When they took their places at
table, she had motioned to Gifford to sit beside her, and from that
position it gradually forced itself upon his notice that Henshaw
scarcely took his eyes off his hostess, addressing most of his
conversation, and he was a fluent talker, to her. It was, of course,
scarcely to be wondered at that this handsome, capable girl should call
forth any man's admiration. Gifford himself was indeed beginning to fall
desperately in love with her, but this naturally made Henshaw's rather
obvious prepossession none the less disagreeable to him. This, then, he
reflected, was the explanation of what Miss Morriston had hinted at,
what she had described as his objectionable excess of politeness at
their meeting that morning. Happily, however, Gifford felt secure in his
position as her accredited ally and in her expressed dislike to the man
whom it seemed she had unwittingly fascinated. It was indeed unthinkable
that this splendid, high-bred girl could ever be responsive to the
advances of this unpleasantly sharp, rather underbred man, and he was a
little surprised that she could respond to his remarks quite so
genially, with more graciousness indeed than even her position as
hostess called forth.
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