Carstyle
seized a moment of _tete-a-tete_ to confide in him that the dear child
hated the idea of leaving, and was going only because her friend Mrs.
Higby would not let her off. Of course, if it had not been for Mr.
Carstyle's peculiarities they would have had their own seaside home--at
Newport, probably: Mrs. Carstyle preferred the tone of Newport--and Irene
would not have been dependent on the _charity_ of her friends; but as it
was, they must be thankful for small mercies, and Mrs. Higby was certainly
very kind in her way, and had a charming social position--for
Narragansett.
These confidences, however, were soon superseded by an exchange, between
mother and daughter, of increasingly frequent allusions to the delights of
Narragansett, the popularity of Mrs. Higby, and the jolliness of her
house; with an occasional reference on Mrs. Carstyle's part to the
probability of Hewlett Bain's being there as usual--hadn't Irene heard
from Mrs. Higby that he was to be there? Upon this note Miss Carstyle at
length departed, leaving Vibart to the undisputed enjoyment of her
father's company.
Vibart had at no time a keen taste for the summer joys of Millbrook, and
the family obligation which, for several months of the year, kept him at
his aunt's side (Mrs. Vance was a childless widow and he filled the
onerous post of favorite nephew) gave a sense of compulsion to the light
occupations that chequered his leisure. Mrs.
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