"
Mr. Armstrong, whose yawns and vague disjointed replies were piteous to
hear, thought there was only one person in question who merited the epithet
"poor," and that person himself; but he made some faint show of being
interested nevertheless.
"Silly woman! silly woman!" he mumbled at last. "I've always thought she
rides the high horse rather too much with Fairfax. Men don't like that sort
of thing, you know. Geraldine's a very fine woman, but she can't twist a
man round her fingers as you can, Laura. Why don't you speak to George
Fairfax, and hurry on the marriage somehow? The sooner the business is
settled the better, with such a restive couple as these two; uncommonly
hard to drive in double harness--the mare inclined to jib, and the other
with a tendency to shy. You're such a manager, Laura, you'd make matters
square in no time."
If Lady Laura prided herself on one of her attributes more than
another--and she did cherish a harmless vanity about many things--it was in
the idea that she was a kind of social Talleyrand. So on this particular
occasion, encouraged by simple Fred Armstrong, who had a rooted belief that
there never had existed upon this earth such a wonderful woman as his wife,
my lady resolved to take the affairs of her sister under her protection,
and to bring all things to a triumphant issue. She felt very little
compunction about breaking her promise to Geraldine.
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