Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE GREEN-LANE TRYST. YOU have actually consented, then, to the departure of your husband, said Flora Grant, coming suddenly into the room, and thereby destroying the soliloquy into which Esme had fallen. I heard the rattle of wheels, or I should not have thought it possible. Why not? asked Esme, carelessly. A point-blank question is often difficult to answer. In the present instance, at all events, Flora Grant appeared to find it so, for it was some little time before she said ? Because it is so very odd that he should rush off to Town like this. He was making all sorts of plans, only last night, for this afternoon. ' What may to-morrow bring?who cantell ? ' sang Esme, in her rich contralto voice, by way of answer. Singing does not mend the matter, Esme. Suppose anything were to happen ? I have not the least idea where he is to be found. My dear Aunt Flora! nothing is at all likely to happen. Do you imagine that the house is going to catch fire, or that we run any risk of being swallowed up by an earthquake, all because the master of the mansion is absent for a few hours ? My poor husband ! continued Esme merrily, surely you would not have him turned into a sort of domestic coast-guard, who, must be always at his post, in case some calamity should attack his household? Flora Grant looked injured, and she took refuge again in shrugs, and their accessories. There was a little whimper in her tone, as well as a little affectation of faltering speech, as she returned ? You are not very grateful to me, for allmy perfectly disinterested solicitude upon your behalf. For my part, I do not care where your husband chooses to go; but I cannot help feeling?in fact, it is only natural I should do so?that if he shared a littl...