He related several well worth hearing. She had evidently a sense of
humour and unexpected perceptions.
"One detail of the story of old Doby's meerschaum," Westholt said,
"pleased me enormously. She managed to convey to him--without hurting
his aged feelings or overwhelming him with embarrassment--that if he
preferred a clean churchwarden or his old briarwood, he need not feel
obliged to smoke the new pipe. He could regard it as a trophy. Now, how
did she do that without filling him with fright and confusion, lest she
might think him not sufficiently grateful for her present? But they
tell me she did it, and that old Doby is rapturously happy and takes the
meerschaum to bed with him, but only smokes it on Sundays--sitting at
his window blowing great clouds when his neighbours are coming from
church. It was a clever girl who knew that an old fellow might secretly
like his old pipe best."
"It was a deliciously clever girl," said Lord Dunholm. "One wants to
know and make friends with her. We must drive over and call. I confess,
I rather congratulate myself that Anstruthers is not at home."
"So do I," Westholt answered. "One wonders a little how far he and his
sister-in-law will 'foregather' when he returns.
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