayleigh has come," she said. "He is quite devoted to Sibyl; he is sitting with her for a few minutes; the child worships him.
Afterward he and I must have a rather business-like conversation."
"Then we will go, dear Mrs. Ogilvie," said both ladies.
"Thank you, dear friends; I hope you don"t think I am sending you away, but it is always my custom to speak plainly. Lord Grayleigh will be our princ.i.p.al patron at the bazaar, and naturally I have much to consult him about. I will drive over to-morrow to see you, Mrs. Le Strange, and we can discuss still further the sort of stall you will have."
The ladies took their leave, and Mrs. Ogilvie paced up and down in front of the house. She was restless, and presently a slight sense of disappointment stole over her, for Lord Grayleigh was staying an unconscionably long time in Sibyl"s room.
Sibyl and he were having what he said afterward was quite a straight talk.
"I am so glad you have come," said the little girl; "there are some things you can tell me that no one else can. Have you heard from father lately?"
"I had a cablegram from him not long ago."
"What"s that?"
"The same as a telegram; a cablegram is a message that comes across the sea."
"I understand," said Sibyl. She thought of her pretty fancy of the phantom ships that took her night after night to the breast of her father.
"What are you thinking about?" said Lord Grayleigh.
"Oh, about father, of course. When he sent you that message did he tell you there was much gold in the mine?"
"My dear child," said Lord Grayleigh, "what do you know about it?"
"I know all about it," answered Sybil. "I am deeply interested, deeply."
"Well, my dear little girl, to judge from your father"s message, the mine is full of gold, quite full."
"Up to the tip top?"
"Yes, you can express it in that way if you like, up to the tip top and down, n.o.body knows how deep, full of beautiful yellow gold, but don"t let us talk of these things any more. Tell me how you really fell, and what that naughty pony did to you."
"You must not scold my darling nameless pony, it was not his fault a bit," said Sibyl. She turned first red and then whiter than usual.
"Do you greatly mind if I _don"t_ talk about it?" she asked in a voice of sweet apology. "It makes me feel----"
"How, dear?"
"I don"t know, only I get the up and down and round and round feel. It was the feel I had when pony sprang; he seemed to spring into the air, and I fell and fell and fell. I don"t like to get the feel back, it is so very round and round, you know."
"We won"t talk of it," said Lord Grayleigh; "what shall I do to amuse you?"
"Tell me more about father and the mine full of gold."
"I have only just had the one cablegram, Sib, in which he merely stated that the news with regard to the mine was good."
"I am delighted," said Sibyl. "It"s awfully good of Lord Jesus. Do you know that I have been asking Lord Jesus to pile up the gold in the mine. He can do anything, you know, and He has done it, you see. Isn"t it sweet and dear of Him? Oh, you don"t know all He has done for me!
Don"t you love Him very much indeed, Lord Grayleigh?"
"Who, Sibyl?"
"My Lord Jesus Christ, my beautiful Lord Jesus Christ."
Lord Grayleigh bent and picked up a book which had fallen on the carpet. He turned the conversation. The child"s eyes, very grave and very blue, watched him. She did not say anything further, but she seemed to read the thought he wished to hide. He stood up, then he sat down again. Sibyl had that innate tact which is born in some natures, and always knew where to pause in her probings and questionings.
"Now," she continued, after a pause, "dear Mr. and Mrs. Holman will be rich."
"Mr. and Mrs. Holman," said Lord Grayleigh; "who are they?"
"They are my very own most special friends. They keep a toy-shop in Greek Street, a back street near our house. Mrs. Holman is going to buy a lot of gold out of the mine. I"ll send her a letter to tell her that she can buy it quick. You"ll be sure to keep some of the gold for Mrs. Holman, she is a dear old woman. You"ll be quite sure to remember her?"
"Quite sure, Sibyl."
"Hadn"t you better make a note of it? Father always makes notes when he wants to remember things. Have you got a note-book?"
"In my pocket."
"Please take it out and put down about Mrs. Holman and the gold out of the mine."
Lord Grayleigh produced a small note-book.
"What do you wish me to say?" he inquired.
"Put it this way," said Sibyl eagerly, "then you won"t forget. Some of the gold in the----"
"Lombard Deeps Mine," supplied Lord Grayleigh.
"Some of the gold in the Lombard Deeps Mine," repeated Sibyl, "to be kept special for dear Mr. and Mrs. Holman. Did you put that? Did you put _dear_ Mr. and Mrs. Holman?"
"Just exactly as you have worded it, Sibyl."
"Her address is number ten, Greek Street, Pimlico."
The address being further added, Sibyl gave a sigh of satisfaction.